WITH THE REFUGEE CRISIS CONTINUING MORE PEOPLE ARE FINDING CHRIST
On Aug. 15, 2021, Taliban fighters entered Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, and overthrew the government. Today, the Taliban now has total control over the city, and more than 6 million Afghans were forced to flee their homes to seek safety. In fact, many neighboring countries are still receiving Afghanistan refugees because of the terrible attack. These countries in Central Asia were unaware of the thousands of refugees who would enter. It’s devastating that some of these places are already struggling on their own to feed and provide for their people. Now, more individuals are on the streets — starving and seeking shelter. It’s heartbreaking to hear these stories of such horrendous human suffering. Before the refugee crisis, God did something amazing in 2019. A gentleman in neighboring country named Sahid met a small number of Afghan refugees and began building relationships with them. He felt like God had called him to one family in particular. This family practiced Islam, but after engaging with Sahid and learning more about God, they converted to Christianity. Once more, refugees began entering this country, and Sahid turned to iBAM for help in 2021. He told me about his experience and how he wanted to help others find God and provide them with the resources they need to survive. So, we established a partnership with him. Within the Afghanistan culture, they are skeptical of engaging with outsiders — especially Christians. But after helping develop a small grocery business with the new believing family, they now give canned food, medical supplies, and other resources to refugee families in need, and they began to trust and engage with them.
Not only did the disciples provide others with food to eat, but they also got to share stories of how God impacted their lives for the better. These families who created businesses developed friendships and helped other refugees recognize God’s grace. Sahid then teamed up with some Christian refugees and made a refugee camp where they played games, sang songs, and served food, and some families even converted to become disciples. Who could’ve predicted, other than Christ himself, that one refugee family would turn their lives to God, then many others would join Discovery Bible studies in just a few weeks? I hear from Sahid frequently, and he gives me updates on what God is doing in his life as well as the lives of the refugee families that he gets to interact with. He told me that more and more refugee families are searching Scriptures with him and spreading the Good News to others around them. Sahid and several others now conduct Bible studies, send relief packages, and deliver resources to their neighbors. Their impact on their community shows God’s good grace and inspires and encourages others to turn to Him. It’s painful and heartbreaking to hear stories about people fearfully leaving their homes because they aren’t safe in their native lands. But receiving reports from our partner on how God is showing Himself to these refugees — and providing for them — brings me hope for the future.
There’s still more work to do and thousands of more refugees who need to be reached. If you want to help, go to IBAM.org/give and click “Central Asia” in the drop-down menu. Your proceeds will go straight into the hands of our partners who will provide for the refugees in need.
-J.S.
2 703-652-iBAM (4226)
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