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Last week, I had the privilege of speaking in a seventh grade class to talk about what it means to follow Jesus and build bridges like Jesus did. Together, we studied John 4:4-42: Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. It’s one of those stories we can become so familiar with that we might miss just how radical and intentional Jesus was in his interactions with her. The Barriers Jesus Crossed To set the scene, we imagined the dusty roads Jesus walked to get to

In my last post, I shared about the biblical foundation for peacemaking. But what does this actually look like in practice? How do we move from understanding our calling to living it out? Ultimately, we remember that God is the one who invites us into this work of peacemaking with him. In this in-between space of the Kingdom of God being here and not yet, we ache for peace, wholeness, and healing that can only come through God.

Recently I’ve been waking up most mornings with a deep heartache over the brokenness in the world. I’ve spent the last year immersed in lectures and coursework for my master’s in international development and humanitarian emergencies–topics which don’t inherently lend themselves to particularly deep peace or settledness. If anything, my heartache grew and I spent much of my time walking around London praying and talking with the Lord about these things.

From Genesis, where every person is created in God’s image (Gen. 1:26), to Jesus’s ministry of proclaiming good news to the poor and freedom for the oppressed (Isaiah 61; Luke 4), the Bible shows us that to follow Christ is to defend those who are vulnerable.

I don’t know about you, but prior to stepping into this work as a refugee advocacy fellow with the World Evangelical Alliance I had no idea that Christians were publicly involved with advocating for and participating in conversations and policy decisions at the United Nations level. A central part of what my department does is working at the United Nations level to engage in issues related to human rights in general and religious freedom.

Who are Asylum Seekers? When someone first flees and applies for protection, they become an asylum seeker. They go through a process called Refugee Status Determination (RSD), which can be long and painful: Multiple interviews where they must retell traumatic experiences Sometimes conducted in a language they don’t fully speak, without good interpretation Proving a “well-founded fear of persecution,” often without documents Waiting months or even years for a decision Labels l