Refugees

Between Borders: A Story of Displacement, Suffering, and Hope

aheckman — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 20:50:29 +0000

Between Borders: A Story of Displacement, Suffering, and Hope aheckman Thu, 01/23/2025 - 20:50

Between Borders: A Story of Displacement, Suffering, and Hope

On the set of her latest film Between Borders, actress Elizabeth Tabish (The Chosen, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever) testifies before a judge. From the witness stand, her character recounts a humiliating experience as a refugee, forced to repeat the phrase that she was “quieter than water and lower than grass,” in order to secure a job. The actress’ eyes well up with tears, and not all are for show.

While filming the scene, Elizabeth looked off screen and into the face of her character’s real-life inspiration, Violetta Petrosyan.

“As I’m recounting this story,” Elizabeth reflects, “I was able to look at her and remember that this was a real story. This really happened to this woman, this wonderful, kind woman.”

“It was a little bit of a cheat for me as an actress,” she adds. “It was very easy to get emotional, because I was sitting right across from the person that this happened to. It was a very special moment.”

Between Borders shares the harrowing tale of the Petrosyan family—Violetta, Ivan, and their two young daughters Julia and Olga—as they flee violence in Azerbaijan in the late 1980s. In their search for safety and a sense of home, they meet Jesus in a budding Russian Church of the Nazarene.

When Connie and Lonnie Norris moved their family from the United States to Volgograd, Russia, in 1993 as volunteer Nazarene missionaries, they soon crossed paths with Violetta and Ivan, ardent atheists and exhausted parents trying to build a life for their family in yet another country. The couple skeptically visited a worship service after Violetta’s mother began attending a church planted by the Norrises. Initially, Violetta stopped by solely to listen to English, but found herself returning, drawn to the message of hope and healing found in Jesus.

“I always say that my life started when I accepted Jesus,” Violetta remembers. “Everything changed from that day.”

“I’d never seen joy that much on display,” says Violetta and Ivan’s daughter Olga, recalling her first encounter with believers as a child. “They actually wanted to know me,” she says, adding, that “it was such a big thing, to feel loved by people.”

“And then realizing why they’re so different than people just across the street—oh my, it’s Jesus. I want to know that Jesus,” she remembers thinking. “That’s why the hunger for Christ came, because I saw that.” Every Sunday after, the family returned, finding peace and warmth in a violent, unwelcoming world. “That was the place I ran, because I felt loved and accepted by others,” Olga says.

“People need each other,” adds Lonnie, who spent seven years planting churches with Connie in and around Volgograd. “Hospitality is one of the things that’s noted in the Bible that we crave. It’s an inner need. It also gives us an opportunity, in community, to work out the Scripture, interpret the Scripture, make it practical. It’s in community that we encourage one another.”

Community in Christ—the tragedy when it’s missing and the safety net it weaves—is a focal point of Between Borders.

“It is a story that reminds us to be good to each other, to love each other—especially those who are on the outside of society, or ‘othered’ or rejected,” Elizabeth says. “It’s a beautiful story of what can happen when you take care of each other.”

Through the eyes of the Petrosyans, Between Borders explores racism, displacement, and human suffering, as well as humility, hope, and trust. “It’s important to tell stories that represent complex issues that Christians should wrestle with,” says producer Isaac Norris—son of Connie and Lonnie. He also emphasizes the film’s deep Nazarene roots. “The Nazarene Church’s global mentality and focus on compassionate ministries are so evident throughout the film,” he says.

“God is active,” adds Lonnie, emphasizing that Violetta and Ivan’s journey is a powerful testimony to God’s unchanging nature. “He loves our displays of faith that ignite his power and true miracles,” Lonnie adds. “He remains very serious about establishing his Church.”

“I’m so grateful that this movie is coming into existence,” Violetta says. “It is telling our life story, which probably mirrors thousands of other life stories, and we are happy to be in all of it as a tool to bring that message of hope and love.”

“Telling stories through film is an approachable medium that can cast a wider net,” Isaac says. “Jesus told parables, and this is our way to stand on a hill in front of thousands of people and share the Gospel message through story.”

- Story originally shared by the Eurasia Region of the Church of the Nazarene

Find tickets to Between Borders here.

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A Ministry of Presence at the Border

aheckman — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 15:57:10 +0000

A Ministry of Presence at the Border aheckman Wed, 03/08/2023 - 15:57

A Ministry of Presence at the Border

MARCH 8, 2023 · BY NMI STAFF

In Przemyśl, Poland, the global Church of the Nazarene has been responding since the onset of war in Ukraine.

When the war broke out, the first Nazarene responder at the Polish-Ukrainian border was a Syrian pastor, seeking ways to serve. Soon after, a team formed, putting out the call for volunteers to come and physically provide resources to the hundreds of thousands of people fleeing their homes.

In Arizona, USA, Ukrainian Ira Petersen immediately knew that she needed to go.

“The help ‘path’ was kind of obvious,” Ira says. “Get as close as possible to Ukraine and Ukrainians. I couldn’t just sit and watch from the distance when I could actually do something.” Through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries’ presence at the border train station in Przemyśl, Poland, Ira says, “God showed the direction and opened the door.”

Since then, a steady stream of Nazarenes from Ireland, France, Bulgaria, England, the United States, South Africa, and beyond have flowed from their homes toward the tiny train station flooded with people in crisis. Students, families, professors, nurses, farmers, and pastors have all found a place to serve those fleeing the danger of war. Some haul suitcases up and down hundreds of flights of stairs, providing a moment of relief from a heavy burden. Some brew pot after pot of steaming tea, offering warmth within bitterly cold outdoor lines to passport control. Some sit and color with the littlest travelers, giving weary moms the chance to recharge a phone or repack a bag or simply rest in a chair.

Whatever their role, these Nazarene believers are answering the call to provide the ministry of presence in a moment of pain.

“This group of people had their safety and humanity taken from them,” says Caleb Sandlin, who lives in Missouri, USA. “I chose to volunteer on the border because I believe that’s what Christ would have done. I chose to volunteer on the border because I am a servant of Christ, and I refuse to not share the love of Christ with those in need.”

Matteo Ricciardi, of Italy, knew the call for volunteers was meant for his own ears. “I was moved by God to help,” Matteo says. “When we pray that God gives us ways to serve him and opportunities like these come to our attention, the response can only be to commit one’s strength, invest one’s time, and share grace.”

“Here at the border,” Ira says, smiling, “We have people that speak English with many accents, Ukrainian, Russian, and a lot of different languages. But,” she continues, “the language of love, language of care—anybody who cares and loves, they know that language and they could show it, they could share it.”

Shared from NMI Central. Subscribe to this weekly update here.

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Lebanon: Building Bridges and Building Hope

aheckman — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 22:41:36 +0000

Lebanon: Building Bridges and Building Hope aheckman Thu, 12/08/2022 - 22:41

Lebanon: Building Bridges and Building Hope

DECEMBER 8, 2022 · DANA FRANCHETTI

Since 2019, Lebanon has been caught in a devastating financial crisis. What was a difficult situation has gotten worse and worse, increasingly amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 explosion, and the war in Ukraine. Now, basic items people need to survive cost dozens of times more than they used to.

In Beirut, the 2020 explosion left 300,000 people without homes, and the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria have brought over 1.5 million refugees into the country. Both events have created an extreme need for food, housing, and financial resources to help restore people’s standard of living in addition to bridge-building work between the different cultures that now call Lebanon home.

The Nazarene school in Lebanon has embraced the call to care for their community, including many people impacted by these crises, by providing education, support, stability, and community for around 350 children representing 14 different nationalities.

Marlene Mshantaf has worked at the school for 36 years, serving as principal for 32. Shortly after refugees from Syria began arriving in Lebanon, staff at the school noticed two school-aged children that lived in a neighboring home. The children spent their days sitting on the balcony of their home watching the students at school. After about a week of observing this, Mshantaf went to their home to see why they weren't in school.

She learned that the family were refugees from Syria and didn’t have the resources to send their children to school. In fact, they hadn’t been able to attend school for two full years. Mshantaf invited them to enroll in school free of charge, and this propelled the school to discover how to provide not only an excellent education for the children in their community but also reconciliation and hope.

Over time, the staff observed that there was tension in the school and in the community between Lebanese and Syrian individuals. To break down barriers, they began hosting weekly reconciliation meetings for the students. These meetings lasted for eight months.

“So, now you cannot see that students will say, Oh, you are a Syrian, you are a Sudanese, you are a Nigerian,” Mshantaf says. “No, they all play together. They’re all friends together ... and now it even impacts the families and the parents.” People involved with the reconciliation work have stopped seeing their neighbors as strangers from different countries. Now, they see them as friends who are working through this challenging time together.

Staff have been intentional about developing a curriculum to help facilitate this reconciliation, as well as cultivating a sense of community, safety, and dreaming big dreams for what God has for their lives. The curriculum at the school includes all the educational pieces you would expect, but it also includes education around safety and protection, leadership development, goal setting, and life skills.

“This will help us to achieve more with them and work more with them and help them feel that, yes, this is a safe place for them,” Mshantaf says.

When families struggle to meet basic needs, it can become nearly impossible for children to thrive in school. To help reduce the impact of the current economic crisis taking place in Lebanon, the school partners with local Nazarene churches to connect children with clinics and psychology professionals and provides food vouchers to families. Through mental health care and steady nutrition, children are overcoming the physical and emotional barriers they face. With this holistic approach to education challenges that would otherwise distract students from thriving in a school environment, students have found a place where they belong, and they are setting an example for their own families and the community beyond.

“We want the example of the school really to be the example of all the country. We want the people that we helped also to feel that we should be working with everybody. . . We should be hand in hand," says Mshantaf.

“We have a big dream that our graduates will be good people in society,” Mshantaf adds. “We want to help the people of the community and the students from our school become what they’re dreaming to be.”

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Reflections: The Border After Violence

aheckman — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 17:55:03 +0000

Reflections: The Border After Violence aheckman Thu, 10/13/2022 - 17:55

Reflections: The Border After Violence

OCTOBER 13, 2022 · TEANNA SUNBERG

Teanna Sunberg, a missionary with the Church of the Nazarene who serves, along with her husband Jay, as the Field Strategy Coordinator team in Central Europe, has been leading the Nazarene response to Ukrainian refugees at the Polish-Ukrainian border since the war in Ukraine started last February.

Tuesday, October 11. Przemyśl, Poland.

I’ve heard the following reports from our neighbors in Ukraine—

A Nazarene family watched and heard a rocket streak by their apartment building at 6:30 this morning. It detonated in the city center of Kyiv.
The daily train from Kyiv to Przemyśl, Poland, was significantly delayed. We’ve heard unconfirmed reports that it left the station just minutes before a rocket detonated.
We’ve also had unconfirmed reports of a medical team that left Ukraine by car just 30 minutes before the rockets hit Kyiv.

The line of people returning to Ukraine today is very short, as people are trying to avoid going back during a time of increased violence. We’ve also seen a significant increase in people bringing children, most babies and toddlers, out of Ukraine since Monday.

Our team of Nazarene volunteers at the border went in search of large teapots to be ready to give hot tea out to people. We suspect there might be large numbers of people arriving at the border in the next few days. However, just as possibly, people may shelter in place, resulting in lower numbers at the train station. Either way, volunteers with Courage for the Journey, the refugee ministry of NCM Polska, are there and serving.

I’ve spent parts of my day with young Ukrainians who do not want to be alone today. We are doing a lot of talking, trying to process questions for which none of us have any answers. The bombings today are triggers for many who lived through the invasion on February 24. This is significant trauma.

Even when the news cycle forgets to update about Ukraine, Iran, or North Africans seeking freedom, autonomy, and their voice—it doesn’t mean the war is over or that people are safe. In addition, even though the war in Ukraine might seem to be a long way away, the effects actually reach far beyond the country’s borders. These attacks targeted the Ukrainian energy grid, but the rest of the world is experiencing the effects in the form of food and energy availability.

Courage for the Journey relies on volunteers to care for travelers at the border. We have been sobered, encouraged, and touched by the number of volunteers who have asked if they can serve. These volunteers have ranged from ages 19 to 70 and have been a mix of Americans and Europeans, including people from Ukraine, Bulgaria, Croatia, and the United Kingdom. Most are lay people who volunteer for a few weeks, but some have served full-time for several months. Their ministry includes providing a safe space for women and children to rest, help securing train tickets, assistance carrying luggage, and providing food and water, and offering listening ears and spiritual support.

This team of volunteers, and those they are caring for, need your prayers.

Pray for peace. Our hope is in Christ.

Want to help with refugees at the border?

Volunteers are especially needed to serve in Przemyśl during the months of January and February—email tsunberg@eurasiaregion.org to learn more and apply.

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Worship on the Move

aheckman — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 17:25:42 +0000

Worship on the Move aheckman Thu, 08/25/2022 - 17:25

Worship on the Move

AUGUST 25, 2022 · CHET BUSH

Though the biblical narrative often depicts the community of God as a people on the move, believers living within the reality of displacement face challenges as worshipers when forced to leave their homes and communities. For the District Superintendent of Ukraine, Volodymyr Masyuk, and his partner in life and ministry, Sylvia Cortez Masyuk, displacement in the midst of war presents obstacles for gathering with the community of faith and brings them to contemplate the hope of Christian worship: Resurrection.

In the early days of the conflict, displaced church members connected with one another through video calls from bomb shelters. “We collectively had this sense that we have to gather and pray together,” says Sylvia. They met daily until the moment when a significant number of members were forced to evacuate the city. Distance from their home, their country, and their church evoked feelings of exile. “This war threatens to separate us,” says Sylvia. “We believe that worship is a time to collectively seek the Lord and to be re-membered to God and to one another.”

“Worship—in terms of gathering regularly, singing, listening to a sermon—all of that has changed and in many ways isn’t happening [the way it once did],” says Volodymyr. “But the ways we are learning to connect and give and receive from one another is really a beautiful thing and a new way of being re-membered to one another that will forever change us.”

For Easter, the ministry couple returned to Kyiv where they met with Ukrainian believers for a sunrise service in a public park. The annual gathering marked a thirty-year tradition. This year, however, the couple noted how differently they experienced the service. Venturing into public space before daylight a mere hour after the lifting of the morning curfew felt like a courageous, if not defiant, act of faith in the face of imperialism. This year, the Ukrainian Superintendent preached resurrection from Luke 24, noting more poignantly than ever that the risen Christ bore the wounds of violence when he presented himself to the disciples.

A compelling reminder of the audacity Christian hope holds for the church came for Volodymyr in a news story featuring Ukrainian farmers who persisted in sowing seed in their fields during a season of war. They may not have a home to return to, he recounts, but they sow believing that the future holds promise for new creation. “It moved me to tears,” says Volodymyr as he confirms a central tenet of the gospel: “Death and destruction and war are not the end.”

“In many ways, …Christ is still revealing himself to us, especially so now,” affirms the couple. “Our prayer is that we will recognize him in the weight of this darkness, and find hope in the resurrected, wounded Christ.”

The United Nations Refugee Agency estimates that the number of forcibly displaced people around the world exceeds 84 million. To learn more about ways Nazarenes are responding to the crisis of displacement, visit ncm.org/refugeeimmigrantsupport. To learn more about compassionate ministry in response to the crisis in eastern Europe, visit ncm.org/Ukraine-Crisis.

This article originally printed in Holiness Today, and is shared with permission.

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Moldovan Church Sacrificing to Support People Displaced from Ukraine

aheckman — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 16:59:15 +0000

Moldovan Church Sacrificing to Support People Displaced from Ukraine aheckman Wed, 03/23/2022 - 16:59

Moldovan Church Sacrificing to Support People Displaced from Ukraine

MARCH 17, 2022 · GINA GRATE POTTENGER

Sergey and Irina Talalay, who first entered Moldova in 2008 as pioneer church planters, are leading the Moldovan church in self-sacrificial support for Ukrainians who have been flooding across the border since February 24.

In the first two days of the invasion of Ukraine, Nazarenes in Moldova hosted 36 people. By March 16, the small group of Nazarenes had assisted 700 people. And, although they’re working around the clock to help, and some church families have even given up entire apartments to displaced families, the church has no plans to stop giving anytime soon.

Hands of help across nationalities

Like other Ukraine-border nations, Moldova is a meeting point for cross-national relationships. Sergey is from Ukraine and Irina is from Russia. Their two sons are Moldovans, having been born there during their church planting mission.

“Since I myself am from Ukraine, I have a lot of friends, relatives, contacts and acquaintances from the Church of the Nazarene and other churches there,” Sergey said. “And, in this regard, on the first day of the beginning of this terrible war, I began to receive a lot of requests for help to which I, my family and our church responded instantly and did everything they could and even more.”

Helping around the clock

The sudden flood of refugees requires an immersive response.

“For the first 10 days from the beginning of the war, my wife and I slept for a maximum of two hours a day, doing various kinds of assistance to Ukrainians fleeing the war,” he said.

At all hours of the day and night, Sergey and two other church members have been driving to different points along the Ukraine-Moldova border to pick up refugees and transport them to Chisinau, then work to find them temporary housing.

“From the first day, our people opened their houses to refugees; some even completely gave away their apartments after moving out to live with relatives. In the first week of the war, we managed to help more than 300 refugees from Ukraine.”

Currently, the church members are continuing to meet people at the borders, where long lines have formed and many people wait two or three days to be allowed across the border. Then, the church helps them find temporary shelter across the city or in the church building.

They are also helping people find transport, including sometimes purchasing tickets, so that some can travel further into Europe.

Moldova pressed to meet all urgent needs

Food and hygiene support are among the most urgent needs, including diapers, baby wipes and baby food.

“Moldova is a very small and very poor country. Therefore, it cannot cope with the flow of refugees who come here from Ukraine,” Sergey said.

The Moldovan government has hastily organized shelters for refugees in sports arenas, exhibition complexes and other facilities, often cramming 300 to 500 people together.

While people are with them in Chisinau, the church is helping fill the gaps by providing food, medicine and personal hygiene products directly to individuals, since many fled home with few belongings.

Real people, real stories

The church members have taken time to hear people’s stories as they journey alongside them for a short time.

Aleksey is a 17-year-old who has been staying with the Talalays for more than two weeks.

Aleksey talked about how he had been studying and serving in the church worship team in Vinnitsa before the invasion. His relatives live in Mariupol, in the south, which remains under siege. For two weeks he has had no information about his family, including his mother, sister and her baby.

And then there is 35-year-old Oksana, a single mother of two children aged 5 and 7. She had been renting an apartment in Kyiv until the invasion.

“When I returned from work, I saw a lock on the doors of the rented apartment and a note from the owner that read, ‘We left, the apartment is no longer for rent,’” she told them.

With few options, Oksana fled to Moldova with her children but without any belongings or legal documents.

The church has also been assisting a seven-member family from Chernihiv, including elderly grandparents, and a mother with three young children. Their home was destroyed by rocket fire.

“But they are happy because none of them were at home at that the time, and no one was hurt,” Sergey said. “I am very grateful to our local church; although it is small, it has a very big heart.”

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Learn more and give to support this compassionate work: ncm.org/ukraine-crisis

Reprinted with permission from Church of the Nazarene Eurasia.

Photos: Pastor Sergey Talalay

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A Journey to Safety: From Ukraine to Poland

aheckman — Thu, 17 Mar 2022 18:04:24 +0000

A Journey to Safety: From Ukraine to Poland aheckman Thu, 03/17/2022 - 18:04

A Journey to Safety: From Ukraine to Poland

MARCH 17, 2021 · AMY HECKMAN

When conflict erupted in Ukraine, the most vulnerable were forced to consider fleeing for safety. Many of the three million who have sought shelter outside of the country so far are mothers with children. Some of those mothers had plans for where to go—family they could visit or friends with space to share—but others are relying on the kindness of strangers across borders. In fleeing war, these millions have become refugees.

A group of seven Ukrainians, all Nazarene church members, found such kindness in the city of Poznań, Poland. Through the care of pastors and missionaries who helped coordinate a path across the border, this group of seven found their way to safety. Ultimately, they connected with workers at a ministry called Sweet Surrender. Originally designed as a Nazarene-run coffee shop in Poznań, the space was quickly converted into a refugee resource center.

Traveling together, three women and four children sought a safe passage to Poland. Nataliya* traveled with her sons, ages 12 and 4. Olena traveled with her daughter, age 9, and son, age 8. Accompanying them was Sofiy, a young adult. All seven traveled from Kozyatyn, a town about two hours west of Kyiv. Both mothers had to leave behind their husbands, and Sofiy had to leave behind her elderly mother who was unable to travel.

For this seven, leaving Ukraine meant trusting that a network of Nazarenes would carefully guide their way. Their pastor first drove them to the Ukrainian city of Lviv to catch a train to Poland. Once across the border and safe in Przemyśl, the group met Nazarene missionaries Jay and Teanna Sunberg, who fed them and coordinated the next leg of their trip.

When their train pulled into Poznań, Nazarene missionaries Hayley and Andrew Tarrant met the group, holding signs that said “Nazarene” in Ukrainian. A final 10-minute trip brought the seven to temporary lodging at a partner organization, Fundacja Pomocy Wzajemnej Barka (Barka). There they found showers, food, and soft beds. Since their arrival, more Ukrainians have found similar shelter at Barka.

In a recent post, Hayley Tarrant shared a bit of what goes through the minds of refugees like those in this first group. “Can you imagine fleeing your country/your home, leaving behind your husband, your pets, your career, your possessions,” she asks. “Then crossing a border into a country that you’ve never been to, where you don’t speak the language, where you get a stamp in your passport that labels you a refugee of war, where you then take two long train journeys with your kids on your lap, arriving in a station you have never been to or heard of, waiting for strangers to pick you up, getting into their cars, arriving at a big building in the middle of the night, having no idea where you are going next or how you will earn money, or where you will find a doctor to treat your [child], or knowing when you will finally live safely in your own apartment in this new city?”

Even while facing these many uncertainties, Ukrainians who have fled are settling in and preparing to live as displaced refugees. Four of the original seven have found free lodging with a kind neighbor in Poznań, giving the adults time to find work that will allow them to rent their own flat. Staff at Sweet Surrender have downloaded children’s books in the Ukrainian language so the kids can continue to practice reading. They have also transformed a space inside the former coffee shop into a safe room for children to meet together, learn, grow, and process the trauma they are experiencing.

Because of the generous donations of Nazarenes around the world and the work of the volunteers at NCM Poznań, the words of Jesus in Matthew 25 are being lived out on a daily basis: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in ....”

*Names are changed for protection.

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Learn more about how countries near Ukraine are responding to the needs of refugees in their communities, and donate to help: ncm.org/ukraine-crisis

Photos: Nazarene Compassionate Ministries - Ukrainian Help in Poznań, Poland

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Serving Ukrainian Refugees in Bucharest

aheckman — Thu, 10 Mar 2022 23:12:03 +0000

Serving Ukrainian Refugees in Bucharest aheckman Thu, 03/10/2022 - 23:12

Serving Ukrainian Refugees in Bucharest

MARCH 10, 2021 · CASEY BLOOM

Since February 27, leaders and volunteers from Blessings Church of the Nazarene in Bucharest, Romania, have been working tirelessly to welcome and accommodate Ukrainian refugees fleeing from war. In the church building and at a second property, there has been a constant flow of people both coming and going. Some stay for a night or two, while others have been with us for a whole week.

Aside from offering accommodations, the church has been able to provide rides to and from the train/bus station and airport, warm meals, phone cards, medical supplies, hugs, and spiritual and emotional support. We’ve been incredibly blessed by donations from individuals, nongovernment organizations, and businesses like IKEA: beds and mattresses, food, dishes, water, refrigerators, bedding, clothes, toiletries, cleaning supplies, toys, and more. You name it, God has provided it. It’s been humbling to see how so many people have come together to make sure that our Ukrainian neighbors, and now friends, are taken care of during this difficult time.

Church leaders have connected individuals with people who work at various embassies. Train and plane tickets have been purchased for people moving on to other countries. One couple has decided to stay in Romania and they already have an interview scheduled for the visa process.

God is good. He provides. Thank you for all of the ways that so many of you have supported this work through prayer, financial support, and material donations. Your constant support is giving us the resources we need, and also the stamina to continue serving our Ukrainian friends traveling to and through Romania.

Report from Casey Bloom, living and serving in Bucharest, Romania.

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The Christmas Project: Shahpur's Story

aheckman — Thu, 16 Dec 2021 21:06:26 +0000

The Christmas Project: Shahpur's Story aheckman Thu, 12/16/2021 - 21:06

The Christmas Project: Shahpur's Story

DECEMBER 16, 2021 · NCM STAFF

Today, read about a boy and his father who connected with caring Nazarene volunteers while living in a refugee camp in Serbia. The Courage for the Journey project cares for adults and children living as refugees across several European countries.

All over the world, children are caught in economic crises, famines, conflict, and more. More than 80 million people around the world have been forcibly displaced from their homes as a result of persecution, conflict, and violence. Of those who are displaced, more than a third are children.

This year’s Christmas Project will provide spiritual, educational, physical, and emotional care to children who are caught up in crises in Bangladesh, Venezuela, Jordan, Lebanon, and across Europe.

~~~

Shahpur*, 8, has lived in refugee camps for most of his life. Forced to leave their home in Afghanistan six years ago, Shahpur and his father, mother, and older brother began their journey through multiple countries to seek asylum in a safe place. The family has walked for much of their journey from Afghanistan to Greece, stopping along the way for Shahpur’s father, Mansor*, to work temporary jobs.

After living in a refugee camp in Greece for about a year, Shahpur’s mother and older brother travelled ahead to Germany. There, Shahpur’s mother acquired a five-year visa and is working to establish a home for the family.

Shortly after his mother and brother left for Germany, Shahpur was struck by a motorcycle. Mansor rushed Shahpur to the nearest hospital, but was refused treatment due to Mansor’s status as a refugee and lack of insurance. When a different hospital agreed to treat Shahpur, he remained there fifty days while healing from his injuries.

Once Shahpur became strong, he and his father resumed their journey. They crossed through North Macedonia and stopped at a refugee camp in Serbia. There they met a group of Nazarenes who minister to children living as refugees by offering tutoring services, teaching them to play musical instruments, and providing essential items such as food and clothing. The group also shares the gospel.

Moved by the message of Jesus, Shahpur’s father, Mansor, accepted Christ into his life and was baptized by ministers at the refugee camp. Soon after, Mansor and Shahpur moved within the camp to live in the building where the center operates. Now, they live right next door to the room where the group worships and holds bible studies, often lending a hand to prepare the space for services.

Life has not been easy for Shahpur since his father became a Christian. Some men from the refugee camp became angry with Mansor for his conversion and attacked him while he and Shahpur were in the city. Shahpur watched helplessly as men pulled his father off the city bus, beat him, and stole his wallet containing money and his asylum-seeker identification card. The attack, knowledge of the political climate in their home country, and the separation of the family have distressed Shahpur and Mansor.

Shahpur and Mansor have lived in Serbia for about a year, now. Nazarenes serving at the refugee camp hope to see the two reunite with Shahpur’s mother and brother in Germany, but with the absence of a passport, travel has become more difficult.

Like many children, Shahpur loves to play games on his dad’s phone and drink sodas. Much of his childhood, however, has been unsettled by transition and crisis. Connecting with the ministry center at the refugee camp in Serbia has offered Shahpur and Mansor a sense of community and hope.

*Names are changed for protection.

Learn more about and give to support the Christmas Project here.

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The Christmas Project: Caring for Children in Venezuela

aheckman — Thu, 09 Dec 2021 19:13:01 +0000

The Christmas Project: Caring for Children in Venezuela aheckman Thu, 12/09/2021 - 19:13

The Christmas Project: Caring for Children in Venezuela

DECEMBER 9, 2021 · CALLIE STEVENS

Today, read about Keila and Daniela, who are caught up in the lingering economic crisis impacting Venezuela.

The 2021 Nazarene Compassionate Ministries Christmas Project supports children caught in crisis.

Each week, we will highlight stories from each of these regions.

~~~

Keila* is eight years old, and she says she loves the town where she lives in Venezuela. But a lot of her friends and family members are leaving the country; everything is too expensive for them to be able to stay. “I want my relatives to come back …” she shares. “Let’s all be together again.”

The experience Keila has had of saying goodbye to friends and family is becoming increasingly common. The UN estimates that there are nearly 6 million refugees and migrants from Venezuela living outside the country.

Daniela, 13, also loves living in Venezuela. But she, too, has many friends and relatives who have gone to other countries. Some have been forced to leave their children behind while they seek better opportunities.

“[I don’t like] not being able to travel to other places because there is no transportation because of gasoline and money,” she explains. “I don’t like the power cuts. They are every day for a long time.”

Both children are very involved with a Nazarene child development center at the local Nazarene church. There, they can feel a little more like the children they are.

A family receiving food from a local Nazarene church

“I can share with many children, play … I can laugh and talk about children’s things,” Keila explains. “I am very happy [at the church].”

Daniela agrees—even when she has trouble at home with her parents, “…it is [at church] where I feel peace and I understand that God loves me very much.”

A few years ago, Daniela’s father joined those parents who traveled to another country to find work. During that time, her mother lost the baby she was carrying; the family had to mourn separately, adding to the grief. Their Nazarene church helped them, and Daniela’s father was able to return home safely. The experience changed the way she viewed her church.

“I would like all the churches to listen to the children and give counseling,” she says. “I want them to help other children, just like they helped me and my family.”

You can support the center where Keila and Daniela receive emotional, mental, and educational support—as well as food relief—through the Christmas Project.

*Children’s names are changed for privacy.

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