My first son Sammy was born around the same time we were seeing news headlines of kids in cages at the Southern Border. With my own child in my arms, God suddenly opened my eyes to the humanity of these families seeking refuge.

They weren't people with a greater pain tolerance than me. They weren't just distant people with distant bad news. God brought their suffering home to me in a new way, and my heart broke open to their stories of displacement and trauma. Realizing these are moms with babies just like me and that there is nothing essentially different between us, the way God loves us, or what a good life would look like for us changed my perspective.

So Far Away

I remember seeing everything happening around displacement at that time and saying,

"As a follower of Jesus, I need to do something to make a difference, but the border is so far away."

I loved my home in Minnesota and didn't know how to follow God in loving displaced neighbors right where he had put me. Then God put Bea in my path, and we became friends. She was an asylum seeker in my community, staying at IAFR's Jonathan House while she waited for her asylum hearing.

Backyard Birthdays

Bea's son JJ was born the day before Sammy, so we were in very similar stages of parenting. I started volunteering with Jonathan House. I babysat JJ for Bea while she went to classes. Our friendship deepened, and our sons became buddies as they grew old enough to play together. We had a birthday party for Sammy and JJ in the backyard of Jonathan House.

Joining Jonathan House

Knowing and loving Bea and JJ made my heartbreak about distant headlines personal and even more painful - but this holy heartbreak was now tempered with the joy of true friendship and of growing alongside my new friends.

Eventually, I joined IAFR to work full-time at Jonathan House, our community of shelter, hope, and healing for asylum seekers in the Twin Cities. Today, I lead Jonathan House's ministry, and we are working to increase the number of families with children that we can support on their journey to safety.

When I think about why...

When I think about why I do what I do, I think about Bea and JJ. For me, they represent all the beloved human families who seek refuge in a world of violence and increasing displacement. These families are just like mine, trying to live lives of joy, connection, and purpose. God delights in them and wants to see them thrive, and so do I.

I didn't have to go far from home to follow God's invitation into love - God brought these beloved people right here, to my hometown, and my sense of "home" is deeply enriched by them. God has blessed me and my family through relationships with people seeking refuge, and I will always be grateful for the beauty they bring into my community - the laughter, the love, and, yes, the birthday parties!