Part of God’s plan for the Church is to bring hope and healing to the world. How can we practically play a role in the development and restoration of communities around the world, particularly those in extreme crisis?

In Today’s Conversation podcast, NAE President Walter Kim sits down with Myal Greene, World Relief’s new president and CEO. They discuss the situations in Haiti and Afghanistan, and especially the opportunity for Christians to show the love of Christ with refugees.

Myal also shares:

• What inspires and sustains his ministry with the vulnerable and those facing injustice;

Walter: With the evolving situation in Afghanistan, it’s clear there is a humanitarian disaster that will have long-term impacts. What do you see World Relief’s role in bringing assistance not only to this tragic situation in Afghanistan, but its impact here in the states as well?

Myal: This is one of those crises that will be a truly memorable moment for all of us who live through this season in this time. The images coming out of Afghanistan are heartbreaking. They’re really on historic proportions in terms of a refugee crisis just in a matter of days. The U.S. is preparing to welcome refugees — a large number that hasn’t been since at the end of the Vietnam War. So really, it’s a question for us in this country and for the church in this country to consider how are we engaging in this great crisis of the time? I think there’s always a valuable question for the Church which is: “When the world is going through difficulties, how do we choose to respond?”

I see this as the pivotal moment for us to ask the question, “Who is our neighbor?” Jesus asked that question in his ministry in relation to: Who is the person that helped? What I would be interested to see is: Who are these Afghans that have come to this country, and who do they think their neighbor is? Who are the ones they see offering care and love and assistance and welcome? And is that the Church, or is that someone else in society?

That for us should really be our motivation. We as the Church, how do we open our arms to people who are going through the worst days of their life, experiencing some of the most horrible acts of evil and sin against them that people could even imagine? They are coming to a new country that’s a foreign land. They don’t speak the language many of them. They don’t know the culture. Are they met with hostility or are they met with welcome? I think that for us is really the great opportunity to consider.

Romans 12:21 says to repay evil with good, and for me that’s a verse I’ve gravitated to a lot in these days when these individuals are fleeing Afghanistan, fleeing evil and fleeing the most difficult circumstances. We can’t fight the Taliban in our suburban neighborhood, but we can show these people love and welcome and care. So how do we go against those works that the devil has meant to harm and hurt people and use them for good? Put our hands of love around people and welcome them and make them part of our society and really, hopefully, display who Jesus is to them in these interactions that we have with them.

If you enjoyed the program, please rate it on iTunes and write a brief review. That will help get the word out and raise the visibility of the show.

• Watch the NAE webinar on The Afghan Refugee Crisis, featuring refugee and security experts as well as an Afghan refugee and the church that welcomed her.

Today’s Conversation is brought to you by Brotherhood Mutual.

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