Photo by Rohingya photographer Ro Arfat Khan at the world’s largest refugee camp. Elderly woman outside her shelter.
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE – FOR US ALL –
I haven’t gotten very far with building Living Room and Open Door faith-based groups for people of all faiths. But I have come to feel that the whole world has become my Living Room ministry.
I have made a lot of friends and acquaintances—individuals from Ethiopia, Uganda, Nigeria, Somaliland, India, Holland, Australia, places throughout the world. I see their names come up on the feed and I want to see what they have to say and end up joining into many conversations—giving support and encouragement, much like I did when I was leading the original Living Room ministry, starting in 2006.
For the past while, quite a few Rohingya refugees from their camps in Bangladesh have been connecting with me. It started with Ro Niyamot Ullah. And gradually more connected with me, one at a time. As you must have noticed, I have been trying to do my best to remind the world of their plight. They must not be forgotten.
Although they are Muslim and I’m a follower of Christ, we get along very well because we have Jesus in common. For them, Jesus is an important prophet.
I believe that his Spirit is still with us showing his love to those who are being rejected by our world today. When we come to believe in his unconditional love for us all, no matter who we are, or how we worship, we will find a healing of our mental and emotional pain.
I’ve been sharing Jesus with my Rohingya friends and I believe that this has made it possible for us to care about each other. I love them with the love God has put in my heart to share with others. And they show their gratitude for how I try to remind the world of their needs. I feel their friendship and their love in their gratitude.
Niyamot wrote the following a short time ago reflecting on how we are not so different from each other:
“Your prayers and support truly touch my heart. I wholeheartedly agree with you—our faith gives us strength, courage, and a sense of purpose. Whether we call Him Allah or God, it is the same light that guides us to serve others and bring hope where there was once despair. I believe that through this shared spiritual foundation, we can help build peace not just in our own communities, but in the world at large.”
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the whole world could learn to get along like this?
marja
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