They Just Need You

What I love is that what we do is not hard. Any Christian can decide that once every two weeks, you go somewhere for an hour.

These volunteers that we partner with are only doing one thing, but they are doing one thing. We are really trying to get people to do one thing. They don’t have to do it by themselves. They come with us, see if it’s too hard. They can just come.

We know specific verses about refugees and hospitality. We try to help people see that we’ve been overlooking these things in the Bible. I also use my own story. I prayed God would give me any job but with Muslims. I was afraid and didn’t want to. But God changed my heart.

Refugees just need you. Everyone has something to bring.

It’s not for me to find the right people to make the things happen. Right now, I have four volunteers who do a women’s event at the local refugee center. Four! They come and share their time with the ladies by playing games and serving food.

We also do an annual World Camp at that local refugee center. We use it as a tool to help people see that things are not hard. We have volunteers who just keep doing it. They go back to the refugee center and do activities independent of us.

When things that are good happen, people ask how I do it.

It’s about being available.

You don’t know what will happen when you go places.

You need to have a balance between doing things and leaving time and room for God to work.

We go to social cafes which are places that offer affordable food. We just want to be available for God. I taught an immigrant friend how to drive. She failed and when I defended the driving instructor, she got upset and went silent for months. Then she came to me and told me I was the only person she could trust. And we had a good spiritual discussion. I’ve been greeting our Romanian neighbors for one and a half years, and they finally started responding. We hand out Easter eggs during Lent, and I’ve got to share the gospel with Muslim neighbors.

We just repeat, repeat, repeat.

I go with the flow. Whatever God brings to my path, I go with it. This is how I pray — whatever comes across my path, Lord. I pray as I go. I do have activities that are planned and I hope to evangelize. For example, as I’m doing a local cooking class, I am available to God.

Els, her husband Kevin, and their youngest daughter out on a walk in their neighborhood.

Els serving refugees at an event.

If you’d like to do as Els does and pray as you go, making yourself available to God, here are some ideas:

As you’re going places, pray:

For the people you are about to meet

For humility in service

Surrender to the Lord and lay your expectations and agendas aside

Simply tell God you’re available for Him to use

Pray also for neighbors and people you’re in relationship with. This will soften and align your heart with the Lord’s heart.

Remember that God wants to give you opportunities to share the Gospel. Pray that the Holy Spirit will nudge you and show you if it’s the right time to do so.

Here are ideas of places you can go and make yourself available to God:

A local ethnic restaurant

A park that immigrants frequent

A supermarket

A class like the cooking class that Els talked about

A mall

Els and her family enjoying a meal together.

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”

Isaiah 6:8

Reflections taken from conversations between Els and Naphtali. Els, her husband Kevin, and their five children are choosing to live intentionally in their home country of Belgium, reaching out to the many immigrants and refugees around them with Christ’s love.