A Dose of Diversity

This weekend I went to a multicultural church with my brother and sister-in-law in Denver.  This is a church made up of immigrants and refugees and illegal aliens, as well as lawyers and teachers and people from all kinds of other backgrounds and educational levels.  Diverse is the perfect word to describe it.

It was a pleasure to worship in such a setting.  I was so blessed by the beauty of this body of believers.  Being connected to this group of believers through my brother and sister-in-law has definitely broadened my perspective and made me long for the richness that I observed in this congregation.

During the service in Denver there was a time for testimonies.  Emotions after the election on Tuesday were running high.  A teacher from a school with a majority Latino population described the fear and uncertainty about the future her students were feeling.  An illegal immigrant spoke about God being in control.  I was most moved by a woman whose job was to work with refugees being resettled in Denver.  She knew the stories of these refugees and their struggles, and her heart broke with the idea that things might get even harder for her friends.  She felt that the greater white evangelical church was letting her down, and she was just about done with that church as a whole.  But then her pastor showed up to see how she was doing and to bring comfort and encouragement.  She said she was blessed to be a part of a church family who understood and cared about her and her most vulnerable clients and friends.

I came home wondering if anyone in Dunlap had expressed concern for any of the foreigners in our midst. Did anyone go to their homes to offer words of comfort and encouragement?

The day after I returned, a funny thing happened.  I randomly came in contact with a family I know in our community.  I hadn't seen them in months.  The father of this family is an illegal immigrant.  Over the course of our conversation I finally said, "So tell me, how are you feeling in relation to the election?  Are you doing  ok?  What are you thinking?"

This man looked at me and said, "I know that God is in charge no matter who the president is.  I came here and have made a life and a family, and God has blessed me.  And if I have to leave at some point, I know that God will be with me.  So I'm ok. I'm ok."

I was so blessed by his reply, and I never would have been bold enough to ask him about this if not for the experience I had just had in Denver.

I'm thankful, so thankful, for this experience.