12 | Working as a Refugee Officer, Loving our Neighbor, and the Bible

2023-09-14

After law school, Gabby began working as an asylum officer for the U.S. government. Her experience moving from country to country as a child led her to seek a career in which she could work with immigrants. As she worked domestically with refugees seeking asylum in the U.S., she was disheartened by the wealthier and more fortunate refugees who took advantage of the immigration system. The Department of Homeland Security later moved Gabby to the role of refugee officer, sending her to less developed countries to interview refugees ...

The Department of Homeland Security later moved Gabby to the role of refugee officer, sending her to less developed countries to interview refugees directly in their countries of refuge. She heard stories of suffering and loss. Her view refugees began to change as she saw the true experience of the majority of refugees.

At the same time, Gabby started reading the Bible from cover to cover. She read verses about loving our neighbor and asked herself, "Who is my neighbor?" It became clear to her, that according to God, the foreigner and the sojourner were her neighbors - and that God had perfectly placed her in a position to love them.

"When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God." - Leviticus 19:9-10 NIV

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