Ten year old Ahmed (Pictured) sat there as we engaged his mom and siblings with the gospel of Jesus Christ. He listened intently as we dialogued around Issa Al masih, "Jesus the messiah!" It was a good discussion, and very normal to the many visits we have with Syrian refugees while we minister in this border city in Jordan. What was surprising about this particular visit, wasn't the question Ahmed asked us, because it's a question we often get asked; it was his response to the answer that surprised us. As many do, he asked us "why did we come so far to to visit him?" When I answered that "we do so because we love Jesus and we love Syrians because of what Jesus has done for us" (My normal answer), his eyes lit up, and he said "Did you come all the way from America to see us?" When I answered "Yes!" he leaped up, and came over and hugged me! It was an incredible moment, reminding me how important these visits are. This little church in the middle of nowhere has had a huge impact on Syrian refugees, not because they give them food, medical care and others needs, but that they build relationships through visiting the families regularly. Many Muslims have come to faith through their commitment to love the Syrians.
To an individualist culture, this makes no sense, but to a collectivist culture, hospitality means much more than having friends over for dinner, and visiting someone shows that you honor them, it was huge! I have heard pastors, and others, who are so entrenched in their own cultural norm, and influenced by western elitism, say that these trips are meaningless, and a waste of money, and "we'd be better off sending them the money spent for such trips." Tell that to Ahmed, who wanted his picture taken with me, and felt blessed by our very presence. I believe it went a long way, connecting that act to the preaching of the gospel in his home. It reminded me of Jesus' words in Matthew 25:40, when He said, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these brothers, you did it to me"
We take these trips, because the love of Christ compels us to do so, and they have been nothing but blessings, every time we have gone to serve these refugees. There are so many problems in the world, and so many potential people to help, and it often does seem like doing this doesn't matter, but there are two things we can learn from these types of trips. One, we can't save the world, but we can meaningfully serve one person at a time, and secondly, and more powerfully true, when we go to 'serve,' we realize that in many ways, we are the ones being served and blessed by those we claim to help! It is true, we don't have to travel overseas to serve God and serve those that have been marginalized by unjust systems, but trips like this remind us that we are called to do so wherever we are.