Her thin face was often masked in sorrow, but today, it held a luminous smile, her brown eyes alight with the thought of sharing a bit of her homeland with us, her friends.

A Bag of Tea Leaves and Memories

As I tasted the carefully prepared tea, the warmth of the rich drink was bittersweet. I was honored to share Alyin's courageous journey and be called her friend. But there was the bitter knowing that, as a foreigner seeking refuge in a country that did not welcome her, the idea of home was filled with yearning and very little hope. All she had of her home, now torn apart by war, was a bag of tea leaves and her precious memories - a homeland in her heart.

"The place I lived doesn't exist."

The other day, in conversation with another friend, Hawa*, I listened as she recounted how her entire family had recently been displaced and scattered to multiple continents by the violent civil unrest in their homeland.

"I don't really have a country to go back to anymore. The place I lived doesn't exist," she told me.

God has answered!!

Alyin and Hawa each have a young son who is the light of their lives. They are both focused on making a home and future for their child. Despite the sadness that their children will not grow up with roots in their homelands, they move with courage and hope into the future because of their love for their families.

Recently, I sent Hawa a message that I was praying for the reunification of her scattered parents and siblings. Later, she sent me an exuberant message.

"God has answered your prayers!! My sister has received a visa to go be with my parents."

Moving Toward Home

In this message, bearing witness to answered prayers, and in my friends' courageous choices to start again despite their loss of home, I see the reflection of our heavenly Father's heart for us. I am reminded of how He moves toward a hope-filled future for His entire world with the profound courage of sacrifice, redemptive love, and the promise of Home.

This God who sees us, cares for us, and designs us for place invites His church to be this family with a future in the world. He invites us to welcome those who have lost their homes into a place of belonging at our tables and hope for a future in our communities of love. And in all our earthly journeys, He beckons us to be at home in His love and move toward the eternal Homeland He has planted in our hearts.

*Names Changed To Protect Privacy