Paul called and sent messages to the young asylum-seeking man over the course of several days. Rémy was usually quick to communicate; now there was no reply.

A Demolished Wasteland

The police in Lille, France, had recently demolished “The Wasteland,” an outdoor encampment where Rémy and other asylum seekers lived. IAFR’s Lille team had regularly visited The Wasteland over several years, providing residents practical assistance of food, blankets, and gas stoves. The team also offered friendship, letting marginalized people there know that they were loved and not forgotten.

Through this friendship, Rémy had started to participate in a weekly Bible Study that the IAFR team holds at our Refugee Welcome Center in Lille. It was a place where he felt safe to grow in his newfound faith in Jesus.

Now Paul worried over Rémy’s whereabouts. When authorities disbanded The Wasteland, they’d taken several residents away in a police van. Had Rémy been among them?

Walled In Visits

A mutual friend confirmed it: Rémy had been taken to a local retention center (migrant jail) ahead of possible deportation back to his country. Paul visited Rémy there, to encourage and pray with him as he awaited the judge’s ruling.

The first verdict was not hopeful: the judge ordered Rémy’s deportation. But it depended on whether travel back to his country could be arranged.

As weeks turned to months, Paul continued to visit and pray. He provided Rémy with a Bible, documents to support his case, and food to supplement the meager amount he received while in detention.

During one visit, when Paul was ready to leave, he rang the bell to be let out of the locked visitation room. No one responded for more than 30 minutes! When at last a staff person came to let him out, he told Paul, “We forgot you were here.”

Liberty!

On his last visit to Rémy, Paul was told that the deportation flight had fallen through; Rémy would meet with the judge again to determine his fate. The day of the hearing, Paul received a voicemail response on his phone, interspersed with laughter:

“Thank you, Mister Paul! I have my liberty!”

Paul gathered Rémy from the retention center; he and his wife offered Rémy a meal and a room for his first night of renewed freedom.

Ransomed, Not Forgotten

Paul leads the IAFR Lille team in a ministry of holistic support to asylum-seeking individuals like Rémy. Through compassionate presence and prayer in action, missionaries in Lille help forcibly displaced friends know they’re not alone nor forgotten.

-Story by SJ Holsteen

Relationship is key to everything we do.

As a partner who supports IAFR missionaries like Paul, you make it possible for us to provide friendship and vital ministry assistance and encouragement to refugees and asylum seekers. You are breaking the isolation of refugees in Lille and around the globe, assuring them that they are not forgotten.

Jesus is the Reason

When God decided to rescue the world, God did so by becoming human and living among us. That's what we celebrate at Christmas.

As the Body of Christ, we are called to be a tangible expression of God With Us in the world today. That's why relationship is core to everything we do as we pursue our mission. And that is why our IAFR teammates are our most valuable asset.

Thank you for making a life-giving difference in the lives of refugees!

You are making a life-giving difference in the lives of refugees through your support of our missionaries! We can't show up without you!

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