In Their Words: Alicia's Story

The terms refugee and asylum-seeker are common in today’s world. The crisis of displaced people is worldwide. At the end of 2017, more people experienced displacement from their homes internally and externally than at any other recorded time in history. The United Nations High Council on Refugees (UNHCR) recorded 68.5 million displaced people by the end of 2017. Of these, 28.5 million were refugees and asylum-seekers.

A series of articles began this year to give voices to some of these externally displaced people. Refugees and asylum-seekers from Serbia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, and Sudan answered three questions about their lives. This article will tell us the story of a woman from the DRC and her quest for peace and safety for herself and her family.

Question 1: What was life like in your home country?

My name is Alicia Makumba. I’m from South Kivu, DRC. My life in my country was good. I was a street vendor. I also made clothes for many local people. I loved my country. It was beautiful. I had family and friends there.

Question 2: What made you decide to leave your country?

I left my country because my husband was almost killed by gangsters. They wanted him to do corruption at work, but he refused. They hurt him very badly. Added to that, I was raped while I was two months pregnant. The rapists left me severely hurt. I still have scars today.

My sisters and father were murdered. My husband was kidnapped. I was left hurt, broke, and alone with my six children. Because of these things, I decided to leave my country and go to South Africa.

Question 3: What has life been like in your host/adopted country?

Life in South Africa is very hard. My family and I face hatred, discrimination, and violence almost every day. Our accents are different even though we speak English now. Our accents give us away as refugees. People here are afraid we will take their jobs, so they hate us. I do not have any peace of mind.

I am constantly stressed because of fear, and lack of money and food. My family did not have enough money to pay rent on a room in the township and to buy food. We got a loan from a loan shark to pay the rent. We begged from people to eat one meal a day.

I am emotionally drained by the suffering and crime of this country. I’ve been victimized many times here. Is living as a refugee any better than living in my home country? Sometimes I wonder.

Prejudice....But God

Anna’s Story-

Anna, her husband, and their six children fled from the DRC. She was born there and was a teacher there. She fell in love with her husband, but that love came with a price. You see, Henri was from the Tutsi tribe who fled Rwanda during the genocide. He was a small child and doesn’t know anything about Rwanda personally, what only his parents told him.

Being a Tutsi in the DRC did not mean he wouldn’t be tracked and persecuted. Everywhere he and his parents went, the people of DRC found them. Even after marrying a Congolese woman, the fear did not abate. Finally, in their last year in the DRC, Anna and Henri had to keep moving from city to village to bush to stay ahead of their hunters. They were caught a couple times, but managed to escape.

How did the people recognize Henri was a Tutsi? There’s a myth that you can tell by the ankle bones. It’s not truth; that’s why we call it a myth. Still, when people get it into their heads, that someone is a Tutsi or a Hutu or a Somalian, or whatever they hate or fear, they will hunt you down. At least that’s the way it is for Anna and Henri.

After being chased for so many years, being caught a few times and escaping, they decided to make their “great escape” to South Africa with their six children. They came with hopes and dreams of freedom from fear and income to support their family. They had no idea the prejudice they would experience in Africa’s “most democratic country.”

After arriving in South Africa, Anna became pregnant two more times and each of those babies were delivered by Caesarian section. I have known Anna since before her last child was born 3 years ago. I met her in March 2014. She supports her family by buying large bags of dry goods and selling them in individual packets at the train station. The school-age children get a free lunch at school, so Anna works to pay rent for the one room in which they live. There are more people than floor space in that room, so she is grateful for the small balcony. Some of her children sleep outside, which was fine except for when the rainy, windy winters arrive. Still, one room often is more than she can afford along with providing one more meal a day.

The day I visited her room, she had just had her last child by C-section. She sat crying in her seat with the baby at her breast. Understand, we had just walked in carrying one month’s supply of food to feed each person in the family 3 meals a day. I asked her why she was crying. She said that morning the children fought over one spoon of oats. That was all they had. Her husband had turned to her and asked her, “What will we do?” Anna said, “God will provide.” Little did she know God already had a plan. Just a couple hours later God would send food for her family for 6 months knowing beforehand she was going to run out of food that day. Christians carried armload after armload of food in boxes of food up three flights of stairs. She just shook and bowed her head as tears streamed down her cheeks.

That little bundle of joy, her eighth, is the last child she has birthed. For three years she has been in great pain in her abdomen. She has been to multiple clinic doctors. Some refused to see her because she is an asylum-seeker. Others would see her, give her Panado (aspirin) and tell her to go away. This week she tells me this story and I am angry again at the prejudiced government doctors. This is not a rare occurrence. I’ve had to intervene for several of my refugee friends. What makes this one different is that Anna and Henri borrowed money so she could pay for a doctor in private practice in the poor area of the city in which they rent a room. What did this doctor say? He said she has a “dead womb.” I looked quizzically at her and asked her to repeat that, but I had heard right, a "dead womb."

I planned to talk to my personal GP quickly. I told her about Anna. Her eyebrow rose, and she said, “Say that again.” I told her the doctor said she had a “dead womb.” My doctor said, “That isn’t even a medical term.” I asked my doctor, “Would you see her please?” “Yes,” she said.

Even when refugees go to new countries with supposed freedom that offers hope after desperation and fear, prejudice abounds, lives are endangered, and people are cast aside. But God… We must remember that small conjunctive phrase. But God knew Anna would need a personal, professional, non-prejudiced doctor and He created a loving, obedient heart in my doctor. But God provided a listening ear and concerned heart in me (in each of you) so that we immediately look for help for our refugee friends. For God… so loved the world… You know the rest.

Next week Anna will see my doctor. She will get a referral to a specialist. Anna will experience acceptance and care. She will realize there’s a reason to still have hope in her new adopted country. God still cares for Anna, Henri, and their eight children and He has prepared a way for her to get the healthcare she needs right now.

Sin, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation: A 2 Samuel 13-15 Devotional

In the story of 2 Samuel 13-15, Amnon, David’s first son, lusts for his half-sister, Tamar. He tries many times to coax her to be with him, but she refuses because she wants to stay pure. Amnon, with his friend Jonadab, hatch a plan to get Tamar into Amnon’s room. Amnon pretends to be sick and will only eat food if Tamar feeds him. Though she does not want to do it because she knows Amnon’s heart and mind, David convinces her to take food to Amnon. When she is in Amnon’s room, he overpowers her, rapes her, and then becomes angry with her and throws her out of his room.

Absalom, Tamar’s full-brother by blood, saw Tamar when she exited Amnon’s room and noticed her torment. When he asked what was wrong, she told him the story.  David heard about the incident, but did nothing to confront Amnon or Tamar to resolve the issue and discipline Amnon (13:21). From that time, Absalom hated Amnon and looked for a good time to take revenge. Two years later at sheep-shearing time, Absalom asked David to let all his brothers help him with sheep shearing. David did not see a need for it. Absalom asked them for Amnon only. David agreed. Absalom hatched a plan to kill Amnon and told his servants when they heard him say, “Kill him,” they were to fall on Amnon and kill him. This they did.

A servant fled from Absalom’s home to tell David all his sons had been killed. One of David’s advisors, Jonadab, told him, “My lord should not think that they killed all the princes; only Amnon is dead. This has been Absalom’s expressed intention ever since the day Amnon raped his sister, Tamar.” Later Jonadab told the king he saw his sons coming down a hill. They were not dead. By that time, Absalom fled his house, crossed the Jordan River, and went to his grandfather’s home in Geshur. His grandfather was Talmai, king of Geshur.

The story above covers only chapter thirteen. In chapters 14 and 15, Absalom stays away from Jerusalem, returns to Jerusalem by Joab’s prompting of David, is not welcome in David’s sight, pleads to see David, enters into David’s presence without being reconciled and forgiven, hatches a plan to take the throne from David, and scares David away from Jerusalem.

David failed to recognize and address Amnon’s sin against Tamar. He failed to address Absalom’s sin against Amnon and left him in Geshur to become bitter and angry. David requested Absalom’s return, but refused to see him. David, after three years and Absalom’s attention-seeking, permitted Absalom in his presence, but did not reconcile with him. David, the man after God’s heart, was not using God’s wisdom, nor showing God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness. He did not address the sins of his children and, thus, did not forgive them. David did not console Tamar, and did not discipline Amnon and Absalom.

To ask for forgiveness, a person must recognize his or her sin. David did not address his family after committing adultery with Bathsheba. Amnon decided to act upon his lust and raped his sister. He saw what David did and did not constrain himself just as David did not constrain himself with Bathsheba. David did not use the time of repentance with God after Nathan confronted him to teach and lead his family to God again. The domino effect seemed to occur after that with the Amnon and Tamar incident, then with Amnon’s murder and Absalom’s rejection by David. At any point in these incidents, David could have interjected and stopped what would happen next by bringing the wisdom of God into the situation. He could have led his children back to focus on God instead of their own wants. By doing that, David could have led them to see their wrongdoings, led them to repentance with God and asking for forgiveness from God and their family, and to reconciliation. Yet, David did not do these.

After his and Bathsheba’s baby son died, David sought God’s forgiveness, but not that of his family. He did not use that as a teaching moment. He did not address Amnon and his sin so Absalom harbored unforgiveness in his heart against Amnon, which led to Amnon’s murder and Absalom’s greater guilt and sin. David did not forgive Absalom when he came before him. They were reunited in body, but not reconciled.

Unforgiven sin leads to separation – from the one who hurt you and from God. To have reconciliation, confession of one’s sin and forgiveness must occur. David never sought to restore Amnon and Absalom’s relationship to loving brotherhood. He did not seek to restore his relationship with Absalom and Absalom held it against him. Because of that, Absalom plotted to usurp David’s kingship. After David’s not reconciling with Absalom, Absalom worked at increasing his popularity and decreasing David’s. He sought to take the throne from David. David eventually fled Jerusalem with 600 people from his household.

Unconfessed sin leads to bitterness and more sin. Unforgiven sin lead to hard hearts, bitterness, and dissension. David could have been the example of God’s mercy and forgiveness, but we do not see that here. Absalom tried to get David’s attention to be able to be in his presence and be reconciled. David’s mercy did not extend to reconciliation. David had already forgotten the love and mercy of God who forgave him his sin with Bathsheba and allowed him to continue to live and reign as king of Israel.

We need to make sure our walk with God is a close walk so we can instantly recognize sin in our lives. When we recognize sin, we can confess and ask for God’s forgiveness so a wall is not built between Him and us. God said He is faithful and just to forgive all sin (1 John 1:9). We need only acknowledge it, confess it, and repent then God will extend his love, mercy, and forgiveness towards us.

Just as God gives us His love, mercy, and forgiveness, we need to extend it to others who have sinned against us. Even when a person does not recognize he or she sinned against us and hurt us, we must, through the power of God and His mercy, forgive the person who hurt us. If we do not, reconciliation cannot occur and bitterness will grow in our hearts. David harbored bitterness toward Absalom. Absalom harbored bitterness against Amnon, which led him to murder his own brother.

Unforgiveness leads to bitterness, hatred, and murder. Unconfessed sin leads to estrangement in relationships and bitterness. Today we must decide to seek God’s forgiveness. We must recognize our sin and confess them to God seeking His love, mercy, and forgiveness. Besides this, today we must forgive the person or people who have hurt us even if they do not ask for forgiveness. Unforgiveness leads to a hardened heart and bitterness. It keeps us from a close relationship with people and with God.

Sin leads to broken relationships and dissension.

Seek God and His love, mercy, and forgiveness.

He can turn brokenness into wholeness and unity.

What will you choose to do today?

Led by the Spirit: A Galatians 5:16-26 Devotional

¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things, there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Galatians 5:16-26 [NIV]

Paul spent this letter teaching the Galatians once again faith in Jesus Christ was what gave them salvation and eternal life. Other teachers had been in Galatia teaching them they had to obey the laws of God including the law that all men must undergo circumcision. These Judaizers added a works element to the salvation of the Gospel. Paul told them nothing of the flesh could give them salvation, but only by God’s grace through faith could they receive salvation.

In chapter five, Paul continued his comparison of living by the Law and living in the Spirit. He taught that living according to the Law was living in the flesh. It was based on what the person did or could do. Because it relied upon a person’s actions, which were often sinful – self-centered, arrogant, self-seeking, etc – living by the flesh could not save them nor give them right relationships with God and other people. Paul taught that living according to the Spirit of Christ, whom God puts in each new believer, was living with the love of Christ in them – love for other people and love for God. Paul said what is of the Spirit is contrary to what is of the flesh. What a person wants often goes against what God wants and what is best for every person affected.

In verse fourteen, Paul reminded the Galatians the Law is summed up in one word, “love.” Since people are sinful, they do not keep the laws God gave. The love of the laws is warped often because a person wants what he or she wants more than what God wants. Because of this, Paul gave the Galatians a list of actions and attitudes that are contrary to God and the intent of His Law. These actions are self-focused and break relationships between people and between the person and God. These acts of the flesh he identified in verses nineteen to twenty-one.

The love God seeks to implant into people, which the Law could not instill because of the sinfulness of humankind, comes through the Spirit of Jesus Christ who dwells within each believer. This love is not twisted by the machinations of a human mind or greed, but is pure and from God. Paul listed some of the attributes of a person in whom the Holy Spirit lives in verses twenty-two and twenty-three.

If you compare these two lists, you will find the second list builds relationship among people and with God, and develops a person’s sense of worth based on the value God places on the person. The latter listing of attributes and characteristics are in line with the purpose and intent of God throughout the whole Bible and align directly with the two greatest commandments Christ taught His disciples and followers. The intent of the Bible is for people to be in a love relationship with God. This love relationship then affects the relationship of people with each other. Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:36-38 [NASB]).

Paul’s point to the Galatians, once again, was they were not to be tied to the Law for salvation because it could not give it. It provided bondage because the flesh is sinful. Instead, live by the Spirit, the freedom Christ put into each believer. By living in the Spirit, the person lives in the manner of Jesus Christ – with love for the Father and love for other people. By doing this, people will not become enslaved to their sinful, human selves. By becoming enslaved to their own desires people become self-focused, envious, and provoke envy. These do not lead to harmony and love, but to chaos and self-seeking.

Paul taught the Galatians they received salvation by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by following the Law. By seeking to follow the laws, they tried to earn salvation, which no one can earn because of human sinfulness. Besides this, striving to earn salvation puts self-seeking ahead of the needs and care of other people. Jesus summed the Scripture when He said we are to love the LORD God and our neighbor. Self-seeking does not put other people first, but second or last. By allowing the Spirit to lead us instead of trying to earn salvation, we allow the love of God to show in us, care for others, and develop a deeper relationship between God and us in our hearts.

Today we each need to stop and consider if we are trying in our strength to be what God wants us to be – to love people, to do for them, to make sure we are walking in the right direction, etc. We need to stop and see if our focus has shifted from God and developing relationship with Him to a focus on ourselves and how we can do more for God. If we are focused on God and our relationship with Him, He will lead us in our daily steps. We will not have to wonder if we are doing what He wants us to do. We can get so caught up in working for God that we lose sight of our relationship with Him and then no longer hear Him as vividly.

Today, take a moment and stop to focus on God. Ask Him to guide you to know if you have walked away from your close relationship with Him. Return to your quiet time with Him reading His Word, praying for closeness and guidance, and walking from that quiet time with His Spirit guiding you. Focus more on being in relationship with God and less on doing. Your relationship with God and with other people will be renewed so that you follow the two greatest commandments as Jesus said in Matthew 22:36-38.

Be led by the Spirit.