There’s often so much negativity in the news. But there are also a lot of good stories of people serving others, sacrificing for others, being good to others. I like to bookmark stories that I find especially heartwarming. (more…)
Tag: refugee
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Asia Bibi, Pakistani Christian acquitted of blasphemy finally arrives safely in Canada
Asia Bibi spent eight years on death row in Pakistan for allegedly blaspheming Mohammad. Bibi is a Christian. In Pakistan, there were protests over her release. At least two politicians who advocated for Bibi were assassinated in calling for her release. There have been protest rallies with thousands of demonstrators, opposing Bibi’s acquittal. There have also been death threats against the Pakistani supreme court justices who acquitted Bibi of blasphemy.After her acquittal, leaving the country was difficult. Bibi and her husband spent months in hiding. (more…)
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Homeless refugee wins New York chess championship
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons This is one of my favorite stories I’ve seen in a long time. It’s like a movie plot.
Tanitoluwa Adewumi (nicknamed Tani) came to the United States with his family in 2017. His family is Christian and fled from Nigeria, amid persecution from Boko Haram.
They came to New York City, but have been staying in a homeless shelter. (more…)
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The best book I read this summer: Where the Wind Leads
I was born in Vietnam, but I was not Vietnamese; I was raised in America, but I was not American. I grew up Asian in character but American in culture, a citizen but always refugee. I had no lessons from the past to guide me, no right way to do things in the present, and no path to follow me in the future.-Where the Wind Leads
Labor Day weekend is upon us, the unofficial end to the summer.
The best book I read all summer was “Where the Wind Leads: a refugee family’s miraculous story of loss, rescue, and redemption” by Vinh Chung, published in 2014. Of the 674 reviews on Amazon, 98% give this book a rating of 4 or 5 stars.
Chung came to America as a child from Vietnam. I won’t give any spoilers about the book (Vinh survives the journey to America….obviously…he did write the book).
The book is basically in three parts, each was fascinating in its own right. The first third (roughly a third) of the book talked about his family in Vietnam, his larger-than-life grandmother and the tremendous struggles (and tremendous successes) that his family had faced in Vietnam. They had nothing, had it all, and then had nothing.
The second third of the book deals with things getting worse in Vietnam during the years of war and Vinh’s family leaving Vietnam. He recounts their journey out of Vietnam and the harrowing experience that it was to ultimately be saved. This section could be a movie. It was that compelling.
The last portion of the book (at this point, I honestly thought the story would be anti-climactic. The action was over). But I honestly enjoyed the last section just as much as the rest of the book. He talks of being a refugee in America, learning a totally new culture. It was inserting to see Chung’s perspective as someone who came to America as a child. A Vietnamese family who was still very traditional but living life in America. There’s a lot more I could say but I don’t want to give spoilers.
It’s a book that shows the providence of God, the love of family, and the value of hard work. Amazing book. One of those books that you wish wasn’t done because it’s so good.
Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear what you think, and don’t forget to subscribe!
Josh Benner is the associate pastor at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He enjoys writing about faith and culture. He lives with his wife Kari in Minnesota.
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Society shows why we need the gospel as it vilifies Osteen
Blood is in the water and the sharks feast. This week’s meal is Joel Osteen. The pastor of America’s largest church is being vilified because he didn’t open up his church to flood victims of Hurricane Harvey.
In the court of social media, you make a mistake, and there is no forgiveness. It’s a shame culture, and no matter what a person does to make things right, it’s too little, too late. It’s just them doing good because “they got caught,” it’s just them doing good because there was a backlash, it’s just them doing good to try to put up the facade that they’re good (but they’re not good). And even if they do the right thing, it’s not because they learned from a mistake. When we’ve seen someone fail, especially someone we already dislike, their good deeds count for nothing. Their goodness is viewed with cynicism. (more…)
