How Are You Loving Your Immigrant and Refugee Neighbor?
Using our voices to participate in hope—GivingTuesday opportunity
Just a few short weeks ago I woke up as a tired mom, not ready to start the day. The opportunity I was walking into that day was worth the early morning, as I rubbed tired eyes and donned attire that’s not my daily norm.
“Your voice matters!” I had continually heard from heads of organizations and law makers the previous day.
But does it really? Do our voices actually rally to make change in this world that feels like it has more agendas of hate every time the news is turned on?
I knew the answer—yes.
That day, I put on my red lipstick and black blazer. With fire in my heart, passion in my steps, and butterflies in my belly—I walked into meetings on Capitol Hill to advocate for change. I sat in law offices that hold powerful votes, and used my voice to advocate for those votes to be used in compassionate, humane treatment of my immigrant and refugee neighbors.
My voice mattered that day.
My voice matters, today.
Our voice matters always.
I recently listened to a podcast from Emily P. Freeman where she mentions Jonathan Merritt’s reference to a form of hope that really struck me—participatory hope… “which is rooted in the present, sees the broken, and says, ‘Here is where we begin.’”1
How can we begin participating in hope today?
What does that look like for you?
What impact might that be for others?
There are refugees fleeing persecution, mothers seeking asylum hoping for a better life for their children, dads just trying to provide for their families, other families being torn apart, lives being detained—all being told that they are not welcome to step foot on the soil of a nation that was founded itself by immigrants hoping for a better life.
How can we live in a way that mirrors the love of Christ for those around us?
We do live in a world, especially in the greater Church, that is so scared to talk about what we see in the news. Here are some questions that may have risen in you or someone you know…
What I see in the news is not what I voted for, what do I do?
I didn’t vote for this and I feel so much anger in what I see, how can I hold compassion for myself and others?
How do I ask my questions about immigration where I won’t be shamed?
How do I use my voice to speak up for those that might not be able to?2
We begin with compassion.
We begin we hope.
There is always hope to participate in.
I invite you to consider giving a donation to The Welcome Movement this GivingTuesday.
Our mission is to invite and empower followers of Jesus to love and journey together alongside immigrant and refugee communities through spiritual companionship and tangible expressions of biblical hospitality.
Will you join us?
Proverbs 31:8-9