A Refugee's Journey
By Gemma Evans via Unsplash
“My name is Ali, I am a Tadjik from Afghanistan, proud husband and father of two kids, my wife was about to give birth to two more, our twins. Suddenly my life changed from one day to the next, it was the day the Taliban killed my father and my older brother. My younger brother and I had run for our lives and had to leave the country immediately. We arrived in Germany after a long and difficult journey. You can imagine this was not the end of our troubles. I had a desperate wife in Afghanistan with four kids who I was not able to see for four years and of whom I could not take care. And I had to make a life in a country with a difficult language to learn, where my former profession was useless and I had no income, but a small stipend from the German government. We were alive, but so overwhelmed by all the challenges. My wife was always hoping for me to rescue them and I did not even know, who I was and what would come next.”
Click here to watch A Refugee’s Journey, a short video about All Nation’s work with refugees in Hamburg, Germany.
This is one of so many stories that I have heard over the last six years. My heart breaks for all of these refugees who lost everything. I love Jesus, because he loved us first. And I am very aware what He expects from all of His friends. “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
What does it mean to be a refugee? Most of them have lost home and all possessions, many are mourning family members or friends, some had traumatic experience on their escape and many did not make it. I only met those who survived and was allowed to hear their stories, felt their pain and was shocked about the evil in this world. But now they are safe in Germany, but this is not the end of all their troubles.
Another deep crisis happens to them some time after their arrival and orientation. The identity crisis. Who am I? What do I do here? “Suddenly I am nobody, I cannot help myself anymore. I cannot earn my own money, my job experience is not needed here, I cannot talk to any people of influence, I have no friends, I have no influence, I am meaningless, useless, hopeless.” This identity crisis is so fundamental that only people can understand it, who experienced something like it. About 60 % of all refugees have severe depression, they feel terrible unrest and are overwhelmed by the new challenges. Some kill themselves, others become addicted to drugs and others do stupid things.
Monika and I felt called to migrants since 2010, but the refugee crisis of 2015 deepened our journey with many of them. Refugees do not come for a better future, but come out of severe danger and problems. Our first impulse is to help and solve their problems, but it seems a never-needing stream of refugees and a never-ending stream of problems. What is the solution? Of course, it is the Lord. We can help solve a problem, but only He can bring hope, joy and deep love.
Nearly all of the refugees are Muslims. And Islam is one major reason for their problems. It is either a war between opposing Muslim groups, like in Syria and Afghanistan, with terrible genocides. Or it could be the threats of jail and torture. Many cannot accept the terror and control of a regime like Iran. But why are not all of them happy to leave Islam, why do they not connect the dots? I think it has to do with the rest of identity that is left in them. “I lost everything, I am a nothing, but I am still a Muslim, a follower of the best religion there is.” So many become more rigid Muslims in the foreign land than they have been at home. Islam seems to create a bond to their past and a unity among others, who had the same past. And there is this other group of refugees, who just have lost every faith and slip into the Western sinfulness and egoistic lifestyle.
There is another amazing story happening as well. The Lord allowed the greatest revival in Germany since the 1960's and it’s a revival among our new citizens, the former Muslim refugees. We have had times, when it spread like a wildfire. We reached out and they came. Some came out of curiosity, some, because friends invited them, others came for tactical reasons and some just liked the food and fellowship. But they all heard the Good News and experienced Christ's love. And hundreds gave their life to Jesus in our ministry in the last years.
I have done many interviews and always asked these questions:
1. Why did you become a believer?
2. Who is Jesus for you?
3. What has changed in your life?
4. Where do you act differently?
And the answers were mostly very similar:
“I experienced a new freedom!”
“I have peace in my heart for the first time in my life.”
“I never expected that love.”
“Jesus is my friend.”
“I am not alone anymore.”
“God is a loving father, I have no fear anymore.”
“I have lost my anger.”
"I can forgive those, who have wronged me.”
"I do not beat my wife anymore.”
“I stopped lying.”
“I am a new person.”
“I got healed.”
“I love the church.”
But the greatest gift of all? Seeing the Lord at work! Being, where He is. Experiencing the joy that comes from Christ, seeing lives changed, hopes restored, new families being born and a church coming to life.
Our hearts break for the least of our brothers and sisters and it gets restored through the reward the Lord gives us. We know it is His will and we can rely on the wonderful work of the Holy Spirit.
Christian leaders are often busy with many things: administration, organization, people problems. These responsibilities can fill our days. Nevertheless, I have the strong conviction that we should always be involved in something that is the core motivation of our whole ministry. Share the love of Christ with those, who have never met Him before. And I want to challenge all leaders in All Nations: Try to spend some of your time, where you see the Lord working, where you experience, how He changes lives, where you experience His power and miracles first hand. And where you can hear the stories of the Jesus encounter from the mouth of new believers and finally love Jesus like He wants to be loved.
About the author: Dr. Juergen Kramer is a member of the All Nations International Leadership Team (ILT). Juergen lives in Hamburg and is leading the work of All Nations in Europe. He is a church planter and a successful businessman. He leads his own consulting practice for senior business leaders. He is married to Monika, and they have two daughters and three grandsons.
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