The time I have had at 614 has been educational...
I met an assylum seeker the other day. He is from Sri Lanka and he moved to Australia about 10 years ago or so. However some new laws came some 
years later and he was not allowed to work anymore. He cannot get centrelink or any other assistance from the government. He is stuck here in Australia in a situation not to different from Tom Hanks in 'The Terminal.'
I used to be more on the governments side on this topic. I thought if you want to come into Australia, come in the right way. Dont jump the qeue. However, having spoken to this man about his story, my view has changed.
People deserve dignity. They desrve food, water, shelter and clothes. I believe these are basic rights. The Salvation Amry agrees.
Praise God that we were able to help him with some food vouchers! He gets shelter, some food and clothes from the red cross as well.
His time in Australia has not been all bad though. He moved ovr here a professing Budhist. (or was it Hindu? I always forget which...) Anyway, Swanston Street Church of Christ helped him out for a while too, and was introduced to Jesus! His life has changed and he is now a firey follower of Jesus Christ who claims Gods promises of provision in his life!
It is great to see the red cross, swanston street c.o.c and The Salvation Army provide for this man in Jesus name. Pray about the Assylum seeker situation, the assylum seekers, the politions and decision makers, and pray that as a Great Country, the great Southland of the Holy Spirit, Australia we will be able to provide for ALL people in Jesus name!
As William Booth said, if someone was burning in a house on fire, would we first ask if they had paid their rent before we saved them?
Sunday, December 10, 2006
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
Matthew 25
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2 comments:
Hi James,
Wonderful that the assylum seeker has found the Lord, and some practical help as well. I agree, all people deserve dignity, food, shelter, and most importantly, love.
I found myself in a situation over the weekend, at a shopping centre at the time a double stabbing occurred. I arrived there in safety, within half an hour the place was swarming with police. I didn't know what had happened, but the young American student I was priveleged to drive to safety, had witnessed the whole thing. I thank God that he uses his people.
I still agree with the government position on assylum seekers, in that there are so many who have no money, no connections, no way out. Their only hope is to put their names on a list and wait in a queue. These are the ones I feel for, and I would like to see the government do more for them. I would love to see planes chartered and sent to places where Christians are persecuted for their faith, load them up and bring them all here. The reason I agree with the government's position, is that for everyone who pays a people smuggler and arrives here, a place must be denied to one more helpless waiting in line. It's not that I don't feel compassion for those who arrive, and I believe that once they are here, whether through the front or back door, they must be cared for and loved. I just feel so much for the truly helpless, those without resources to pay people smugglers, waiting patiently in line for years on end.
Keep up the good work.
Julie
Hey Julie! Thanks for commenting!
i guess what i was trying to say was that my views used to be quite black and white, but once you start seeing some implications of the laws etc you see alot of the people in the grey...
For the guy i spoke about i used to not really mind that he cant 'get in' because of laws etc but seeing him has shown me that everyone has a story...
i think it struck me because it turned from simply an arguement in my head to real life...
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