Sometimes we hear the question, why refugees? Why immigrants? Is this REALLY an important work? We believe it is. Our ministry was born out of friendships built between American women and women from Burma. We discovered very quickly that we had more in common than different. We loved our children. We needed other moms to fellowship with. We had concerns about babies that weren’t sleeping, about children struggling in school, about family members far away. The time together each week was sweet. Yet beyond the beautiful relationships built, we realized that this ministry was something close to GOD’S heart, not just ours. And here are 5 reason why:
1. God’s Care for the Stranger
We want to reflect God’s heart. Because He cares for and protects the foreigner, so do we.
- “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 19:33–34)
- “The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.” (Psalm 146:9)
- “He defends widows and orphans. He loves even the strangers living among us. He gives them food and clothes. So you must also love them, because you yourselves were strangers in the land of Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 10:18-19)
2. Jesus’s Teaching on Compassion
We follow our Savior wherever He leads. Jesus called us mercy, to peacemaking, to servanthood, and He equated serving others with serving Him:
- “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.” (Matthew 25:35)
- “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)
3. Old Testament Examples of Refugees
The refugee story is not unique to our time. Many Biblical figures had to flee. The Bible makes it clear that this experience is part of His grand narrative and plan.
- Abraham and Sarah traveled to Egypt during a famine (Genesis 12:10).
- Moses fled Egypt as a refugee before returning to lead Israel out of bondage (Exodus 2:15).
- Ruth, a Moabite widow, sought refuge in Israel and was welcomed by Boaz (Ruth 2:10–12).
4. Justice and Advocacy
The Bible calls for us to speak up and defend the needy, especially the oppressed:
- “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.” (Proverbs 31:8–9)
- “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.” (Psalm 82:3)
- “I will tell you the kind of day I want—a day to set people free. I want a day that you take the burdens off others. I want a day when you set troubled people free and you take the burdens from their shoulders. I want you to share your food with the hungry. I want you to find the poor who don’t have homes and bring them into your own homes. When you see people who have no clothes, give them your clothes! Don’t hide from your relatives when they need help.” (Isaiah 58:6-7)
5. The Golden Rule
Easy to quote, but hard to live by. Jesus summarized God’s commands with the principle of treating others as we wish to be treated. We are to be like the Good Samaritan, reaching out across social, national, racial divisions in order to love those in need:
- “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)
Faith in Action
We welcome and advocate for refugees and asylum seekers because of our Christian faith. We believe we are called to demonstrate the love of Christ. We also believe that this is a sanctity of life issue, because we believe that every person is created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27).