Strangers in Our Midst

For the last 4 years, we lived in an amazing community of people. We loved Cactus. We loved the refugees of Cactus. We loved the immigrants of Cactus. We loved the Americans of Cactus. We worked in a pretty fabulous network of people serving refugees, immigrants, and struggling Americans.

When we met a person from a country we hadn’t encountered before, we rejoiced. We were thrilled to get to know them and to get to learn more about their culture and their story. And our network rejoiced with us.

We had a new student from Burundi. If you don’t know where that it (I had to look it up), it is a small African nation by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Tanzania. We rejoiced when we realized we had a new nationality enrolled in our ESL classes.

We also mourned at times. Our eyes & ears seem to be hyper-tuned to pick out key words “refugee” “immigrant” “attack” “illegal” When those words are paired together, we read & listen to the news stories, often from as many news sources as we have time to read.

My stomach always sinks when I read those stories. But I do more than simply mourn for the people directly affected by the latest tragedy. I also mourn for the perpetrator as I wonder what they must have been feeling to commit such a deed. I also mourn for unconnected refugees & immigrants who now face a little more fear, a little more hatred, a little more discrimination, as life gets a little harder due to someone else’s actions.

How many of you, of us, have been outside of the United States? How long was each trip you took? A week? A month? A year?

Jesus charged His disciples (and we ARE His disciples, are we not?) to go into all the world and preach His gospel.  

Yet His Church regulated that task to “super-Christian” missionaries and most of us stay where we are comfortable.

So God brought the nations to us, in our hometowns. Refugee. Immigrant. Student. Tourist. They have come to our doorstep.

But we don’t welcome them with open arms. We don’t invite them into our hearts and homes to share the Good News with them.

You see, they eat differently than we do. They smell differently. They look differently than we do. They dress and act differently. So we ignore them and walk on past them.

God has brought the nations to us and we STILL do not tell them the Good News.

When Jesus gave His disciples commands, I don’t notice a lot of conditions and clauses attached.

"Love your neighbor as yourself." Period. He didn’t say, “Love your neighbor as yourself, UNLESS they practice a different religion than you practice. If they follow another god, ignore them and pass on the other side of the street.” Spoiler: He didn't say that second bit.

"Love your enemies and pray for your persecutors." Period. He didn’t say, “Love your enemies and pray for your persecutors, UNLESS they are trying to kill you. If they are trying to kill you, by all means, try to kill them first. After all, that is the example I and the Early Church left you.” Spoiler: He didn't say that second bit.

His commands are to us and our obedience to Him is not dependent on how others treat us. We are called to be obedient, regardless of how unloving and unlovable people are acting towards us. 

There are strangers in our midst. How will I, will you, will we respond?

Who am I to Do the Work Set Before Me?

Since coming to Cactus, I have struggled with feelings of unworthiness. I find myself asking who am I? (Now I expect my mom to call me with words of encouragement telling me not to feel unworthy)

Who am I to direct an ESL program with teachers who are older and more experienced than I am?

Who am I to minister to refugees who have experienced things I cannot even fathom?

I am a young, white, middle-class, married American citizen. The longest time I can remember going without food is...wait for it...2 meals. I missed supper & breakfast one night in high school as I participated (voluntarily) in part of a 30-hour famine.

As I sit here typing, I could fix myself spaghetti, ravioli,  mixed bean soup, refried beans, chicken & rice, chicken noodle soup, chicken & rice soup, grilled cheese, peanut butter & jelly, eggs any way imaginable. If those don't tickle my fancy, I could have cheese, cottage cheese, milk, yogurt, protein bars, or one of four types of nuts to make sure I'm getting enough protein. I have several types of fruits & vegetables in my fridge, freezer, and pantry. My fridge is full, as it my pantry, but I had trouble deciding on a meal, because I...wait for it...have nothing to eat...that tickles my fancy.

I have lived in a country for a year where my native language was not the official language spoken, but when I went to to the doctor, I could explain my symptoms in English and receive my diagnosis in English. I got a small taste of what it was like to get instructions in a new language, but translators were never far away.

I have been in a country where it is not safe to drink the water, but I stayed there a total of 9 days. Any inconvenience can be lived with for 9 days, especially if divided into a 4-day & 5-day trip.

We were told before coming to Cactus, Texas, that although we *technically* are in the United States, we should really consider ourselves in a third world country, within an hour of American cities.

Living in an older (i.e. drafty) house, I have felt colder than I planned and I have had our pipes freeze on us multiple times here. I feel cold when the house is 60 instead of 68, yet I have more than enough layers & blankets to keep me warm at night and during the day. When the pipes freeze, I still have a pitcher of it in the fridge, a tea kettle full of it on the stove, as well as a collection of bottled waters & bottles of water in the fridge. When the pipes unfreeze, we get bathroom water first, so I can fill a bowl in the tub & use it to wash dishes as needed.

I feel unworthy of service because I realize that I am yet another well-intentioned soul offering aid and advice when I have no clue what it is like to be a refugee. I feel ashamed, because I have lived a life of luxury and yet, I'm proud of my creative resourcefulness with "limited means".

Yet, I can learn from those around me and I can care for those who have had different life experiences. God cares for the poor, the oppressed, the ones who are called the least of these. God can teach me to do the same.

Who am I do the work set before me? I am no one of consequence, but I serve a God who is the only One who matters.

I Prayed for Compassion

I prayed to have compassion, because it is a skill that I lack. (Seriously, ask my husband. He may be polite & I am more forthright with him, but I have a distinct lack of compassion when I feel that the choices people make put them in their situation.)

I prayed to have compassion and suddenly difficulties arose in my life.

I never understood the loneliness felt by stay-at-home moms and at-home workers, until I was working at home and my husband was working outside the home. You see, for the first two years we were married, I was a student & as an introvert, I got enough "people time" that I was always grateful for alone time. Then for our third year of marriage, I was substituting, volunteering, and preparing to move to another country for ministry. Again, my need to be around people was always met. On our foreign mission field during our fourth year of marriage, I had generous amounts of quality time with my spouse, and spent my days in language classes and office work. I would feel "peopled-out" and enjoy my introvert time, content that I was a strong introvert, a 10/10 on the Myers-Briggs introversion-extroversion scale.

When we moved to Cactus, for the first month and a half we were here, my husband was at home with me all the time, as we settled in and started our volunteer work. "Alone time" meant that I was in one room and he was in another. Then, my husband went off to work for 8-10 hours a day. Then I realized that my need to be around people had always been met, leaving me to feel like the introvert of introverts. I was lonely. I felt isolated, because we were in a new place and so many of the people I knew were working during the day. I was alone, and then I began to understand the stories my friends & family members told me of feeling isolated & trapped at home, or of watching mindless tv shows just to have a semblance of human interaction.

I never understood scarcity until my pipes froze multiple times in our first winter in Cactus. Suddenly, I had no water, or limited water. I would fill bowls with water from the tub to wash dishes. It was inconvenient, but functional.

I didn't expect, when I prayed for compassion, that I would face difficulties that would allow me a greater sympathy with others. But maybe, if God just gave me compassion, I would not have valued it as much. Instead, God gave me empathy through shared experiences that allowed me to experience the compassion I so desperately wanted.

Working on a God-Sized Project

Sometimes, I feel a little intimidated by our assigned work in Cactus. Sometimes, I get a glimpse of how HUGE this project of developing an program for English as a Second Language students truly is.

I realize that I cannot do this on my own, or even with the help of other dedicated individuals. This is a God-sized project.

Many times, I am not working on God-sized projects, but rather Liz-sized projects. I spend my time on things I can handle, or activities that sorta stretch me but not too far, mind you!

 There are several benefits to joining with God on a God-sized project:
1. I really depend on prayer.
2. I realize that I cannot do this alone (contrary to the American spirit of independence and self-reliance, Christianity consists of dependence on God and interdependence on our brothers & sisters).
3. The work is worthwhile. To do work that has eternal significance is highly encouraging and motivating.
4. He does most of the work. We see Him work and orchestrate events, sometimes before we are even aware that we have the need.

Working on a God-sized project may be intimidating, but it is worthwhile.

Prayer Warriors Needed

Lucas & I are starting up an ESL (English as a Second Language*) program in Cactus, Texas. Our students are immigrants & refugees. Although our students don't have to be Christian to take our English program, Lucas & I recognize, as the program's coordinators, the vital need for all aspects of the program to be saturated in prayer.

We would like for people to commit to praying for the Cactus Nazarene Ministry Center and its ESL program. If you would like to join in praying for the CNMC's ESL program, email us at CNMCesl@gmail.com to ask to be put on the monthly prayer requests email and to receive a prayer prompt guide. (Sorry for those who prefer to get prayer requests in the mail. We are just emailing them out at this time).

Our current needs:
1. Wisdom in planning the budget & financial provision for the program. Due to start-up costs (i.e. one-time expenditures) there are a lot of expensive needs in the first year's budget.

2. Volunteers. We need teachers, kitchen helpers, and child-care providers to make our program possible. By ourselves, Lucas & I could teach up to 20 students, but we are expecting to have hundreds sign up. If you are interested in teaching or volunteering, please email us at CNMCesl@gmail.com to let us know about your interest. If you speak English & want to empower refugees & immigrants, you meet our criteria.


3. Wisdom in choosing curriculum, advertising the program, and other decisions (such as which days & times to hold classes, class size, etc).

4. Future students. Please pray for the students we will be teaching this year.

5. The construction on the ministry center to be completed so we can use it for our English classes.

*Actually, for many of the residents of Cactus, English will not be the first or second language they learn. We met one refugee who speaks 7 languages!! While it is a more fitting name to call our program EFL (English as a Foreign Language), ESL is a more commonly recognized acronym.

How an Introvert Makes Friends Through Crocheting in Church

In the month that my husband and I have been in Cactus, I've gotten a reputation as a crocheter in our local church. This reputation is well-founded, because every Sunday School lesson, every Sunday service, and every Wednesday Bible Study, I am crocheting a scarf.

While to some this may seem rude or even outright disrespectful of the speaker & God, I do not crochet out of spite or in order to distract myself.

Why I crochet:  I am able to focus on the lesson better when my hands are occupied. Without something to keep my hands busy, I fidget terribly. In the past, I would play with my "fidget rock," a smooth rock to keep my hands busy, but I would often drop it or misplace it in my purse. Keeping my hands busy helps me to still my mind & not chase rabbit trails through the Bible (since a Study Bible, while wonderful, can change my focus from the speaker to the footnotes & side articles).

How it effects others: I let my teachers, pastors, and fellow church-members know that I fidget unless I have something to occupy my hands. By being upfront about what I am doing & why I am doing it, people don't have to wonder at my actions instead of paying attention to the speaker. Most of my work is done in my lap so it's not a huge distraction for others.

What blessing does it bring: My hobby gives me something else to look forward to about Sundays & Wednesdays. Most days, I do not crochet at all. Other days, I may just crochet in the evening while my husband & I watch a movie. Because I am connecting an activity that I like with church services that I like, I end up really looking forward to the services & the conversations that follow.

How I'm not distracted: I am doing simple repetitive stitches so I can put down my project to look up a Bible passage and so I don't need to be counting stitches. It helps me push out mental distractions & focus on the speaker's message.


Why I want to keep it up: Most importantly, I feel like this is a community-building activity. I am a shy person and it is a daunting task to begin to get to know an entire congregation. Since I started crocheting, I have met other crocheters, knitters, and sewers in the church. We are talking, not just about the weather, but also about our hobbies & our progress in them. Because of this, I am learning names & starting friendships. While people are nice when they don't know my hobbies, I feel valued when I am asked about the progress of my scarf & how well I am learning stitches.

When a friend of mine moved into a new neighborhood & got a puppy, she noticed that her neighbors talked more with her after she got the puppy. It's like people are waiting for an invitation to begin meaningful conversations.

I challenge you to look for ways of going beyond small talk. Find ways to learn more about new people & share about your own interests.