Today, is the last day of 2019. We’re both hopeful and vulnerable as we look
at 2020. We’re sure our last blog and
email of 2019 isn’t the only one you have today requesting a year end
gift. We do sense that we are exactly
where we need to be. We do sense that we
are in a location where God is moving.
We request that you put some thought into what’s happening in America,
and the best use of resources.
From our perspective there are neglected places in the
margins of society that show the movements of God. America is a great nation, but amid a great
spiritual struggle. In this struggle it
can be easy to choose a partisan path. The issues of ministry we frequently face of
immigration, poverty, and race are frequently seen through a partisan
lens. Yet, we believe these issues of
ministry are best addressed through the witness of the Church. There are thoughtful voices of faith. However, many of those voices cluster in
urban areas. We chose in 2019 to move
to Bismarck, North Dakota as missionaries to be near a surge of African
migration, take a part-time teaching pastor role with Revive Christian Church,
and hopefully settle into life that is good for our disabled son and us as
grandparents.
December saw these variables play out. If you weren’t aware with recent policy
changes to refugee settlement local states and counties now must consent to
receive refugees. It’s all been a
relatively easy process. In North Dakota
our governor, and the counties where Fargo and Grand Forks are located quickly
consented. However, in Bismarck it
quickly became international news. (If
you haven’t seen there are articles on Burleigh County refugee settlement in
the B.B.C., New York Times, Washington Post, and local North Dakota newspapers.) Social media escalated concerns. The first Burleigh County Commissioners
meeting on December 2 had hundreds attend.
The meeting had to be rescheduled for a larger venue on Monday, December
9. At first the Burleigh County
commissioners were receiving hundreds of phone calls and emails with a 9 to 1
ratio opposing refugee settlement. In
the week before December 9 a multiple of Bismarck pastors and Christian leaders
raised awareness. By December 9 the ratio
had shifted to 7 in favor of refugee settlement to 3 opposed in communication
to the commissioners. When it came time
to vote the commissioners consented to refugee settlement by a 3 to 2
vote. Refugees will continue to settle
in Burleigh County, North Dakota.
We didn’t speak at the public meeting on December 2 or 9. There were hundreds in line who spoke. We thought we might hurt the argument as we
are North Dakota newcomers. However,
Dave did edit one refugee’s speech, we hosted a small group discussion about
these matters with Revive, and Dave wrote each county commissioner. In a way, this was a very personal
matter. We take it as the movement of
God that most refugees in Burleigh County are from Congo and speak Kinyarwanda
(Banyamulenge ethnic group.) They have deep
old Christian traditions. They worship
in Kinyarwanda and Kiswahili. We feel
very at home with them. They only number
a few hundred in the Bismarck / Mandan metropolitan area. We’re unaware of any of them ever having
problems with law enforcement. They work
hard. Their young people are in school. Those laboring help in tough jobs such as
cleaning, home health care, and nursing.
Their young men are frequently in the local sports page for their success
in soccer and track. We believe they are
an answer to prayer for more workers in the mission field of America.
Now coming back to the needed voice of the Church. During Christmas season Dave preached through
the traditional Christmas texts at Revive Christian such as Isaiah 9, Matthew
1-2, Luke 1-2, and John 1. This past
Sunday, December 29 we were in Matthew 2 where the wise men visit Jesus’
family, King Herod orders genocide of male toddlers in the Bethlehem region,
and Jesus’ family flees to Egypt before settling into Nazareth.
When we hit the point after we understand the history of the
text and ask for application to our faith community in North Dakota we look
back to several events. Germans from
Russia came to North Dakota and settled on the prairie generations ago to flee
religious and ethnic persecution. Armenians
also came to North Dakota to settle on the prairie fleeing genocide of the Ottoman
Turkey empire. For most in North Dakota
these types of applications are part of esteemed heritage, but too distant to
feel personal. Thus, we invited Banyamulenge
refugees to tell us their stories to apply the text. We had two delightful young women, Joy and
Francine.
Some parts of their stories were heartbreaking. Can you imagine entering junior high with no
English skill? Can you imagine having
lived as a refugee your whole childhood, and thus having no memories of your
parents’ home? Can you imagine starting
out in a new country in high school?
Some parts of their stories were funny and endearing. Can you imagine landing in North Dakota in
January? Can you imagine the first time
you ever touched snow?
Yet, the biggest parts of their stories were
inspirational. Young people who couldn’t
speak English within 4 years spoke in such a way you couldn’t tell immigration
was part of their story. They had
completed school. Everyone in the home
was working. Their church was
growing. Their family structure was the
glue that kept them all together. We at
Revive got to meet those whose character was like the generations of German and
Armenian refugees who settled in North Dakota generations ago. It strengthened our believe in God, American
ideals, and local churches. In those
ideals we believe is a future of hope.
Today can you donate to keep us in North Dakota as
missionaries by either sending a check to
East Africa
Diaspora Community
P.O. BOX 480
Wheaton, IL
60187
Or giving on line at https://secure.egsnetwork.com/donate/C0AF312B0E28441.
Asante sana. Webale
nyo. Murakoze cyane. Thank you very much,
Dave and Jana
