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Mexican Christian pastor’s border shelter aids immigrants seeking asylum in the US
For 24 years, Pastor Hector Silva has been running a shelter home for refugees in Mexico who are seeking asylum or work in the United States. It was built to hold 150 people, but it often holds hundreds more than its limit, he said.
“We are the one home that does this. There aren’t any others. We help the families who are seeking refuge in the U.S.,” he said.
As refugees and migrants flee their countries in hope of finding refuge and work in the U.S., they face a difficult and dangerous journey. To help these people, Silva founded a shelter near the border, Senda de Vida Casa del Emigrante, he told The Christian Post. In English, the name means “Way of Life Immigrant House.” As part of his ministry, he gives people fleeing their home countries a place to stay and hear the Gospel.
“I founded the shelter because I have a heart for families, people and the homeless,” Silva said.
Right now, the 12,916 square foot shelter holds 540 people, Silva said.
“It’s big, it’s very big,” he said.
Thirty-five of its current residents are children. “We report the children [who arrive alone] and find all of these issues. If they’re here, we find the time necessary to help,” Silva said.
Most of the shelter’s residents are from Spanish-speaking countries including Venezuela, Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Cuba, he said. Others come from as far away as Uganda, Cameroon, Sierra Leone and Ghana. Most want to enter the U.S.
A majority of people who’ve sought refuge at the shelter speak Spanish, Silva added. For those who don’t speak Spanish, Senda de Vida employs a translator.
While people stay at the shelter, Silva provides them with food, medicine, access to technology and child education, he said.
“Some time ago, we had 1,000 people. We would get overfilled. At 500, we’re kind of full. At 150, we’re all right with it,” he said. “At first it took a lot of patience to understand all the different cultures [in one place]. With compassion, we worked to understand each other.”
COVID-19 has made the plight of refugees even more difficult and has presented the ministry with new challenges, Silva said. Due to COVID-19, like many other countries, the U.S. closed its borders. Currently, 1,000 people who have stayed at Casa del Emigrante are waiting in Mexico to find out their U.S. immigration status.
People waiting for immigration courts to decide their cases are facing the longest immigration court backlog in history, due to the surge in new filings which reached 1,281,586 cases at the end of November, according to Border Report. For the average immigrant, getting a court decision on an immigration case now takes around 500 days.
Silva said he was unsure whether most people who’ve taken refuge at Senda de Vida Casa del Emigrante, were looking for asylum as refugees in the U.S. or seeking some other type of legal status. His ministry helps people who’ve applied to enter the U.S. legally and helps families find places to live in Mexico, he added.
Immigrants can apply for a visa to lawfully enter the U.S. if they have a job waiting for them in the U.S., are related to an American resident, win a green card lottery by coming from a country with low U.S. immigration rates, or if they are seeking asylum from violence, among other categories.
The average stay at Senda de Vida before COVID-19 was three to six months, Silva said.
To get to the U.S., people fleeing their home countries often pay cartels to transport them north. Doing so can be dangerous.
“People that pay to travel to the U.S. face danger,” said Silva. “People can be killed. Many of them are imprisoned for ransom by cartels when they get to North America. When they enter our shelter, we have seen that they face many dangers. We put them in the hands of immigration groups that can protect them.”
Recently, the number of people traveling north has increased, he said. In this wave of immigration, there are also more children than usual.
Immigration rates from Spanish-speaking countries correlate with events in U.S. politics, said Silva. After Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, many people hoping to cross the border illegally believe the U.S. government will not send them back to their home countries.
“They are more confident that the government will not send them back,” he said. “I don’t really know, but that’s what they think. It’ll be better, they think.”
Silva said he also thinks the chance that more Latin Americans will be allowed to enter and stay in the U.S. will improve because of Biden’s election.
“It’s what I’m thinking too. I’m also thinking that they’re going to get an improvement to the way they enter the U.S. There’s going to be lots of change,” he said.
The number immigrants who are illegally entering the U.S. has substantially increased since the fall. In October and November 2020, U.S. Border Patrol apprehended 140,591 people. This represents the highest number of illegal immigrants found crossing the border in the last eight years, and almost 21,000 more than the average number for these two months.
In most years, illegal immigrant numbers are low from September to January, and peak in May.
Biden has promised to end many of the Trump administration’s border policies.
According to Biden’s website, his administration would not only put a stop to building a border wall within his first 100 days, but he would also give DACA recipients access to federal student loans and create “a roadmap for citizenship” for the 11 million to 14 million immigrants who are living in the U.S. illegally.
In 2018, the Trump administration released a proposal to provide a pathway for citizenship to up to 1.8 million young immigrants living in the country illegally, including DACA recipients, in exchange for $25 million toward the border wall and other changes to the immigration system. That plan, however, was opposed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Biden, who once supported having a barrier along the Southern border, now opposes border wall construction and said he would halt any remaining construction once he’s in office.
These policy changes will likely motivate more people to attempt border crossings illegally, Jose Luis Gonzalez, the coordinator of nongovernmental organization Guatemala Red Jesuita con Migrantes, told Bloomberg.
Gonzalez noted that the economic devastation caused by mass unemployment and hurricanes hitting Central American countries will also lead more people to join illegal mass caravans to the U.S.
“There are going to be caravans, and in the coming weeks it will increase,” said Gonzalez. “People are no longer scared of the coronavirus. They’re going hungry, they’ve lost everything and some towns are still flooded.”
“We defend the rights of immigrants on this side of the border,” Silva said, urging Christian in the U.S. to fund ways to help those seeking asylum in the U.S..
Sources:Christian Post
ലണ്ടന്: ഓസ്ട്രേലിയക്ക് പിന്നാലെ 16 വയസിന് താഴെയുള്ള കുട്ടികളില് സോഷ്യല് മീഡിയ നിരോധനം കൊണ്ടുവരാന് യുകെയും. ഓണ്ലൈന് സുരക്ഷ ഉറപ്പാക്കാന് തനിക്കാവുന്നത് ചെയ്യുമെന്ന് യുകെ സാങ്കേതിക വിദ്യ സെക്രട്ടറി പീറ്റര് കൈലേയെ ഉദ്ധരിച്ച് ബിബിസി റിപ്പോര്ട്ട് ചെയ്യുന്നു. എല്ലാത്തിന്റെയും രേഖകള് കയ്യിലുണ്ടെന്നും തനിക്ക് ആദ്യം കൂടുതല് തെളിവുകള് ലഭിക്കണമെന്നും അദ്ദേഹം വ്യക്തമാക്കി. യുവാക്കളിലെ സോഷ്യല് മീഡിയകളുടെയും സ്മാര്ട്ട്ഫോണുകളുടെയും സ്വാധീനത്തെക്കുറിച്ച് കൂടുതല് ഗവേഷണം നടത്തുമെന്നും കൈലേ പറഞ്ഞു.
16 വയസുവരെയുള്ള കുട്ടികളില് സോഷ്യല് മീഡിയ ഉപയോഗിക്കുന്നത് നിരോധിക്കുന്നതിനുള്ള നിയമം ലോകത്തിലാദ്യമായി ഓസ്ട്രേലിയ അവതരിപ്പിച്ചിരുന്നു. ഓസ്ട്രേലിയയിലെ കമ്മ്യൂണിക്കേഷന് മന്ത്രി മിഷേല് റോളണ്ട് അവതരിപ്പിച്ച ബില്ല് ഓണ്ലൈന് സുരക്ഷയുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ടുള്ള രക്ഷിതാക്കളുടെ ആശങ്കയ്ക്ക് പ്രാധാന്യം നല്കുന്നു. ബില്ല് പാസായാല് നിയന്ത്രണമേര്പ്പെടുത്താന് ഒരു വര്ഷം വരെയെങ്കിലും സമയമെടുക്കും.
കുട്ടികള് അക്കൗണ്ട് എടുക്കുന്നത് തടഞ്ഞില്ലെങ്കില് സാമൂഹ്യ മാധ്യമങ്ങള് നഷ്ടപരിഹാരം നല്കേണ്ടി വരുമെന്നും ബില്ലില് പറയുന്നുണ്ട്. ഇങ്ങനെ സംഭവിച്ചാല് ടിക് ടോക്, ഫേസ്ബുക്ക്, സ്നാപ്ചാറ്റ്, റെഡ്ഡിറ്റ്, എക്സ്, ഇന്സ്റ്റാഗ്രാം തുടങ്ങിയ പ്ലാറ്റ്ഫോമുകള് 3.3 കോടി ഡോളര് പിഴ നല്കേണ്ടി വരും. സോഷ്യമീഡിയ പ്ലാറ്റ്ഫോമുകളില് സംരക്ഷണം ഒരുക്കേണ്ട ചുമതല കുട്ടികള്ക്കോ മാതാപിതാക്കള്ക്കോ അല്ലെന്നും മൈക്കിള് റോളണ്ട് പറഞ്ഞു. 18 വയസിന് താഴെയുള്ളവർക്ക് ഓണ്ലൈന് പോണോഗ്രഫി നിരോധിക്കാനുള്ള നിയമവും ഓസ്ട്രേലിയ ആലോചിക്കുന്നുണ്ട്.
Sources:azchavattomonline.com
LONDON – An ex-Muslim turned Christian evangelist has been beaten, chased by angry mobs, unlawfully jailed and even stabbed, all for the sake of the Gospel.
This is not in Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia. It is officially happening in Christian Britain.
Her name is Hatun Tash, and what has been done to her has even caught the attention of the British media.
Tash grew up in Turkey as a Muslim and became a Christian after moving to England. And being an ex-Muslim speaking out against Islam has made her a target.
She told us she has changed residences more than 50 times in the past four years because she knows Muslims are looking for her in order to kill her. One man has already been sentenced to 24 years in prison for trying.
Because of this ongoing danger, she asked that we interview her from a secret location.
Tash told us her conversion to Christ began when she learned the truth about Islam and Mohammed.
“As I read biography, it was very disturbing to me. So, the man you grew up to love and honor suddenly turns out to be like, yeah, not good, not good. And I decided, I can’t be Muslim.”
Then she learned about a very different God than the one of Islam, telling us, “As you dig into it, you get to meet with a God who is not silent or far or distant from you, but you meet with a God who loves you, who pours out himself on you. And not only that, He just puts himself on the cross and then says, ‘I love you from everlasting to everlasting, Come to me.'”
Tash began sharing this message to Muslims at Speakers Corner, in London’s Hyde Park, where speakers climb atop stepladders and vigorous debates ensue, often between Muslims and Christians.
Her preaching and criticism of Islam has sometimes enraged Muslims, and three years ago a man slashed her face with a knife. He has never been caught.
She however has been arrested unlawfully more than once. The London Police have twice paid her damages for wrongful arrests, including two years ago when she refused to leave the area where she was preaching. Tash was forcibly marched through Hyde Park, followed by Muslims celebrating her arrest. She was placed in a police van, strip-searched, and jailed.
This has not stopped Tash from going to mosques and sharing the Gospel daily.
“I would simply stand in front of the mosques, and I’d say ‘Muhammad is a false prophet. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Tell me, what is your objections?’ Hundreds of Muslims just stop and then they want to talk to you. Sometimes you get harmed, sometimes it gets dangerous. Sometimes you end up in hospitals, sometimes you end up in people’s homes for a cup of tea,” Tash said.
“I don’t care whether people reject me or not. They need to hear the gospel,” she said.
Christian Concern’s Christian Legal Centre has defended Tash. Christian Concern’s Andrea Williams told us, “The truth is that those that have attempted to kill her have been caught on camera. The police know who they are, but they have not been arrested. She is feared by and targeted by Muslim groups because she is fearless for the gospel. She loves Jesus so much that nothing will halt her.”
Tash says she will continue to preach and continue to challenge Islam.
“Things are dangerous. Should I choose to stay silent? Like when people are spending 5,000 Pounds to buy a gun, to shoot you and shoot your loved ones? The Gospel is so glorious, I cannot be silent. And the Lord is the giver of life. So, when it’s my time, He will take me home. But until He gives me breath, we continue to preach.”
Sources:CBN News
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‘Christ Laid His Life Down for Me’: Greg Laurie Gives Powerful Gospel Presentation to Jordan Peterson
Christian megachurch leader Greg Laurie recently appeared on psychologist Jordan Peterson’s podcast, where he gave the professor-turned-cultural commentator a powerful presentation of the Gospel.
“When everything’s said and done, what’s more important than the afterlife?” the California-based pastor asked Peterson. “What’s more important than where we spend it? According to the Bible, I believe there’s a literal heaven, a literal hell, and I believe we choose in this life where we will spend the afterlife.”
Laurie added he’s going to spend eternity in heaven “not because I’ve lived a good life — because I failed in many ways — but because Christ laid His life down for me on the cross.”
“Coming back to Abraham, and what a picture, the son was willing to go and be sacrificed by the father,” the pastor continued, referring to the Old Testament story of Genesis 22. “[Isaac] knew what was going on: ‘Hey, Dad, where’s the sacrifice?’ ‘My son, God will provide for Himself a sacrifice.’ But Isaac made that sacrifice, too. The Son Jesus made that sacrifice for us, because He knew there was no other way that we could reach God, no other way we could satisfy the righteous demands of God. So Heaven isn’t for good people, as it’s often said; heaven is for forgiven people.”
The conversation between Peterson and Laurie stemmed from the 71-year-old minister opening up about the death of his son, Christopher, who passed away in 2008 as a result of a tragic car accident.
He described that day in July of 2008 as the “worst” day in his life. Nevertheless, Laurie said he is not without hope — because of his faith in the redemptive work of Jesus.
“I believe I’ll see my son again, because he believed in Jesus,” Laurie explained. “He won’t be in heaven because I’m his dad; he’ll be in heaven because he put his faith in Christ and he had that relationship. He’s a part of my future as well, so that gives me hope. But, also, I realize that God can allow these things in our life. I don’t know why. I can’t explain it. I don’t even try to explain it.”
Peterson, author of the new book, “We Who Wrestle With God: Perceptions of the Divine,” admitted to Laurie he struggles to intellectually reconcile a desire to perfect the earthly world with the knowledge the Christian life is heavily weighted toward considering eternity.
The famed psychologist and podcast host asked, “How do you reconcile, in your own mind, the insistence that part of the Christian moral pattern is to perfect the world and to raise the material up to the heavenly with the notion of the afterlife and immortality?”
Laurie referenced 2 Corinthians 12:2-4, in which the Apostle Paul wrote about experiencing a “third heaven,” as well as the thief on the cross next to Jesus, Who promised the man, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:42-43, NIV).
The pastor explained he has felt closest to God — and His promises of eternity — through life’s trials.
“God made a lot of promises,” said Laurie. “I’ve put those promises to the test, including the worst thing of all, to lose a child. And I’ve seen how God had come through for me. If He hadn’t come through for me after my son died, I would have given up preaching, for sure. Why carry on? But He came through for me.”
Sources:faithwire
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