Reaching out to refugees

The OM team has seen God at work as they reach out to people who came to Austria as refugees.

Answered prayer

An OM team member in Graz, Austria, regularly meets with Afghan women to teach reading and writing. Before each lesson, the group starts with a time of prayer. One woman in the course wanted a third child and asked for prayer. A few weeks later, she found out she was pregnant. In the eighth month, however, the doctor found that the baby had a build-up of water in the neck. The doctor said that it was possible that the baby would be unable to breathe when born or, if it survived, would most likely have a disability.

The expectant mother was shocked by this information and sought advice from the OMer, who comforted her, prayed with her and reminded her that God always has the best in mind for her and her child — no matter what. While praying, the woman said her child started kicking wildly in her stomach. The following week, she had a C-section, and the baby was born crying (breathing), mobile and healthy. The fluid in the baby's neck had been reduced but was still present and will be removed when the child is a year old.

Using the time we have together

The OM team in Austria experienced a great spiritual openness among Kurdish refugees from Turkey. Five to 10 Kurds come to our weekly Bible discovery group. Right at the beginning, God sent us a mature Kurdish believer who is an outspoken evangelist. In the meantime, a Kurdish friend has given his life to Christ after a year of intensive contact, and others are very seriously searching.

As things stand at the moment, Kurds from Turkey have no chance of a positive asylum outcome in Austria. This means that we work amidst the uncertainty of how long we will be able to meet in person with our friends. The uncertainty of the future weighs heavily on the community, but it also moves us as a team as we want to use their time in Austria to help them understand the truth and love found in Christ. This is where we need wisdom and God's intervention!

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