A CALL TO COLLABORATE
2 Kings 17:5-6
The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege to it for three years. [6] In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes.
2 Kings 17:24
The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Kuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns.
The situation of forcibly displaced people; and those who seek refuge in other nations; and others who immigrate to other areas of the globe is certainly not new! These Scriptures tell us what happened from about 745 to 721 BC. Many survivors of the Assyrian invasion of northern Israel (Samaria) were deported (forcibly) to other areas of the Assyrian empire; to the north and east of their home land. Other peoples from those areas were forced to move to the region of Samaria. It was a time of great upheaval throughout all of what we now call the Middle East, all the way down to Egypt. Only the territory of Judea remained somewhat stable and that lasted only until 605 to 586 BC when a large part of the Judean population was carried away into exile. Therefore, we see that some of these events have to do directly or indirectly with God’s sovereign purposes; and other events that have to do with man’s wickedness!
When people are forcibly displaced or when they have to flee for their lives everything changes for them! The nationality, language, culture, climate, food, traditions. The displaced persons have been literally uprooted! They have lost their connection to all that made up their identity, even their personal identity is in question. They begin to wonder: who am I?
It is very hard for the people living in those nations that are on the receiving end; where the displaced persons arrive. It is difficult to understand why they had to flee. Most often there isn’t sufficient information about the situations in the countries that they fled from. What was or is the political, economic, ethnic, religious, military situation? Did they really have to flee? How many left hoping they would make it to Europe or maybe even America? They probably had heard of the much better life in those nations where there are “unlimited” riches, work opportunities, very comfortable houses, educational possibilities, the best health care, etc. In all of this there is so much that confuses not only the displaced persons and the refugees; but also, the peoples of those nations that “receive” them! The governments try to make it as clear as possible; but, even in that there is political discord and manipulation.
Here in Italy, the numbers of refugees and immigrants that have been flooding in for more than 30 years have caught the government, the non-profit sector and the Church completely unprepared. Of course, the vast majority arrive uninvited. The initial rescue from the sea or the land routes is already very traumatic! Please allow me to share a true life story with you. Just a few days (February 20, 2023) before the RHP conference started in the Naples area a ship operated by an NGO was allowed to dock in an Italian port. Among the 156 rescued survivors there was a 10 year old boy. He had started the attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Libya with his mother and 2 sisters that were younger than him. They were on a dilapidated boat. During the first hours at sea the youngest sister died and her mother had to throw her into the sea. Several hours later when the first rescue attempt was made to get them from the boat up onto the ship the second daughter slipped and fell into the sea and drowned. Even though the mother and son were “saved” by the ship crew, the mother died; possibly because of the cold, or sickness, or a broken heart! Therefore, only the 10 year old boy arrived “safely” in Italy. Now, what will it take for him to live his life?
I know that not all displaced persons and refugees have lived such a traumatic experience. Many have! But, even those that haven’t are still confronted by enormous difficulties.
We, my brothers and sisters in the Church, are also confronted with the enormous task of helping the tens and hundreds of thousands that are here in our midst while still more are coming. What can we do?
For me it is absolutely clear that we have to “work together”! We have to share our very limited resources, our very few structures (homes, church apartments, campers, tents, etc.). Those that are more professionally prepared have to share their knowledge and experience with many of us whose only preparation is a willing, compassionate heart. Those that have learnt how to work with the authorities, government agencies, professional counselors and other non-profit organizations have to indicate to the others how it can and must be done. All of this means going beyond our small project, our denominational limitations, and possibly our personal priorities. There is a feeling that the situation is overwhelming; practically impossible! A slogan has been coined: We can’t help them all; but, we can help one! That is true, if we continue “each man for himself”. But, if we can start working as a network of persons that see the situation as a God given opportunity then we can certainly help many more! As much as they need us to help them, we need each other to be able to help them!
After the RHP conference the members of the organizing committee are working to stay in contact with all the Italian participants. We want to facilitate the developing network of organizations that are actually helping displaced persons and refugees. We also want to increase the connection between those reaching out to the refugees here in Italy and those helping them in the other European nations.
My prayer is: May our Lord Jesus Christ grant us to have a heart full of compassion and a mind enlightened with constructive ideas so that we can do more (together) and do it better!
Written by Paul Timothy Schafer
Cristo è la Risposta
Christ is the Answer