Refugeesنموونە

Photo: A newly arrived refugee boy carries his brother in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya

Day 3: The Refugee Experience

Prayer: Father in heaven, I yield my heart and mind to you. Please help me understand your perspective of refugees and know how you want me to respond.

“I became a refugee when I was a child. I came to this refugee camp when I was 14. I’m 29 now.” -a refugee woman

Like many refugees today, Moses was born in a dangerous place at a dangerous time. Although he grew up in Pharaoh’s family, the oppression of his people by the Egyptians weighed heavily upon him. As an adult, he killed an Egyptian for beating a Jew. When Pharaoh heard about it, he tried to kill Moses. So Moses fled into the wilderness, where he was a refugee for 40 years.

Moses began to rebuild his life while still a refugee. Like many refugees today, Moses got married and began raising his family far from home. He named his firstborn son Gershom, which means “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land”.

Forced displacement left a deep and defining mark on Moses’ life. A similar mark is left on the lives of refugees today.

Today’s reading tells of how God used a Midianite family to help Moses recover from displacement and begin rebuilding his life. How did Reuel respond to Moses as a refugee and foreigner? How did Moses bless those who gave him refuge? What might have happened if Moses had not found a community that welcomed him and offered him refuge?

Click here to view the Map of the Refugee Highway.