Imagine that tomorrow morning, you wake up to find your neighborhood torn apart by war. The houses on your street reduced to rubble; your family fears your home will be next. As planes rumble overhead and fighters invade your town, you don’t know where to go–only that you have to get out.
This is the tragic experience that many families from Iraq and Syria have faced. To escape the warfare raging in their hometowns, they have sought refuge in other countries. They are refugees.
Steve Haas of World Vision International says about 80% of the refugees in crisis are women and children who have lived through the unthinkable.
“It’s terrifying. They’ve seen things that you and I would never have our worst enemy see. They’ve seen death in the streets; they’ve seen pools of blood. They’ve seen loved ones taken away and never returned. They’ve seen the frightened, psychological trauma of their parents who have no idea what they’re going to do for the safety of their children. And any parent knows what happens when a kid sees you’re afraid. So we’re dealing with psycho-social needs that are extreme.”
World Vision is working directly in refugee camps to provide humanitarian aid to those in severe need. Haas says the plight of these families hits close to home:
“I think one of the reasons why I’m so vibrant on this issue is, I’ve got kids. My kids haven’t seen this– no child should see this. But I have a chance. I have an opportunity to reverse the trend. And so that’s why we’re calling on folks across this great country: in these times of uncertainty, be certain about this. Provide a safe place for these kids–because we can do that.”
World Vision and Q Ideas ministries are teaming up to provide resources for churches who want to get involved through a program they call Refugee Sunday.
“That Sunday, along with worship, teaching, and preaching, you’re also going to make time to focus on the fact that refugees do matter, these people are literally on the heart of God…We provide video stories, sermon talking points, there’s even small group resources the churches can use, so that everybody together says refugees matter to us; because they matter to God, they matter to us.”
If you’re interested in hosting a Refugee Sunday service at your church, visit World Vision’s resource website.
Steve Haas is the vice-president of World Vision International.
Reaching out to refugees with Steve Haas, World Vision
