Columbus, OH – Nehemiah Teams: East African Refugees

Your task is to become community with refugee families who have lived in the Midwest for up to 20 years while maintaining traditional dress, cooking, and folk Islam practices. The children in this neighborhood are 2nd generation to live in the USA. Few have ever visited Africa. Their English skills are significantly higher quality that their parents. They are obedient to traditions out of respect, but their hearts & minds are becoming Western. their souls are confused, conflicted, and could be ripe for harvest. Part of the training will be to learn & understand shame-honor-based cultures and use Biblical stories in contact of this mentality. Parents tenaciously hold to tradition, many fathers still follow Islamic law and mothers have horror stories of fleeing Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya as well as heart-breaking stories of shame assimilating into Western culture and American school systems, while trying to learn English to survive. Spend time prayer walking, tutoring children of all ages using academic skills, crafts, sports & cooking. Early evenings involve drinking tea while sharing & listening to stories with the parents, even late-night meals & celebrations. There may also be some opportunity to build relationships with international students who are spending the summer on various university campuses in mid-Ohio.