By a member of SEND’s Diaspora | North America team
Resettlement Adjustments Beyond Language
We were visiting a Muslim family who had just brought out tea and sweets for us when I suddenly felt the cold air blowing in from the kitchen. The house's back door was wide open, and the daughter of the family and her younger brother were struggling to bring a couch into the house! I jumped up and went to help them. They were apologetic and said, "We saw that it was hard for you to sit on the floor cushions, so we decided to try to bring in the couch from the garage!"
The couch itself was huge, and it needed to be lifted and turned sideways to get through the narrow doorway, which they obviously could not do. I told them I was fine and we could put the couch back in the garage, as it would be pretty difficult to get it through the door. "No, no, no," they insisted. "We will do it." But after trying again unsuccessfully, they finally half-carried/half-dragged the couch back to the garage.
When we were all seated on the floor cushions again, the daughter said, "We are sorry, but we tried the American couch and furniture thing for a year, but my mother never agreed to use it. She always sat on the floor. It was very awkward for us to sit on the couch and chairs and for her to sit on the floor. So, we recently decided to take out all the American furniture so we could sit together on the floor." I could hear a bit of frustration in her voice over her mother's unwillingness to sit on an American couch versus sitting on the floor. But I could also see her tender heart, wanting to be sensitive to her mother, leading to removing the furniture that separated them.
Patience in Letting Go
This experience reminded me that the challenges of refugees settling into a new country and culture are not just limited to language; they also include very basic things like how and where we sit! Some people are early adopters and catch on to language and cultural things, while others take much longer. I think it is also the same for matters of faith. Some people want to cling to what is familiar and what they have always known. Others are more willing to learn and be challenged to look beyond the walls built around them.
We must be patient and willing to take the time necessary for them to come to where they are open to learning about the good news. Are there needless hurdles—like American couches—that we can remove? We must be in prayer, asking the Lord of the harvest to warm their hearts and open their minds to hear the message of hope, redemption, and peace. We need to pray that they enter into a personal relationship with the Creator of the heavens—a relationship founded not on what they have done or achieved but solely on what he has done for us.
For most of us, including Muslims, it takes time to let go of the past. Will you be a friend to those going through this process this new year? Will you introduce them to the One who can heal their hurts and restore hope to their lives? If you still need to make your New Year's resolutions, please consider making this one of them. Are you willing to be a friend and visit a Muslim refugee or neighbor at least once a month this year? Are you open to sharing the gospel through that friendship as the Lord leads in 2024?
We asked how we could pray for this family at the end of our visit. The oldest daughter was the first to speak and requested prayers for the health of her widowed mother. Would you join us in praying for her? She is suffering from a variety of physical ailments, and it is weighing heavily on the hearts of all the children. Perhaps God will use a miracle to open this family's hearts to himself. Before we left, we prayed for the mother and other requests they brought up. We also thanked God for blessing Christmas, where he gave the greatest gift ever, Emmanuel—God with us.
Pray for the 10/10 Prayer Initiative
Join us with Christians worldwide in praying for 10% of the Muslim world to come to Christ in 10 years. It is truly a miraculous ask, but it is not too big of an ask of our God and King! May we be faithful in prayer for this needy group of lost souls? We have committed to praying for the 10/10 Prayer initiative on the first Friday of every month. You are also welcome (and encouraged) to pray on any given day!
Prayer Requests
