things we heard that you need to know
A team from Third Presbyterian in Richmond came to help us in our ministry. Together we put on a retreat in Innsbruck. We then traveled to Rome where we visited with some of the key contacts that have developed in the past year. A highlight in Rome was our visit in a large abandoned building that holds about 450 Ethiopian and Eritrean refugees. Below are some quotes from various conversations with refugees over these past 10 days.
"I believe God has a purpose for me as a refugee. ...I have a room ...I have food... I am so blessed to be here. It's only at night when I come back to my room and close the door that I realize I am a refugee."
Paul said, "God in his providence is using Austria to send you as a missionary. ...You have an important role in building and renewing Christ's church in Europe."
"I feel like Moses ...he was a refugee. Here we must rely on Jesus. God has used bad things to draw us closer to him ...I am reading the Bible and spending time with God much more now as a refugee than I ever have before."
"My mother was a Christian. She encouraged me to go to church. ...there are many churches where I am from. Here in Austria there are fewer. "
"We must trust in the living God. He is the answer. Faith sees the invisible ...believes the incredible ...achieves the impossible."
"Before this retreat, I did not understand. Here I have felt accepted. I have understood the Bible for the first time. ...I will tell more refugees to come if you do this again."
"My village was attacked ...my father beheaded ...the village burned ...it is difficult to talk about these things. "
"Last week a man died after he was arrested and held for questioning. He was a good man ...a father to all ...We saw the body and it looked like he was beaten badly. ...This is the sadness room. His wife and child are in the room now and will stay there until the sadness is over."
"we named our daughter delite which means "judge" ...because here we have no justice. "
"There is much depression here. "
"When we first started to live here, the officials came and turned off the water. We protested and blocked the street until they turned it back on."
"We are 450 people who live here ...we have to work together and help each other ...we have to stay together as a community or we will die."
"10-15 refugees will come each day from all over the country to stay here while they do their business with the officials. ...they need help ...those who have been here show the new ones how it works."
"...Yes this is good (that we have a community and are helping each other) ...but it is not a revolution."
"...We have a pentecostal church that meets here. ...it began in one room and went from room to room. ...now it is too big ...and so it has a place downstairs."
"...this is the room for our church ...but it is just a room ...because the church is in us ...it is upstairs where everybody lives."
"We need showers ...we need a playground for the small children so it is safe ... and a net along the street to keep the ball from rolling in the street. ...If we could build a vollleyball court then it would help when people are nervous and sad."
"We hope we can come back to help you..."
"We hope too ...God will make it possible."
"I believe God has a purpose for me as a refugee. ...I have a room ...I have food... I am so blessed to be here. It's only at night when I come back to my room and close the door that I realize I am a refugee."
Paul said, "God in his providence is using Austria to send you as a missionary. ...You have an important role in building and renewing Christ's church in Europe."
"I feel like Moses ...he was a refugee. Here we must rely on Jesus. God has used bad things to draw us closer to him ...I am reading the Bible and spending time with God much more now as a refugee than I ever have before."
"My mother was a Christian. She encouraged me to go to church. ...there are many churches where I am from. Here in Austria there are fewer. "
"We must trust in the living God. He is the answer. Faith sees the invisible ...believes the incredible ...achieves the impossible."
"Before this retreat, I did not understand. Here I have felt accepted. I have understood the Bible for the first time. ...I will tell more refugees to come if you do this again."
"My village was attacked ...my father beheaded ...the village burned ...it is difficult to talk about these things. "
"Last week a man died after he was arrested and held for questioning. He was a good man ...a father to all ...We saw the body and it looked like he was beaten badly. ...This is the sadness room. His wife and child are in the room now and will stay there until the sadness is over."
"we named our daughter delite which means "judge" ...because here we have no justice. "
"There is much depression here. "
"When we first started to live here, the officials came and turned off the water. We protested and blocked the street until they turned it back on."
"We are 450 people who live here ...we have to work together and help each other ...we have to stay together as a community or we will die."
"10-15 refugees will come each day from all over the country to stay here while they do their business with the officials. ...they need help ...those who have been here show the new ones how it works."
"...Yes this is good (that we have a community and are helping each other) ...but it is not a revolution."
"...We have a pentecostal church that meets here. ...it began in one room and went from room to room. ...now it is too big ...and so it has a place downstairs."
"...this is the room for our church ...but it is just a room ...because the church is in us ...it is upstairs where everybody lives."
"We need showers ...we need a playground for the small children so it is safe ... and a net along the street to keep the ball from rolling in the street. ...If we could build a vollleyball court then it would help when people are nervous and sad."
"We hope we can come back to help you..."
"We hope too ...God will make it possible."
posted by Paul at
8:29 AM
|
2 comments
