When God Meets Us Among Strangers
When God Meets Us Among Strangers
Faith often begins with a stranger’s kindness.
For one family, it was the compassion of Christian strangers that led them to Christ. When they had nothing to offer in return, others showed them the gospel through simple acts of care. That experience shaped their story and later, their daughter’s.
Years later, she too became a stranger. During a short-term internship in the Middle East, she lived among people of different faiths and cultures, discovering the human side of stories rarely told in the news.
While visiting Hungary, she met hundreds of refugees camped at a train station families surrounded by scattered belongings, food, and clothing. The scene reminded her of Matthew 9:36, where Jesus saw the crowds “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” That image stayed with her and, three years later, led her to return to the region to serve in medical and refugee ministry.
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Living as a foreigner was humbling. Language barriers made daily life difficult. Yet God’s presence filled those moments of weakness. During one home visit, a Syrian refugee girl shared how she had found new identity in Christ. Though displaced and labelled “refugee,” she rejoiced in knowing she was God’s beloved daughter. “The gospel,” she said, “is the best gift among all the other aid.”
That truth sustained her. The gospel doesn’t remove hardship but it reveals God’s nearness in it.
Later, God called her to study theology in the United States. At the Arise Asia Conference 2023, she heard speaker Sarah Breuel teach on the Hebrew word Hineni “Here I am.” It was the response of Abraham, Moses, Samuel, and Isaiah when God called them, even when they didn’t know what lay ahead.
Those words echoed in her heart through seasons of loss and fear. When her family faced crisis, she doubted her call. Yet, like Moses, she was reminded of God’s promise: “I will be with you.” Her mother’s prayer anchored her again: “God called you. He will care for us.”
Each Hineni moment, she learned, is about surrender. Sometimes God asks us to release even good things comfort, closeness, control to draw nearer to His faithfulness.
Now, as she prepares to complete seminary, she continues to walk forward as a stranger in the world, trusting that every uncertain step will meet God’s steady presence.
Her journey echoes a timeless truth: wherever believers go whether among friends or strangers God is already there.
Content Credit: Moyosola Oni
Image Credit: Google .Com
