Serving the Displaced: World Refugee Day 2022

On the Ground with Samaritan's Purse

The term “refugee” carries with it certain protections under international law, but what does this mean for Christians? Kristy Graham sits down with team members who have both academic and first-hand field experience to learn more about the effects of displacement, the importance of remembering the individual, and how Christians are called to help.

Resources

– Go inside a refugee camp in Iraq.

– Learn more about ways Samaritan’s Purse is helping refugees around the world.

– Follow us on Instagram for behind-the-scenes content.

Show Notes

On June 20, 2022, the international community will recognize World Refugee Day, but as Christians, we should consider the needs of displaced people year-round. Christ calls us to love and care for refugees, which Kristy Graham shares more about in this episode.

First, Kristy sits down with Eric Huxley, the country director in Colombia, to learn more about the technical definition of the word “refugee.” Eric studied displacement at the academic level. He breaks down what it means to be a refugee, but he also shares his first-hand experience working with Venezuelan migrants in Colombia.

“When you enter into a relationship with beneficiaries, when you sit on the floor in the dirt with them, and you just begin to ask them, ‘Why are you leaving?’ ‘What do you miss?’ ‘What was your last night like before you left your home?’ Then you begin to experience the human side of the crisis, and that’s where you really begin to pull out the spiritual needs that every single refugee has.” — Eric Huxley

Next, Kristy talks to Ken Isaacs, vice president of programs and government relations. Ken remembers the first time Samaritan’s Purse ever worked with displaced people, and he shares how integral this has been to the work of the ministry over the years. Ken reminds listeners of the parable of the Good Samaritan. In Luke 10, the religious people walked around the man in need.

“I never want to be the person that walks around the person. I think we’re called to be there—called to go to the people in the ditches of life. We’re not called to go where we have permissions, we’re called to go where there are needs.” — Ken Isaacs

One of the places of significant need right now is Europe where millions of Ukrainian refugees have fled. Samaritan’s Purse is partnering with more than 50 churches there to help them welcome and care for refugees in Jesus’ Name. Daniel Zeidan is overseeing these partnerships. While he was in Poland, Kristy called him for an update on the work in the region. Daniel shared how moving it is to see families and churches in Poland open their doors to help refugees in their time of need.

Throughout the episode, listeners will also hear firsthand from a displaced person in Ukraine, an Afghan refugee now living in the United States, and a Syrian refugee in Iraq. As you meet these individuals and learn more about what it means to be a refugee, you’ll learn how to strategically pray for those who are displaced and consider ways to get involved.

Share Tweet Share