As President Donald Trump added nationals from Mali and Burkina Faso to the list of countries facing restricted entry to the U.S., both countries responded with their own limits, barring Americans from traveling there.

Beyond political tensions and disrupted private travel plans, another sphere is also affected: ministry. For Christian World Outreach, Burkina Faso is the second country — after Haiti — impacted by the law. Yet the organization’s long-standing strategy is helping it adapt.

Greg Yoder with Christian World Outreach says, “That may become an issue at some point, but right now, it is not affecting our ministry.”

Kids in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (Photo courtesy of Fatih Turan via Pexels)

Yoder says the hardest part hasn’t been logistics yet. It has been the loss of in-person interaction.

“Working with leadership, it’s good to be face to face at times, and to work together, to plan ministry,” he explains.

CWO works alongside local leaders in Burkina Faso and trusts them to carry the ministry forward. That approach has helped them avoid the travel ban’s immediate impact. They also prioritize local products and services whenever possible.

“We have taken on the mindset that we want to help support the local economy and the businessmen there, and so we try to purchase things in country as much as possible,” Yoder explains.

To put it in perspective, buying supplies locally often goes further than shipping them from abroad, since the cost of one container shipment could cover a large amount of in-country purchases.

Burkina Faso continues to face drought, low literacy, extremist violence, and a fragile economy. CWO serves communities through healthcare, education, and practical projects.

For now, teams continue to stay connected through regular communication.

“For today, we’ve stayed connected with our leaders, and we communicate back and forth as often as we need to, and so we’re just grateful for God, for technology,” Yoder says.

While ministry continues, the situation in the world is changing rapidly — especially in the countries CWO serves, including Haiti, Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso, South Africa, and Sri Lanka. Please pray for local workers’ protection, strength of faith, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

“Pray for safety and security of our staff and the students,” encourages Yoder.

Visit Christian World Outreach to learn about their work more!

Header photo courtesy of Nothing Ahead via Pexels.

Haiti has been on the ban list since June, but the new rules remove several exceptions that had provided some breathing room. 

“In general, this new ban makes it very complicated for Haitian families who have family members already in the U.S., and that’s the case for many, many families in Haiti,” says Kate Michel with Radio-TV 4VEH, a partner ministry of Trans World Radio that serves Haiti. “[The ban] puts a lot of pressure on those who are earning and sending money back to Haiti.”

(Photo of Haitians is a representative stock photo courtesy of TopSphere Media via Unsplash)

The ban places a psychological pressure too, Michel adds, as Haitians living in Haiti “realize that they are excluded from potentially being in the U.S. and starting a new life.”

January 1 also marks Haiti’s Independence Day. Families will make soup joumou, a traditional, pumpkin-based dish that has been a staple since the early 1800s. “Typically, on New Year’s Day in Haiti, people will go from house to house and enjoy this soup joumou with different families. Each home, each cook, has a different way of cooking it,” says Michel.

But developments like this travel ban take a toll on Haitians’ hope.

“People in Haiti don’t want to leave Haiti. That’s not their first choice. They really are looking for a way out of their current very difficult circumstances,” says Michel. “People are looking for a better life. They’re looking for meaning. They’re looking for ways to take care of their families.”

4VEH is beginning a read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year program to help Haitians stand firm in Scripture. Many don’t have the option to read the Bible for themselves, for a variety of reasons, Michel explains.

“We would invite you to pray with us for the gospel message to be proclaimed across Haiti and beyond,” she says. That includes the technical details of radio broadcasts, as well as a deeper level. 

“Pray that as people are feeling unwanted, that they will get a sense that God is offering them hope, offering them a future, offering them being adopted into His family, and that people will turn to Christ and give their lives to Him.” 

Pray for endurance as believers broadcast critical updates and the hope of Christ.
(Photo courtesy of Radio-TV 4VEH)

Header photo of a Haitian celebration is a stock photo courtesy of Bailey Torres via Unsplash.

How are changing policies affecting Green Card holders?

While most of Trump’s actions in the immigration arena have targeted illegal residents, the ubiquity of reform is now being felt by another group: green card holders, or lawful permanent residents. Travelers in this category are reporting longer point-of-entry interviews when returning to the US; and the recent arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder facing deportation for affiliation with Hamas, raises further concerns about potential for deportation. 

The full White House immigration policy is outlined here. 

How does this relate to ministry? 

The flood of policy change could affect an overlooked subset of green card holders: those working in international ministry. Bruce Allen with FMI says many employees of Christian organizations in the US are operating on religious workers visas. For example, FMI employs a US-based Pakistani national who travels extensively for the ministry. Increased scrutiny could bog down FMI’s logistics. 

“Providentially, our staff member when he returned to the US a few days ago after traveling in three countries visiting with many of FMI’s indigenous church planters overseas, he encountered no problems,” Allen says. “But it may be a concern moving forward, especially if these proposals and considerations do get passed.”

Allen knows of green card holders who have canceled overseas travel plans to avoid unwanted risks. But he says the real game changer for ministries won’t be policy concerning foreigners entering America. 

“It’s that those countries on the list of 41 nations may likely take reciprocal action against US travelers.”

FMI supports projects and partnerships in three of the countries under travel ban consideration.  

“And a fourth country on the list is one that has just invited us to help out in recent weeks, which would require travel to that country to set up leadership teams overseeing a ministry. So that could be even more challenging,” he says. 

Even without travel restrictions, the nature of international work is logistically complex. Allen points out that the command to make disciples of all nations is not conditional on safety, comfort, or ease. 

“We will continue to do ministry: trusting in God’s sovereignty, praying for the leaders of our nations, so that they will make wise and safe decisions that allow us to operate peacefully,” he says. 

Vice President Vance and President Trump, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

How can we pray? 

Please pray that ministries anticipating fallout from changing immigration policies will be of good courage, trusting God to open doors for continued international partnerships as He sees fit. Pray that the Trump administration would make wise decisions surrounding immigration and national security, and pray that the church will firmly root itself in the Word of God rather than national diplomacy.

Featured image courtesy of Pexels

“We can sit and debate this all day. But for us, as believers, we know this: it’s a golden opportunity,” Tom Doyle of Uncharted Ministries says.

“Never before have Muslims been so open to the Gospel and the love of Christ. I would call Christians to try not to see things through a political lens, but through a biblical lens.”

Travel ban context

Controversy surrounded the travel ban, with critics saying it targeted Muslims. Dispute drove the legislation into the Supreme Court, which upheld the restrictions in 2018. More than 40,000 travelers were refused visas, the AP reports.

(Photo by Issy Bailey on Unsplash)

Supporters of the travel ban say it targeted potential terrorists, not followers of Islam. As of 2017, more than 300 people who entered the United States as refugees were the subjects of counterterrorism investigations.

In defending Executive Order 13780, the revised version of a previous executive order, former president Trump stated:

Executive Order 13769 did not provide a basis for discriminating for or against members of any particular religion. While that order allowed for prioritization of refugee claims from members of persecuted religious minority groups, that priority applied to refugees from every nation, including those in which Islam is a minority religion, and it applied to minority sects within a religion.

Listen to Doyle’s full interview to learn how immigration changes under recent presidents affected Christians.

“As believers, we can ‘play politics’ and talk about the Obama administration, the Trump administration, and the Biden administration. But when you look at the New Testament and what the apostles did, they were ready to reach out to all people – no matter where they were from,” Doyle states.

“You see Jesus reaching out to Roman soldiers, a woman from Tyre, foreigners; it really didn’t matter.”

Once God sets a Muslim woman free, she becomes an unstoppable force for God. Women Who Risk takes readers into the intimacy of Muslim homes in Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, and other hot spots to see the drama of Christ at work.
(Photo, caption courtesy of Thomas Nelson)

A new mission field

Ask the Lord how you can share His good news with Muslim neighbors or coworkers. “One of the reasons they have come to our country in the first place is that Islamic governments failed them,” Doyle notes.

“Let’s reach out with love, build friendships, and see what happens as we share the Gospel with them.”

Look for tips in the new book Doyle co-authored with his wife, JoAnn. “We just released Women Who Risk: Secret Agents for Jesus in the Muslim World. It’s about heroic women that have come to faith in Christ in the face of incredible danger and threat to their lives in Muslim countries,” he says.

“At the end, we give points on how to reach out to [Muslims], how to build friendships.”

Order your copy here.

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Jan Tinneberg/Unsplash.

The ban is meant to prompt the Nigerian government to upgrade their information-sharing procedures, something it has so far been slow to do. It has also been slow to protect its own Christian citizens.

Following Boko Haram attacks, people from Mubi, Adamawa state, flee to Yola 150 miles away.
(Photo, caption courtesy of Christian Aid Mission)

Violence Towards Christians

Recently, a Nigerian pastor was beheaded by Boko Haram. Read more here.

David Curry of Open Doors USA, says westerners tend to view this persecution in Nigeria episodically, mourning the most tragic events but not understanding the day-to-day persecution of Christians including violence and sexual harassment.

“These are personal things,” Curry says. “These are individuals who have been affected by this. The government, even under great pressure, has not been responsive.”

“So what we have to recognize is Boko Haram is working with impunity, the Nigerian government is not is not effectively combating them, protecting the civil targets . . . like churches, like Christian villages. And it’s meant a massive migration of Christians to the south. and elsewhere, you could have as many as a couple million Christians over the last decade who’ve been forced out of out of the northern part of that country.”

Inadequate response

And the Nigerian government is certainly not doing enough to protect Christians. Curry says, “When they send military into these northern areas, often they’ll send them in with guns and give the appearance of protecting these Christian churches. But the terrorists know that the guns don’t have any bullets.”

Boko Haram (Photo courtesy of Open Doors USA)

Nigeria’s weak stance towards its own citizens is having catastrophic consequences. Curry says, “In sense I think it fits the definition of a genocide. You have a group of people who are saying they’re going to eliminate Christians in the North, they’re largely pushing them out and or killing them. So, it certainly fits that legal definition. It’s not called that yet, unfortunately. It rarely [is called] genocide until it’s too late.”

Open Doors has been reaching out to the Nigerian government, as well as different departments within the US. Their goal is to make sure the cry of the indigenous church in Nigeria is heard.

The priority is protecting Christians in their own homeland, and if need be getting them out to safety. He says Christians should pray the families suffering under these attacks would have relief and safety.

Pray also that the Gospel of Jesus Christ would change Nigeria, the government would protect its citizens, and Boko Haram would stop terrorizing the land.

The US has included Nigeria in a travel ban. (Photo courtesy of Adam Reeder via Flicker)

The coronavirus has caused over 500 deaths around the world since it began in Wuhan, China. It has sickened over 25,000 people, although over 1,000 have already recovered.

But John Pudaite, President and CEO of Bibles For The World, says, “we continue to feel that it should not deter us from our commitment to provide God’s word there and to get the Gospel to the people of China.”

Citizens of Wuhan buying masks. (Image courtesy of China news Serice on Wikipedia Commons)

Risk and reward

As many countries close their borders to China and flights are suspended, Pudaite says Bibles for the World continues to monitor the situation. But he points to what they have already accomplished as motivation. “God’s opened some doors for us to work there. And we have been blessed to be able to provide over 300,000 Gospels of John each year. Another 15 to 20,000 Bibles, New Testaments, and study Bibles each year.”

While the coronavirus is certainly a disease to be wary of, Pudaite says it has affected far fewer people than the common flu. Most of the danger comes from the exotic and unknown nature of the virus and the lack of vaccine.

Pudaite says, “We have a trip planned to China in April. And at this point, even though we’re monitoring the situation, as I mentioned, we intend to go as we have planned and provide that support to the Christians and to the church in China, to the body of Christ and also to equip them with God’s word so they can get active and involved in evangelizing and sharing the message, the good news of Jesus Christ with their neighbors and Chinese people.”

Church in China (Image courtesy of Bibles for China)

How can we pray?

Pudaite says the Chinese church still has needs, and this is the worst possible time to forget about them. The church in China struggles more and more with a lack of religious freedom, and now the coronavirus is making meeting together especially difficult, particularly in Wuhan.

He says, “we need to keep lifting up our Chinese brothers and sisters in prayer the Chinese Christians, even in a time that this epidemic is sweeping across our nation, that they can play a positive role and that they can use this opportunity to share God’s word and the message of peace and love that Jesus Christ brings.”

Pray also that peace would come to the city of Wuhan, because the Author of peace lives there in his people. Pray that in the midst of this epidemic, Christ would build his kingdom in China.

 (Image capture courtesy of Prayercast)

This will limit the granting of visas to citizens from five Muslim-majority nations: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. It will further add limits to citizens from North Korea and Venezuela and it will lift restrictions on citizens from Sudan.

There have been several drafts previous to this particular ban, which had also included Chad and Iraq, but the countries were taken off on later drafts.

“The travel ban has been in place for quite a while. There were several iterations of it and then most recently in December. So, we’ve been kind of living under this reality,” Bethany Christian Services’ Kristine Van Noord says.

What the Travel Ban Means for Refugees

“But, what this means going forward for the refugee program is that some of the refugees that so desperately need a place to resettle because of the persecution that they are facing in their home country, and in their inability to return there, people from Syria for example, will be unable to come through the refugee resettlement process.”

This ban, as well as the reduction of refugees welcomed per year, has significantly reduced the number of refugees from these nations coming into the U.S.

Van Noord shares that in the fiscal year of 2016, over 12,500 Syrians came into the U.S. In the fiscal year of 2017, over 6,500 Syrian refugees came into the U.S.

Now, nine months into the fiscal year for 2018, only 46 Syrians have come into the U.S.

Further, Van Noord says, “The presidential determination this year was decreased to 45,000 refugees. However, we are three-quarters of the way through the fiscal year and the U.S. has only resettled 35 percent of that 45,000. So, our concern is across the board.

“We are in the greatest refugee crisis in history and we are resettling the smallest amount of refugees that the U.S. has brought in since we started the Refugee Resettlement Program.”

Impact on Other Nations

The reduction of refugee admittance is one of great concern to Bethany because of how it will lead and impact the rest of the world and therefore, what that could mean for refugees.

“One of our greatest concerns here is that the U.S. has historically been a leader in refugee resettlement and the foremost advocate on the world stage. Our concern is that other countries will take the U.S.’s lead in this and also reduce their numbers of welcoming refugees into their country,” Van Noord says.

(Photo by Mitch Lensink on Unsplash)

Other nations have followed the U.S.’s lead in making the screening process for refugees far more difficult.

It’s known that the U.S. has one of the most vigorous security screening processes in the world and it has continued to be made more difficult even in the last year.

“Many nations have added to their Refugee Resettlement Program because of the U.S. advocating and so, it is definitely a concern that nations may take away their support because that is what the U.S. is doing as well in reducing the number of refugees coming in,” Van Noord says.

“We’ve already seen that happen with some nations and it’s definitely our concern that with the Supreme Court decision that that might happen even more so.”

Van Noord says because of the extreme security in vetting, the government doesn’t need to choose between helping refugees or having national security.

Instead, they can trust that the Refugee Resettlement Program will ensure safety for the nation as well as welcoming and assisting those fleeing for their lives.

If other nations follow the U.S.’s lead in reducing their refugee admittance and establish travel bans, refugees will be stuck in camps and insecure areas for many more years without proper food and shelter. They will be living without access to medical care, susceptible to diseases and continued terrorist attacks.

“This is really a life-saving program, the Refugee Resettlement Program is. And so, this is denying the opportunity for so many refugees that desperately need it.”

Advocating for Refugees

Van Noord says many of these refugees who are wanting to come to the U.S. are trying to be reunited with family members. This ban makes it far more unlikely that broken families will be brought back together again in the safety of the U.S.

Bethany is committed to bringing families together. Because of this, they are continuing to advocate for refugees and families that have been split apart.

They invite you to pray for refugees and advocate for them by contacting your representatives and sharing your passion for helping these vulnerable people.

You can come alongside Bethany as well by financially contributing to their refugee programs.

The ban, which has been revised several times, has been blocked by federal courts across the nation but has also been given partial and full enforcement by the Supreme Court.

Now, the ban has made its way up to the Supreme Court again to determine if it is in violation of the Constitution or immigration law.

(Photo courtesy of
Claire Anderson on Unsplash)

The most current revision of the ban originally restricted travel on certain categories of people from eight countries, most of which are Muslim nations – Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Chad, Venezuela, and North Korea. However, Chad has recently been removed from the ban.

On April 25, the arguments were heard by the Supreme Court Justices, and a decision is expected to be heard by June. Their ruling could make the ban permanent and could cut off help to many refugees seeking sanctuary.

Looking at the arguments and responses during the hearing, a report by The Hill stated it expects the Supreme Court will pass the ban.

“We’re disappointed,” Bethany Christian Service’s Chris Palusky says.

“We want to remind the Supreme Court Justices that it’s important for people to be able to come to the U.S. and resettle in the United States because this affects refugees, and we’re a country of refugees and immigrants. So, we’re disappointed that this looks like it’s going forward and we’d like to remind those in power it’s important that we allow people to come into our country, especially those that are fleeing violence, and they’re afraid for their security.”

Each of the countries listed on the ban sees persecution, violence, and conflicts that have caused people to flee their homes.

A Muslim Ban?

Many opposing the ban have accused President Trump of proposing a “Muslim ban” and therefore constituting it as religious discrimination and unlawful.

“The majority of these countries that are being banned from coming into the United States have a large Muslim population, and I think, especially as we’re looking at this travel ban, it kind of smells like it, it feels like it, and if we could taste it, it would taste like it – a Muslim ban,” Palusky says.

During the hearing, however, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. stated that five of the banned countries are Muslim and there are around 50 majority Muslim nations. This ban would be affecting about eight percent of the world’s Muslim population.

Still, Palusky suggests caution in going forward by remaining unbiased to these nations’ religion and other factors.

“When we’re looking at a ban or even people coming into our country, we really have to think beyond nationality, ethnicity, or religion when we come to this concept of loving thy neighbor, which we think is key, especially for a country like the United States.”

The Ban Affecting Children

Bethany works with vulnerable populations, especially unaccompanied refugee minors who have been affected by conflicts such as the war in Syria or crisis in Yemen.

The ban, Palusky says, is affecting and could continue to affect those children who are coming into the United States and trying to find a home.

“We definitely want to make sure that national security is taken into account. That seems to be one of the concerns of this administration and the country, but we are also in support of making sure that we don’t have terrorists or people who have ill-willed towards our country, coming into the country,” he says.

“But these refugees that we’re resettling, those aren’t those people. They’ve been through a 22-step vetting process. We’ve seen how extreme vetting procedures with U.S. Government [goes] above and beyond. So, we feel that national security is key, but it’s also important for these people to be able to come and be able to have a loving home.”

Bethany is giving refugee children just that – a loving home – by finding them a good foster family, enrolling them in school, and ensuring that they have health services and security.

(Photo courtesy of Bethany Christian Services via Facebook)

However, Palusky says refugee families should also be able to reunite.

“We want to make sure that every child has a safe and loving family, but we also want to make sure those kids that are separated from their families are able to be reunited with them,” Palusky says.

“So, our concern is that with this travel ban, families are split, they’re all over the place. We want to have the ability when parents are found or where there’s reunification possible, that the children and families can be reunited. With this travel ban, we see that that is a big roadblock or impediment to letting that happen.”

You can get involved with Bethany by befriending a refugee who needs hope and encouragement, becoming a foster family, speaking out for refugees, or donating. Learn more at their website.

There are more refugees globally now than ever before. Over 22 million refugees are seeking a safe place.

Palusky encourages you to pray for the chaos and brokenness in the world. Pray the Lord would bring incredible healing. Pray also for wisdom and understanding for the leaders of this world and for the Supreme Court Justices as they come to a decision.

Some people believe that the addition of these two countries was a move to debunk the theory that Trump’s bans have discriminated against Muslims. These are the only two non-Muslim-majority countries on the list. However, Steve Shantz of Trans World Radio believes that it was more of a “symbolic gesture” from the United States to Venezuela, representing the dissidence between the two nations.

Officially, the reason behind the ban on Venezuela has to do with the government not sharing public safety and terrorism-related information. The ban on Venezuela is unique because regular citizens are not included in the ban. It only applies to some government workers and their immediate families.

However, it is true that the United States has held a poor opinion of Venezuela’s current government for some time.

Venezuela’s economic crisis continues to spiral downward. Within and without the country, there are a variety of opinions on what the problem is and how to fix the situation. The United States has been particularly critical and acted upon the situation by slapping sanctions on the Venezuelan government.

Shantz says he believes Venezuela might have been added “to address the situation in Venezuela where the US government feels that the Venezuelan government [is] not being cooperative in bringing about the reforms in the country that the United States would like to see.”

Tension among the people

Last week, Venezuela held regional elections for state governors and there was an overwhelming win for the socialist party. The governors were sworn in last week, despite the opposition’s refusal to accept the results. This represents the split of opinions among the Venezuelan people. Because each school of thought holds to their opinions so strongly, it’s created a tense situation that’s led to protests in recent months.

While some have blamed the government for the current economic crisis, Shantz says, “There are other people in the country who … believe that the socialist government is the only government that’s really addressing the needs of the poor. So, there is a lot of support in the country for the existing regime.”

But regardless of their individual positions, the situation is dire for the people of Venezuela.

The Guardian describes a food problem that is indifferent to status and economic class. The brutal desperation that comes with hunger has influenced a growth in the sex industry. Ninety percent of homes cannot afford to buy the food that the household should be consuming. Young and promising individuals have given up their dreams for a successful future and instead consider how they’ll get their next meal.

Shantz says, “A lot of people’s lives are caught up with just day-to-day survival—standing in long lines to get food and other things that they need.”

Challenges to sharing a message of hope to a starving nation

Trans World Radio, known as Rádio Trans Mundial in Venezuela, is a media ministry that works alongside the local Church to share the message of Jesus. Shantz describes a very close relationship between the ministry and local churches. Content is produced in-country and broadcasted from the island of Bon Air. Many of the congregations tune in to the biblical teaching the radio programming provides.

But the challenges the nation faces are likewise challenges for the Church.

“It becomes very difficult for people just trying to survive. And it’s very difficult for the Church as well in these days in Venezuela, both the fact that they’re having to deal personally with the economic issues and the economic shortages but they ‘re also trying to minister to the people around them and to bring a message of God’s love in the midst of very difficult times.”

Without the physical resources to meet the present needs of people, the Church has a hard time finding a place where people can really hear about eternal hope. That said, they are still doing what they can to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

“I’ve also heard of some churches that are actually doing feeding programs for kids. So they’re giving kids … a container of porridge. They’re able to get ahold of resources and then use those resources to reach out to the community around them in a practical way. It does create an opportunity for the Church where, if they can amass some resources, to use those to bring a message of love to the people around them.”

Venezuela’s troubles have been largely overshadowed by other international events. Because of this and the outstanding needs there, it can be difficult to know how to help. But believers must remember the power of prayer.

“What we have is the throne of grace– we have prayer. And what we need to pray for is that there will be some sort of a reform to take place in Venezuela that the economic situation will improve there so that people’s basic needs will be met. That can be done through prayer… just pray that God would intervene in Venezuela in a powerful and strong way so the situation for the people would improve.

“And also pray for the Church. Just pray for the Christians that they will know how to respond to the situation that everybody is dealing with in a way that they can provide a message of hope.”

Shantz asks that you also pray for the TWR broadcasts to touch lives and bring people hope.

To support this ministry financially and to learn more about it, click here.

USA (MNN) — The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of President Trump’s travel ban in October. But until then, a limited version of the travel ban from six Muslim-majority countries has been reinstated.

The courts said refugees from banned countries — Somalia, Iran, Libya, Yemen, Sudan, and Syria — can still come if they have a “bona fide relationship with a person or entity” in the U.S.

Bethany Christian Services works with refugee and immigrant resettlement, and Bethany’s Kristine Van Noord says they hope to still bring over those individuals qualified for resettlement once they figure out what constitutes a “bona fide relationship”.

“What we do know is that immigrants who are coming who have a green card or have a visa and are connected to have a close familial relationship or are connected to an education or employer, then they are able to still come into the United States. So that’s this terminology of a bona fide relationship,” she explains.

“We are waiting for an understanding of the definition of ‘close familial relationship’, what exactly that relationship needs to be, and also of what a bona fide relationship or connection includes. Does that include the refugee resettlement agency that has already assured the case and is preparing for them to come, or does it not?”

(Photo courtesy of SAT-7 USA via Facebook)

One thing is for sure, the discussion is littered with controversy. Van Noord shares, “I think one of the concerns has been, ‘Is it possible to welcome refugees and also ensure national security?’ And we believe that it is possible. The top priority of the refugee resettlement program in the U.S. is security, and there is an extreme vetting process. At the same time, we can also offer a life-saving opportunity to refugees.”

In Bethany’s work, they emphasize the Church’s responsibility towards compassion, even as it’s balanced with wisdom. “All throughout God’ Word, He talks about welcoming the stranger and caring for the orphan and the widow. We believe, as it says in 2 Corinthians, that Christ’s love compels us, and we desperately want to share the love of Christ with these refugees that are coming. And we have local churches and community groups that are ready to welcome the refugees that we plan to welcome in July.”

It’s the cases of those refugees who were slated to arrive in July that Van Noord is worried about. She explains, “Those that we are welcoming in July are truly the most vulnerable, and we’re concerned that they may not be able to come in. They have major medical needs and we’re concerned that they may not be able to wait 120 days to be able to come into the United States.”

Right now, the best case scenario would be if refugees who have already been approved with major medical or safety concerns could apply for an exemption from the travel ban as well.

“We haven’t heard if that’s a possibility or not. When the executive orders first originally came out, they talked that it might be possible, especially for those with major medical or security concerns.”

(Photo courtesy of Open Doors USA)

For now? Van Noord says these refugees and immigrants could use the prayers of God’s people.

“Pray for our leaders and for our courts. Pray for the opportunity to be able to continue to be the hands and feet of Christ and welcome refugees. And what we’re really hoping is that our government will be able to come to a place where they feel very strong in the security screening process, but also can continue to offer welcome to refugees as we face the largest refugee crisis we’ve ever seen and give an opportunity for the Church to be able to respond in the midst of this crisis.”

If you’d like to learn more about Bethany’s refugee and immigrant resettlement program, click here! You can also contact Bethany here if your church or small group would like to get involved in welcoming the refugees who make it to the U.S.

“We see so many churches wanting to respond and share the love of Christ with refugees, and we really hope that that’s still possible. America has a beautiful history of welcoming refugees, and we definitely do not want to lose that.”