I recently accompanied a woman to her asylum appeal hearing in Paris. Her initial request for asylum in France was denied, putting her at risk of being sent back to the country where she suffered persecution. Now she had to tell her story again to a panel of three judges.

She’d asked our IAFR team in Lille if someone could be present as an emotional support. In the Asylum Court waiting room before her trial, her stress was visible:

“I just want to cry,” she said.

“You’re a brave woman,” I told her. “We’re with you.”

To pass the time, I asked about her interests, her culture, her family back home. She started to smile. After a minute, she grabbed my hand. We stayed like that, chatting, holding hands, present to each other, until her name was called.

"I believe you."

Asylum seekers have left communities where they are known and loved because of a threat to their lives. In the countries where they seek protection, they’re often treated with suspicion or contempt. In France, only ⅓ of asylum claims receive a positive result.

As with my friend’s case, a lack of resources, community support, and political goodwill put asylum seekers at a disadvantage in being able to prove the credibility of their fear of persecution.

When people ask me why I serve with IAFR, my answer is simple: through prayer, presence, and practical support, I desire to communicate to each asylum-seeking individual: “I believe you. You are worthy of dignity, belonging, and protection.”

During my friend’s hearing, I sat at the back of the room as her invited companion. I felt gratitude for all the financial partners who sustain this work. Your donations allow us IAFR workers to be present in these vulnerable and sacred places, where people have to tell their stories of suffering and survival, so they can know they’re not alone.

The Ultimate "Why"

My friend responded thoroughly to the judges’ questions regarding the veracity of her story. She raised her hand - the same hand I’d held minutes before- to emphasize a point; it was shaking, but her voice was strong.

It can be difficult to hold the stories of people who have survived torture and war, but the courage and hope of my asylum-seeking friends continually moves me.

Finally, my friend bears the wounds of the world’s injustice. The world’s systems place on her the burden of proof for her right to asylum.

In contrast, I know that Jesus willingly bears the proof - in His wounded, resurrected body - of His redeeming love for her, for each person in search of home. Christ’s love and Presence is the ultimate why of my IAFR work, and my sustaining hope within it.

CLICK HERE to learn more about IAFR's work in Lille, France!