Should the US resettle Syrian refugees? That’s a complicated question, but I’m sure you have an opinion. Whatever you think, it is very possible that God will ignore your opinion and bring whomever He wants to Kansas City. If you think he should bring ten times more Syrians than President Obama wants, maybe He will close the door to Missouri and send them somewhere else. If you believe that we shouldn’t take any, maybe God will send ten thousand. God is the One who determines where people live.
My question is this: what are Christians called to do with people God brings to Kansas City? We are clearly called to make disciples of all nations and to love our neighbor. We can do that in refugee camps or in Europe or in America, but we have to reach them for Christ. If God ordained us to live in Kansas City, He is calling us to focus on those who are here and those who will be here. We have no excuse for not loving those God brings to us or sharing Jesus with them. But great joy comes from being on mission with God to reach those He brings.
People Teams is one of the ministries of the BR-KC Baptist Association for internationals and refugees. You can make a difference for Christ by building a relationship with one family from another nation. This Spring, we are using soccer and simple home visits to build these relationships with kids, teens, and their parents. We need caring Christians to serve as mentors, coaches, and drivers.
This article was originally published in the January 2016 edition of our Missions & Ministry Newsletter.
