What does it mean that Jesus is Emmanuel STILL to Beza and Jira, living in a foreign country, hopeless and desperate? Would ‘God with us’ make a difference to them?
We share this story today, Giving Tuesday, because Jesus STILL seeks out the neglected, the hopeless, and the traumatized to give them hope & peace. Give today so that more hopeless people like Beza and Jira can have their first experience of “Emmanuel Still”. Give today.
The backstory
Eight months ago, Beza left Sierra Leone as a married and pregnant woman, hopeful for a better life in Turkey, and expecting her husband to follow shortly after. But her husband had his visa rejected and then got put in prison for debt – losing his life while imprisoned. So she found herself alone, afraid, and hopeless in a foreign country.
Five months ago, she had her baby alone at a Turkish hospital, then was sent straight to the deportation center after giving birth because she couldn’t produce her papers. She was released a month later, but had nowhere permanent to go with her newborn. In desperation she reached out to a refugee center while staying at an acquaintance’s home.
How would ‘God with us’ make a difference to them?
A Refuge for the Desperate
The refugee center gave her the name Kristy and Yako – a couple who owned a home in the city and welcomed people in trouble like her. When she was kicked out of her acquaintances’ home, she convinced Jira, the one friend she had in the city, to go with her to this house. Jira was six months pregnant and had escaped her spiritually dark home in West Africa, where she was being pressured to lead a female genital mutilation society. They were desperate.
Kristy and Yako are All Nations missionaries, and their whole ministry is hospitality in Jesus’ name to the desperate in society – with both discipleship and practical help at the center of their work. But even they almost decided not to allow these women to stay after the first night. They felt uncomfortable with such desperation and darkness in their home, where their own 6 children also live. When she was about to break the bad news, Kristy felt God prompt her to bring Jesus into the conversation. The entire atmosphere shifted, and she realized He wanted them to stay.
The God Who Became One of Us
The next few weeks involved Kristy and Yako helping the ladies figure out practical next steps and regularly having conversations about Jesus. After engaging Creation and the Fall, they got to the story of Jesus’ birth.
Beza had a faraway look in her eyes after the story and said, “Mary’s story is not unlike mine. I was alone, traveling, and away from my community when I unexpectedly went into labor….”
Kristy asked them why they thought God would choose to bring his only son into the world in these conditions. They were both silent for a long while. Beza said, “Because now He knows what it feels like to be from our world.” Jira added, “It’s more than that…it’s because we are the ones He came to help… to save… He became one of us.”
Shortly after, they learned about eternal salvation and lit up at the idea that they could have assurance of salvation. They decided to begin following Jesus. As they prayed, Jira said her whole body felt warm. Beza said she could feel the presence of Jesus in front of her. “It was like He was standing right in front of me,” she said.
Did “Emmanuel Still” make a difference to them? Absolutely.
Trouble Persists
This story is not over. Beza and Jira have once again been taken to a deportation center, and Kristy and Yako have been doing what they can to advocate for them and care for them. Like in the first advent, the coming of Jesus didn’t mean the end of trouble in peoples’ lives. But it does mean that they now walk through those challenging times with a God who understands, who cares, and can offer them peace and hope even when the world around them falls apart.
There are many desperate and hopeless people like Beza and Jira, but many in their situation never meet people like Kristy and Yako who will offer hope and care through the person of Jesus. Many never even have the opportunity to do so, because no one in their area even knows Jesus.
Because of “Emmanuel Still,” All Nations missionaries’ choose to go to the nations in Jesus’ name, and their presence incarnates Jesus’ love to people like Beza and Jira. In addition, the message of “Emmanuel Still” gives hope & peace even in troubled circumstances. Beza and Jira know God is with them, knows their pain, and can bring hope and redemption.
There are thousands of people around the world like Beza and Jira, who have never heard the message of “Emmanuel Still.” Would you give today so that more people like Beza and Jira can have their first experience of “Emmanuel Still?”
Give today
Jesus STILL seeks out the neglected, the hopeless, and the traumatized to give them hope & peace.
Give today to send missionaries to those in need of hope with this message of “Emmanuel Still!”
The lives and eternal destiny of hopeless and neglected people around the world could be dramatically changed by your generous gift today.
Partner with us before December 31, 2024, to send missionaries to those in need of hope with this message of “Emmanuel Still!”
Give online or mail your donation today with the linked information (memo: Emmanuel Still).
