eyes to see

last night sherry, isaac and i went to the apartment of some recently arrived refugees from north africa (ethiopia via egypt). they fed us a beautiful meal and we heard some of their stories. it is always an immensely humbling experience to be so generously hosted by people who have lost everything (most times this includes family and friends). we sat on the floor and drank some of the best coffee i have tasted (from ethiopia). incense gently wafted over us while we talked about their orthodox easter celebrations coming up. as a student of missiology i found it fascinating to sit and listen to christians who practice a branch of our faith that has its roots go all the way back to first century africa. so many of our refugee friends from africa practice an incarnation of the faith that came to them via colonization much later. it gave me another occasion to reflect on the fact that sherry's day-to-day work with refugees and my occasional involvement has been the most remarkable source of nourishment for our lives - it has given us eyes to see our own faithfulness and suffering (or lack thereof) in a broader context.

see this link for a report on the current global refugee situation.
and here are some pictures of people recently arriving in Chad having fled from the Congo.