New City Church & All Nations International: An Only God Story
August 15th, 2021 will be a day that not only resonates in the lives of millions of Afghans, but millions of people around the world - including the leaders at New City Church in Charlotte, North Carolina (USA). Myself and many of the other leaders at our church were deeply moved by the sudden takeover of Afghanistan from the Taliban and the dire circumstances that forced millions to flee for their lives. At the heart of this international crisis were the countless number of innocent Afghan people who had come to appreciate a new way of life under democracy and then suddenly had it snatched away. As we watched people race to the airport while being beaten and harassed, our hearts were instantly moved to reach out and invest in these people any way we could. Our team gathered to discuss and pray where God would lead us - and He was faithful to answer.
Through a network of retired and current military members, we were able to get connected to five different women who had successfully escaped Afghanistan and the Taliban. They managed to get on one of the few flights leaving the country without even knowing where they were going. It was not until they were up in the air dodging bullets and rockets they were told the flight was heading to Kiev, Ukraine. At the time, this was great news. Almost every place in the world was safer than Kabul for them. But sadly, even after getting settled in Ukraine - the unthinkable would happen again. Their newfound country of safety would be invaded by Russia in just a few more months. The women woke up on the morning of February 24th to the sounds of sirens and missiles. The former trauma and tragedy they were currently processing was now being added to. For the second time in six months these brave women were forced to flee another country to maintain their survival. This time - instead of jumping on a plane they ran to the Polish border and stood in the freezing cold with no winter clothing for over 36 hours hoping to cross over. Germany had become their new vision of hope as many other Afghans and Middle East refugees had made similar paths. With no documentation or resources, they were granted access into Poland and boarded a train to Germany with the hopes of starting over yet again. Our team continued to remain in contact with them during this journey and we prayed for them daily. Again - God was faithful. Even after a German police officer boarded the train and was checking documents - he simply looked at the women for a few seconds…and kept moving. Truly an answer to our prayers.
When the women came into Germany, we instantly felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit to go visit them in person. Our conversation at this point was limited to only WhatsApp messages and a couple Zoom calls. Though a certain level of friendship we knew it was now time to go deeper and meet them face to face.
In the middle of March, myself and three others hopped on a plane to Hamburg, Germany, with the simple goal of meeting these women and building a trusting relationship. The truth is we really had no idea what to expect and there was a certain level of fear. We had little to no knowledge of Afghan or Muslim culture and none of us had any real experience working with refugees. However, we knew God was not done being faithful. We simply went out of faith trusting He would guide us along the way. When we landed in Hamburg, we met up with three of the women and we immediately embraced them with hugs. They instantly began to pour out their hearts of grief with abundant tears. This was a major surprise to our team. These were not strangers per se, but they were also not people whom we had deep connection with. I think they were moved because we had taken the time and effort to travel across the world to come see them.
Connecting with All Nations
Before we left for Germany, a friend of a friend reached out to us and wanted to hear more about these women and our purpose for going. Since the women were all Afghan/Persian he told us about a ministry we should check out that was working directly with refugees from all around the world - including Afghans - an organization called All Nations. I had never heard of All Nations and therefore had no idea what to expect. But having no other connections in the city or Germany for that matter, we decided to look them up and see if we could meet with them. Our “friend of a friend” gave us the number to Juergen Kramer, founder of the All Nations Hamburg Hub and a member of the International Leadership Team.
The timing was unfortunate initially because both our schedule and his only gave us a 15-minute window to meet in our entire time there. Juergen was extremely gracious to fit us in though, and we met him at the Hamburg Hub in the heart of downtown Hamburg. The good news was even though Juergen had prior engagements, he introduced us to the other team members and we got to hear more about their ministry. I was beginning to feel a strong word from the Holy Spirit this place was special, and we should seek to learn more. As I listened to the hearts of the All Nations team and their pursuit of the most vulnerable and neglected people, I became deeply convicted and encouraged. This was clearly an only God moment. We were supposed to be here. We were supposed to meet Juergen. We were supposed to be there on this day at this time. What I did not know - or expect - was where this new relationship would go.
The following day, I and one of the other team members were heading to Budapest to visit other partners responding to the new Ukrainian refugee crisis that was just unfolding. In addition to supporting these women, our congregants gave generously to also help with the Ukraine crisis, and we wanted to research the best partners to work with. The other two team members stayed back in Hamburg and were invited back to the Hub the next day for the newly formed Ukraine Welcome Café. Again - we still knew very little of this ministry, but decided it was a great honor to be invited to the Welcome Café and took them up on the offer. As two of us were in Hungary watching thousands of Ukrainians cross the border and the other two were in Hamburg - God was continuing to write his story. Two days later we would all gather on a Zoom call to debrief our experiences. Our teammates who stayed in Hamburg with All Nations were ecstatic to share about their time. They shared with me what I had already been feeling and convicted on. They saw the powerful work being done in the Welcome Café and the lives of the people they were impacting. My conviction was growing deeper and clearer. I knew God had more in store for our church and All Nations.
We left Germany a week later and returned to the States. My mind continued to process all I had seen. I found myself in constant conversation with Jesus about what it all meant. At times it felt like there was too much to think through. Our team had encountered thousands of people during pure trauma and life change. I wasn’t quite sure where to start or even how I should feel. But there was one thing I knew for certain. Ever since the fall of Afghanistan, God had been creating a new heart in me. A heart for refugees. A heart for displaced people. A heart for people on the fringes. And a heart for these people to experience the goodness of Jesus’ love. As a result, I wanted to start investing in these areas more. I wanted to partner with others who had this same heart, and it was clear to me and our leadership that All Nations would be one of the best ways to do it.
A few months later we would return to Germany to visit our Afghan friends. But before going I reached out to All Nations again. In addition to their ministry with Afghans, we were widely encouraged by how they were responding to the Ukraine crisis. We decided that part of our Ukraine crisis fund should go towards All Nations and their newly developed Welcome Café designed for them. The partnership was growing, but again - we had no idea how much further God would take it. We knew when we went back a second time we should reconnect with All Nations. This time proved to be even more fruitful as we got a lot more time to connect with the team their and participate in the ministry. We shared stories and strategies and passions and vision. Two ministries across the “pond” from each other were realizing how much they shared in common.
Our relationship was evolving from simple acquaintances to friendship. I realized this connection was one that could only be put together by the divine. What began as a recommendation from a third-party friend had blossomed into a newfound partnership centered on friendship and shared values. As I sit and type out this story, I am brought to tears of joy by how this all came together. There is something amazing about seeing the Spirit at work and joining in with Him.
From Germany to Africa
Before we left All Nations the second time, I sat down with Juergen in one of the rooms at the Welcome Café. For over two hours running late into the night, I shared about other areas in the world we were looking at and our desire to continue reaching displaced and unreached people groups. Prior to even meeting All Nations, we had begun a friendship and potential partnership with a guy in Charlotte who was Ugandan and led a ministry based out of Kampala. I knew little of Uganda and even less about ministry happening there.
But like the story of All Nations - I was trying to listen and follow the Spirit. I was feeling in addition to investing with All Nations in Europe, that God also wanted us to be involved in Africa - I just wasn’t sure where. The one potential partner in Uganda was looking very promising, but we had not yet set anything in motion…and there was a reason for this. God was preparing something great for us. What happened next in the room of All Nations that night in Hamburg is a conversation forever etched into my mind. As I shared about the work being done in Uganda and how I felt God leading us there, I saw a smile come over Juergen’s face. He looked at me and said, “Well did you know that we actually have another All Nations Hub in Kampala?!” I was blown away! Honest to God truth - I did not. I had done a lot of research about All Nations at this point, but somehow missed this part. Of all the other places All Nations could be involved with, what were the chances they would also be in the next area God was calling us to? The answer - there is no “chance” with God. The Holy Spirit knew exactly what He was doing. My conviction began to overflow yet again. The only God story of this partnership was continuing to grow. Germany was just the beginning.
This past January I took another team to Kampala, and we got to visit our partners- including meeting our newest friend, Wilson. Like our first visit with All Nations in Hamburg, our time with Wilson was short but extremely moving and impactful. We were blessed with the opportunity to visit the VIP Ghetto church in one of the biggest ghettos in Kampala. Wilson introduced us to the members of this small community, and we were encouraged beyond belief at their level of faith. They shared their stories with us about how they had come to know Jesus and how he changed their lives.
Men shared how they had given up lives of crime, pornography, and drugs to passionately pursue their Savior and tell others about him. The time was nothing short of divine. At one point, a big stormed rolled in about halfway through our time. We were on a time crunch with having to make it to the airport in time and our journey back to the car was at least a 30 minute walk. We all huddled up under this small tin roof as the wind and rain beat down and blew in from every direction. Worry began to creep in on us as we thought about petty things like not getting wet, or even missing our flight.
The VIP people pressed on. We continued praying and sharing together as the heavens unloaded and the elements came crashing in. As we all gathered in one big circle for a final prayer, I began to ask for blessing and favor for this group. Despite being worried about worldly things, I was deeply encouraged by the faith of these people and asked God to continue using them. As I wrapped up the prayer - God did something only He could do. He met us all there with a visual reminder of His glory and power. I spoke the final words of the prayer and invited everyone to join me in concluding by saying, “and all God’s people said… AMEN." That very moment the rain ended, and the sun burst through the clouds. It sounds like it is too good to be true, but I suppose that's what divine moments are. Our entire team, who all were feeling the same thing, knew what God wanted to teach us at that time. He was the Lord of Lords. He was the good God. He was the God of North Carolina and the God of Kampala. That moment will forever be in my memory and a part of my faith story.
Only God Could Write This
What makes all this most astounding to me is how God is the reason for all of it. In August of 2021 I had not thought of being involved in Hamburg, Germany. I had not thought of being involved in Kampala, Uganda. But the Spirit took us where we needed to go, and for that I am forever thankful and in awe. And yet - I don’t believe the story is over. The new relationships with these two hubs have only just begun, and it is my desire to continue partnering with All Nations over the years to come. Since coming back from Uganda, we also started partnering with the Business For Movements initiative of All Nations as a way to continue investing in Africa by way of business development. I am hopeful that together we can continue spreading the hope of the Gospel to all areas of the world and to the most unreached people of the world.
Our church wants to empower and support organizations like All Nations, who empowers others to carry out the mission. In doing so, I know that we can strengthen each other in our walk with Christ and carry out the Great Commission together. I hope many other churches and individuals will join me as well!
About the author: Travis Janousek is the Serve Pastor at New City Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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