Dear Refugee,
I see you.
God sees you.
I see your frustration. I see you fighting for your family. That’s why you came here. I hear your hopes and dreams of a better future.
I see you unaccompanied minor. I see your desperation. I hear your cry for attention. I feel your cry for love and stability. You want rules and structure. I can understand your rebellion. I see your hurt. I see how you just want someone to sit with you, listen to you, and wrestle with you. You just want to be a teenage boy and do what teen boys do. I see your scars. I feel your pain.
I see you single mom. I see your loneliness and your efforts to provide for your babies. I know you just need baby food and diapers. How I wish I could give you those simple needs. I see you waiting at the doctor for hours trying to get medicine and struggling to walk up and down the huge hill with 3 or 4 babies in tow. I hear your baby cough and cry in the wee hours of the night. You are heard.
I see you fathers. I see you fighting for your family, even to the point of getting the police called. I see you fighting for even three feet of warm space for your family to lay their heads at night. I see how you have bravely brought your family across the ocean in hopes to keep them safe. You have traveled many miles and lost so much along the way. You may have lost a baby or child to a war torn nation or along the journey here. I can’t even imagine the pain you are experiencing. I see the fierce love you have for your family. I want so much for you to be able to make decisions for your family again. I also see you laughing with your wife and kids. I see you sharing coffee and tea with your neighbor and making more room so they can have a warm place to sleep. I see you giving up clothes or shoes for someone in need. I hear you inviting me into your tent for dinner or tea. You love cooking for me and sharing your culture. Don’t give up friend. You are seen and you are dearly loved.
I see you little children. I see your smile and laughter and they fill me with more joy than you will ever know. I see you flying down the hill in your makeshift milk crate that you are using for a sled. I see you and I pray you make it to the bottom in one piece. I see you fly out and jump up ready to do it all again. I see you take my hand and call me friend. I see you steal my lunch, but it’s ok you need it more than I do. You even share it with your friends. I love when you sit in my lap and tell me all about yourself in Arabic or at least I guess that’s what you are telling me. I love to hear you attempt to say my name. You are precious and don’t ever forget how much Jesus loves the little children. You are a picture of what it means to have a child like faith in the midst of difficult circumstances.
I see you single man. Yes you, even though you may feel like no one does. I see how you have been here for 5, 6, 8, 10, or even more months. I see how long it takes you get processed and my heart hurts for you. I see your anger and frustration. I see how it may seem like you are the last priority to the camp. But you are not. You are not last on the list in God’s eyes. You are his priority. You are not hopeless. He loves you so much and your needs are heard.
I see all of you. I pray for all of you. I pray that you know you are seen and how much you are loved. I pray that you come to know Jesus and see his love and grace for you. I pray this because He is the only one who give you a real hope and a real future. You are not forgotten. You are not alone. The Lord is your refuge.
“In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;
Let me never be put to shame;
Deliver me in your righteousness.
Turn your ear to me,
Come quickly to my rescue;
Be my rock of refuge,
A strong fortress to save me.”
-Psalm 31:1-2
Sincerely,
One who has seen, prayed for, loved and fought for you
