Rohingya people live as refugees in this country. As such, they have minimal access to employment, education, and healthcare. The words I most often hear when I visit them are “pain” and “difficulty” as they describe to us the situation of their family and their people.
Despite their lack, our friends generously welcomed us into their homes this month to celebrate Eid, the end of Ramadan. We visited nine homes in two days, and each home had a large pot full of beef curry and plates piled high with rice flour flatbread. We feasted together, and it was a happy occasion; however, the hardship of their lives still loomed heavily.
In one home, a man was severely injured at work and now has no way to afford adequate treatment for his injury or provide for his family. I shared the story of Jesus healing the paralyzed man and prayed for him to experience Jesus’ miraculous healing and comfort.
In another home, a father lamented that his young daughter will not be able to be educated here. He asked me, “What future is there for her?” I shared about Hannah, who trusted God with her son, who was the fruit of much prayer, and how God answered her prayers by making him a man who could clearly hear and obey the voice of God.
My friends spent their “kushi din” (happy day) of Eid lamenting their life circumstances, and I must admit that I sometimes wrestle with where God is in their pain. From a human perspective, it seems unlikely that my friends will experience relief from their immense suffering this side of Heaven, but I pray that they come to know the presence of the Suffering Servant with them.
- Pray for healing and provision for the Rohingya with afflictions who are unable to work and provide for their families.
- Pray for Jesus to make His comforting presence known to the Rohingya in their suffering.
- Pray that Rohingya children would grow up to “hear and obey” the voice of God.