Mission team shares love of Christ with refugees in Germany

“The refugees are sometimes treated like lepers in the countries they enter. No one wants to talk with them,” says Dean S., assistant professor of missions and Islamic studies at Southwestern Seminary.

“But they are desperate to tell their stories and respond immediately to anyone who shows they care. This makes them very open to discuss a God who loves, forgives and brings peace and hope. On this trip, this allowed us to talk with them about Jesus.”

On Sept. 30, 19 Southwestern Seminary students and two faculty embarked on an 11-day journey to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the refugee population in Germany. Ministering in the cities of Bonn and Cologne, the mission team worked daily to share the love of Christ with the lost peoples whose lives had been traumatically scarred by war, violence and fear. By the end of the trip, the team had engaged more than 50 refugees, most of them Muslims, in deep evangelistic conversations. 

“The students experienced great joy in sharing the Gospel with Muslims and building Christ-centered relationships with them,” says Justin H., instructor of missions. “The refugees were very open to having conversations about God with us. For many of the students, this was the first time that they built friendships with Muslims and experienced their unique culture and hospitality.”

After taking classes each morning to learn about Islam and how to engage Muslims in Gospel conversations, students launched out in the afternoons to put into practice what they had learned. Witnessing began on the very first train ride from the airport to the hotel and continued throughout the week in refugee camps, public transportation, parks and in Muslim homes.

“God used our time in Germany to show me the huge opportunity the church is being given,” says Laura Little, a Master of Arts in Islamic Studies student. “Every night, I came home from the refugee camp filled with hope. God is drawing Muslims to Himself before our very eyes. … It is our privilege as the followers of Jesus to join Him in seeing Muslims reconciled to God.”

Describing an Afghani family that she engaged in the refugee camp, Little says one of the daughters showed interest in the Bible after seeing the Christian love displayed in mission team members. “I can tell that you love God, and I want to love God like that, too,” the young woman told Little before they shared a traditional Afghani meal. “I want to read your Holy Book in my own language and learn for myself who God really is.” A 15-year-old son in the family also requested a copy of the Gospel of Luke to read.

On Sunday, Oct. 2, the mission team had the opportunity to witness 28 baptisms of Farsi-speaking Muslim-background believers at a local Farsi church. One Farsi believer, who had previously been a muezzin (a person who sings the call to prayer in a mosque) before he came to Germany, professed his love for Jesus with a song before he was baptized.

“Because we sought to come alongside the refugees with compassion and to sympathize with them in their heartbreak, many refugees responded with hunger to hear about the love of Jesus Christ,” Little says about the mission trip. “May we, the Church, learn to love Muslims in the deep, genuine way Christ does by listening to their stories and sharing the good news of Jesus, our Peace and Righteousness.”