Brothers and Sisters,
News articles and news broadcasts over the past month have been filled with the struggle of the refugee issues in Europe. There have been reports that many individuals have opened up their homes to the refugees and have helped them out in any way possible. When I first began the process of ministering in Germany, my focus was on teenagers and college students. As I have talked with my future teammates in Germany and began to pray for the refugees, the focus of ministry is shifting to having a bigger ministry with the refugees.
The refugee situation in Europe is a very complicated and emotional issue. One thing that I have discovered is there are 3 types of people coming in, this is not being reported by the news media here in the States. The first group are the actual refugees who are leaving their war torn country to seek safety. The second group are those seeking a better life, this group includes a large number of Eastern Europeans who can be correctly be labeled as migrants. The last group are those who “milk” the system, coming into Germany for a short time, receiving government assistant and then going back to their home country, only to return later and do this over again in a few months or years.
What can we do as Americans? PRAY! Pray for the government to have wisdom in how to handle this situation. Pray for the church in Germany that they will take the lead and use this not only as a humanitarian opportunity, but also as an opportunity to share the Gospel and be the true light for Christ! Lastly, pray for me as I prepare to depart for the field to work with the handful of these people living around the city of Heidelberg!
Another way you can help is by giving. I am currently at 80% of my monthly support with only 20% left to go! If you are able to give, please visit www.pioneers.org/giving. My account number is 112086. If you are able to give monthly, I ask that you please make me aware of this as I receive reports a month later. This will help me be able to determine how soon I will be able to depart for Germany.
In Christ,
Tyler A. Bowman