Author: Josh Levin

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Rest for Weary Travelers

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Jesus

Can you identify with feeling exhausted from long air travel with young children?  Have you felt the disequilibrium of landing in an unfamiliar place, many time zones removed from home, where your language is foreign, and you hope the agent at the counter will stamp your passport without incident?

The Difference a Warm Welcome Makes

Have you experienced the peace that comes when you are greeted at the airport by a friendly person who anticipated your arrival and made arrangements for you? It makes all the difference in the world.

I know those feelings, yet I have only ever traveled for business or pleasure. I have never traveled for survival. I have never boarded an airplane to escape war or persecution. Can you imagine the pressure that would add to a journey?

Forty-eight hours before Christmas Eve I had the honor of picking up a courageous family of 7 at the airport. This family did escape war. They travelled more than 24 hours before arriving on a cold December night in Minneapolis. 

A mutual friend and former resident at Jonathan House facilitated the whole thing. “Josh, you have a van, right? It’s a big family coming. Will you pick them up at the airport?”

We loaded luggage, layered children under blankets, ensured child seats were in use, and departed. With the airport only 10 minutes behind us, I glanced back into the dark confines of my van, and saw the mother and children asleep. I looked at the father beside me and we both smiled.

This dear family did not move into Jonathan House. Other arrangements were made. But sometimes peripheral opportunities land in our laps, usually by way of those who come through the door of Jonathan House. After receiving the opportunity to begin rebuilding their lives, our friends become the front lines of supporting newly arrived asylum seekers. Sometimes they invite us to join the effort.

It is a joy and privilege to serve our Lord this way and be a vessel of Christ’s peace to people fleeing war and persecution.

When Jesus was a young child, his life was in terrible danger due to political persecution. Like many of our friends, the holy family was forced to flee for their lives in the middle of the night. Did anyone show up at the airport to greet Mary, Joseph, and Jesus when they arrived in Egypt in search of refuge? What was their border-crossing experience like?

Image source: La Sagrada Familia by Kelly Latimore

Jesus is represented in the asylum seekers at our airports and borders, hoping for an opportunity to rebuild their lives in freedom and safety. Will you show up and extend peace to these beloved people?

What can I do to help?

Pray The biggest impacts for our community so far is fear and uncertainty. Pray for peace and safety. Pray that God will protect and sustain each resident at Jonathan House and all our immigrant neighbors.

Encourage Now is a good time to reach out to your immigrant friends and neighbors to check in, listen to how they are feeling, and show your love. These times can be isolating, and we are so grateful to the friends and churches that have sent our community encouraging messages. 

Learn

It’s important that caring neighbors get clear on what’s really happening. We recommend following the American Immigration Council  and the National Immigration Forum for updates, and point you towards this high-level overview of the first week’s changes to understand what has happened so far. Also consider inviting us to your church to give a presentation. 

Volunteer

We have several new residents at Jonathan House and need committed volunteers to embrace them with supportive friendship. Learn more and complete the volunteer application on our website.

Give

Your gifts to Jonathan House are being put to work embracing asylum-seeking neighbors, and are as needed as ever. Also consider a gift to the Center for Victims of Torture, a local organization that provides services to many of our residents and has lost much of their funding from the federal government. 

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The Power of Working Together

Uprooted Again

It all began with the garden. It was spring and time to plant. Alamnseh eagerly shared her plans for the garden beds outside, listing the vegetables she wanted to grow.

But I knew something she didn’t – she was going to move before summer was over. Who wants to sow seeds when you won’t be there to reap the harvest?

A church partner was making changes, including selling the property we rented for the women’s Jonathan House. The residents all needed to move.

The church softened the blow, however, by offering us another home they owned. When I broke the news to her, she smiled. She knew the house and liked it. It was larger, newer, and just a stone’s throw away. Best of all, it had a spacious backyard with a large garden plot.

Working Side by Side

The church wanted to make the new house welcoming, so they undertook some remodeling projects. The timing was perfect.

Moving day coincided with the arrival of a church volunteer team – comprised in part by several strong teenage boys – coming all the way from Oklahoma. On the day of the July Jonathan House Community Meal, we gathered, shared food, then got to work. Despite the relatively mild summer day, the lifting, carrying, and constant movement left us all with sweat-soaked shirts.

We embodied the saying, “many hands make light work.” Jonathan House residents, staff, and volunteers worked side by side, quickly completing the move. This experience highlighted the value of partnership at Jonathan House. We seek resources beyond our own, collaborating with churches, local groups, and displaced people in our community.

Partnering to Thrive

The minor disruption of this move pales in comparison to the larger story of forced displacement and transition that Jonathan House residents face. By partnering effectively, we can achieve our goal to be a community of shelter, hope, and healing where Asylum Seekers and Americans thrive together.

Moving day culminated with a prayer circle in the living room. Now everyone is settled, adjusting to the new space, and Alamnseh is reaping a harvest from the garden.

Story by Josh Levin, Jonathan House Program Manager

Sow seeds of hope and healing through prayer

Below are prayer points to get you started. Then subscribe to receive the Jonathan House Beyond Shelter newsletter. Get stories of hope and prayer opportunities straight to your inbox!

– A family took a big step toward long-term stability, finding their own housing and leaving Jonathan House. Pray for them as they adjust and continue rebuilding their lives.

– Asylum seekers work hard to rebuild their lives, but without achieving asylum status it’s like planting seeds in a garden that you’re not around to harvest later. May God grant them favor to win their cases and gain permanent refuge in this country.

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Rejoicing in the ripple effect of restoration

A call from an old friend

“Josh, my friend is coming to Minnesota with his wife and kids soon.” Sabo, my Palestinian friend, told me over the phone. “They have housing. But I was wondering if you could help me with the furniture. You know so many people.”

Six years ago, Sabo came to us at Jonathan House on his journey as an asylum seeker. Fleeing the threat of violence, he sought stable shelter to begin again and found it in our community.

Front lines of support

Cheerful and outgoing, with a love of baking and a hearty laugh, Sabo quickly made friends. Since he stayed with us years ago, he’s moved on into his own established life, married, and started a family. Now, he is welcoming others with his big-hearted generosity, which is so characteristic of him and many of our asylum-seeking friends who come through Jonathan House.

“I’ll send out an email and see what responses I get,” I promised Sabo. I don’t know if I can do much more than that. I’m swamped with work right now, but I’ll do what I can.”

Within a few days, my inbox was filled with offers of contributions to furnish the soon-arriving family’s home. One person offered a dresser, and another a mattress that was in good condition. And the offers kept coming. People clearly wanted to help.

Furniture drive flashback

It reminded me of when I took a moving truck and went around the Metro with my cousin, gathering contributions to furnish the first Jonathan House site years ago. That furniture drive was much like this one, but this time, I passed the emails to Sabo. He rented a truck, and when his friend arrived a few days ahead of his family, they drove around the Metro together to gather furniture for the man’s home. Their home was ready to settle into when his family arrived, thanks to Sabo and the community’s generosity.

When I think about Sabo’s furniture drive and the welcome he is extending, I think of how the impact is not one of addition but multiplication with those who come through the door of Jonathan House. After receiving the opportunity to begin rebuilding their lives, our friends often become the front lines of supporting newly arrived asylum seekers.

And this is how welcome works. This chain reaction starts with the welcome we have freely received from God through Christ. As we, in turn, welcome others, we rejoice to see the ripple effect of His kingdom coming and expanding in our community as people’s lives are restored.

Story by Josh Levin with Rachael Lofgren

Make some ripples

Who do you know who will be encouraged to hear of the good work happening through Jonathan House? Who loves demonstrating the welcome of God’s kingdom? Join with Sabo in multiplying the impact and share this story with some friends. Encourage them to visit our website and sign up for Jonathan House newsletters.

In gratitude,

Josh Levin

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Words of Hope

By Josh Levin, Jonathan House Program Manager

When Timothy fled his country because of the government’s persecution against him, he came to Minnesota. A few months after arriving, he found himself in despair because of his circumstances. He was ready to give up on life.

God sees, hears, and cares about refugees. It’s a line often repeated in IAFR, rooted in the story of Hagar and Ishmael from Genesis Chapters 16 and 21. But God does something else in the story that cannot be overlooked. He speaks.

Hagar, lost in the wilderness, despaired for her son’s life. But God intervened and spoke words of hope.

“Very soon you will see something new…”

In his own time of despair, Timothy attended a conference at a friend’s church. In between sessions, he sought out the preacher and asked for prayer. The preacher said he believed God had a message for him:

“Now you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation, but it will not continue. Very soon you will see something new. And from there the situation in which you find yourself will improve.”

The Road of Recovery

Those words came in August. In October, he moved into Jonathan House.

Now two years later, he has moved into his own apartment. He has a work permit, a job, and a better sense of how to function in the culture. While living at Jonathan House, he took major strides on his road of recovery, but the journey isn’t over. A year after his asylum hearing, he still awaits a decision on his case. He longs to be reunited with his family.

For Timothy, the most valuable part of living at Jonathan House was the supportive community. “When I shared my challenges, you listened. You prayed with me.”

The Privilege of Playing Part in the Redemption Story

The same day he moved out (thereby making space available for one new person), we learned of nine other asylum seekers in Minnesota who desperately needed a stable place to live.

When the need feels overwhelming and our ability to meet it insufficient, we find comfort in knowing God is at work. He sees and hears. He is speaking words of hope to refugees. And in some cases, like with our friend Timothy, he allows us the privilege of playing a part in the redemption story he is writing.