LITTLE ROOM FOR GRIEVING

He speaks so softly that often I must ask him to repeat himself.  Kingsley is at least 6’3”, but his soft voice embodies his gentle and caring spirit.  He came to Italy from Africa nearly 10 years ago to work and support his family back home.  About a year ago he went back to Africa to marry.  And just before Christmas his wife received permission to come to Italy.  That was a happy day.

That's Kingsley on the left.

But not all his days are happy.  One Sunday he arrived at church and told everyone that his sister in Nigeria had died that week.  She was injured while being robbed, and at the clinic they gave her expired medicine.  She died before even leaving the clinic.  Kingsley got no bereavement leave from work; his coworkers probably never knew about his loss. He could not go back to Nigeria to grieve with his family.  The only place where his loss was publicly recognized and shared was in our Baptist church in Verona

Blessing, a Nigerian woman in her 20’s, arrived at church one day and shared that her brother had been killed in a car accident.  One of the reasons she came to Italy was to earn money so that he could finish school.  She is here alone, far from her family and lifelong friends.  Again, this Baptist church is the only place where her grieve can be recognized and the burden lessened.  For immigrants far from family and friends, the church is their only family, the only place where joys and sorrows can be shared.

Lisa was smuggled into Italy by human traffickers, along with her twin sister.  For part of the journey, she and her sister were drugged.  The traffickers gave her sister too much, and she died during the trip.  Lisa found herself alone in a strange land, being pressured to work in the sex industry.  There was no one to help her bear her grief, no one to hear her pain.  She is now living in a shelter, learning Italian and preparing to go to work.  Debbie and I visited her there and heard her story.  Neither of us could begin to imagine the horror of discovering her sister dead and  the loneliness of no one to help her bear this pain.  There was no funeral, no words of comfort, no one to share her loss.  There was only the nightmare of being in the hands of traffickers pressuring her to sell herself to pay a debt.

God grieves the losses of his children.  When no one else hears their cries, God does.  The psalmist writes:

 Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.  From the end of the earth I call to you, when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I; for you are my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.  Let me abide in your tent forever, find refuge under the shelter of your wings (Psalm 61:1-4).

Debbie and I work in Italy to provide places of refuge where people’s stories can be heard and the burden of their unspoken grief lightened.  In churches, in shelters, in cafes, on the street, we listen to their stories and speak on behalf of the God who grieves with them. We tell them of a God who turns their mourning into dancing and takes off their sackcloth and clothes them with joy (Psalm 30:11).  Through your financial support and prayers and words of encouragement, you are full partners with us in this ministry.

If you wish to support our ministry, you can:

a.                   Direct gifts for our support through your American Baptist church.

b.                  Mail a check to International Ministries, Missionary Partnership Teams, P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851.  Mark it:  Kelseys-Ongoing Support.

c.                   Contribute online at www.internationalministries.org.  Click on “People Who Serve” and then “Kelsey”. 

If you have specific questions about IM’s financial situation or about how you can encourage others to give, please write us at jdkelsey@hotmail.com

MATTERS FOR PAYER

1.                  Debbie is traveling in the States for 18 days sharing with people our work and making known to them the financial needs of our ministry.  Please remember Ben, Luke, and I as we sojourn on without her.  (I will update you next week on how it is going.)

2.                  The Italian government is again in the process of instituting even more restrictive and punitive laws concerning immigrants.  Pray for our immigrant churches and for the many faithful, good Italians who are working to turn back this tide of inhospitality.

3.                  Pray for me as I prepare courses for Vietnamese pastors.  Pray that the content will be relevant to their context and empowering in their ministry. (Why am I doing this?  Wait until next week; I’ll fill you in.

Sincerely,

Jim (along with Debbie, Ben, and Luke)