It’s easy to be so deeply invested in daily life that one forgets to notice the people around them who may be hungry for connection, an invitation, a hello. Life is often hurried, and it’s natural to sometimes miss these moments.

Here are a few simple ways to foster connection and make things just a little easier to connect with an immigrant neighbor.

“I will never forget the article I read about a teenage girl who had to bury her mother and two sisters in the desert sand.”

John, one of our unit leaders, reflects on the need for ministry among immigrants and refugees and the ways that ministry has begun throughout Europe.

In Washington DC, tourists spend their days soaking in history while lawmakers on Capitol Hill make decisions that will affect history. The city is alive with people from near places and far places, cameras poised to capture iconic landmarks.

But not every person from a far place has come as a tourist. In the greater DC area, nearly 20% of the population were born outside of the US.

Africa and Europe nearly touch. If a person stands at the Strait of Gibraltar in Morocco, they can see Spain, a mere 14 kilometers away. Europe holds the promise of a better life for many Africans, and they work hard to get there.

Some take refuge in a southern Spanish city at a refuge resettlement center that helps them settle into a new life while also giving them the opportunity to discover the Ultimate Refuge.

“ESL is a ministry that so many people can do because a lot of it is about relationship. A good portion of ESL ministry is about having conversations with people.” It’s about speaking, listening, and understanding.

It comes down to this: being reliable and being in someone’s life is more important than whether you taught them all the right words.