October 22, 2024
How One Immigrant’s Life Was Changed by God
Hung Le, an immigrant to the U.S. from Vietnam, lost his faith in God. But amid all of his difficult experiences, he came to the realization that God still loved him
Articles for tag: Immigrants
March 16, 2017
Taxi Drivers, Refugees, and Other Good Reasons to Pray
By Kevin Dooley So what does the kingdom of Heaven look like when it shows up among refugees and immigrants in your town and mine? As followers of Jesus Christ, we are living in a unique time in the history of Christianity””a time when obeying the last commandment of Jesus to “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19) may not include air travel, but rather taking a taxi home from the airport. For more than two decades my wife, Kim, and I have lived and worked cross-culturally seeking to honor God among the poorest of the poor in
November 21, 2016
Studying the City: Hope International University
By Jennifer Johnson Several of the colleges and universities affiliated with our movement understand the need to reach their own cities while preparing students for an urban future. Here”s what one of them is doing. ________ HOPE INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Fullerton, California The U.S. Census Bureau defines an urban area as “comprising one or more central places, and the adjacent densely-settled surrounding territory, that together have a minimum of 50,000 people.” So while cities like New York and Chicago certainly qualify as urban, so do urban sprawl areas like Anaheim, California. “Anaheim is home to 350,000 people,” says Kip Lines, professor
November 11, 2016
Missional Justice
By Kip Lines What is justice for followers of Jesus? What does it mean for the church to demonstrate God”s justice in the world? These are difficult questions I”ve discovered often lead to unexpected answers. In Kenya, together with Turkana church leaders, our missionary team sought to envision what it would look like in our communities if God really was in charge . . . if our following Jesus meant the kingdom of God was truly breaking into our human kingdoms. You might expect the largest injustice issues in a developing nation would be items like hunger and food security,
June 18, 2016
Our Ministry to Hispanic Immigrants
By David G. Fish “Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:19, English Standard Version). This verse first impressed me (see parallels in Exodus 22:21; 23:9) during my undergraduate days, before I had any significant contact with the people those Scriptures would identify as sojourners. I lived the experience of the sojourner during the better part of two decades while serving as a missionary in Chile (though I recognize many would point out that my sojourn was different, in that my relative position was one of privilege rather than poverty). The truth, however,
January 15, 2016
Reaching the Children of Immigrants
By Bill Belew Jesus was an immigrant child. His original home is not where he grew up. That fact can move us to reach and serve the children of immigrants all around us. A couple of years ago, a friend of mine became a naturalized citizen of the United States. He was thrilled when I invited myself to watch his swearing in. None of his Persian (Iranian) family members or friends were able to make it. There were more than 1,500 new citizens from 140 to 150 different countries being sworn in that day. As the names of the countries
June 10, 2013
The Power of One
By Todd Bussey Simple, humble people emboldened with great faith and strong conviction give each of us a hint about what we could accomplish. They demonstrate the power of one to make the world a better place. And they have four traits in common. “¢ A young man starts a shoe company. For every pair purchased, a second pair is given to a child in need. The idea explodes into a global phenomenon. “¢ A mother of four puts her young children to bed and spends the evening on her laptop as an “online” missionary to another mother living in a
A Ministry to Immigrants in Canada
By Jennifer Taylor “When you first get here, even the most basic things can be difficult,” says Javier Bustillos, who is originally from Cali, Colombia, and lived in the United States before arriving in Toronto, Canada, in 2003. “You don”t know where to shop for food, what school your children should attend, where to live. It”s a confusing time.” Bustillos and a small group of other Spanish-speaking members from Churchill Meadows Christian Church (also in Toronto) began visiting a local shelter to become friends with the refugees and immigrants. “We didn”t begin with a plan,” he admits. “We just listened
