As Seth Le Leu writes in this edition, it seems as if the world is changing before our eyes. Poverty and conflict are driving refugees from war-torn countries in a desperate search for safety and a more hopeful future for themselves and their families.
I am sure all of us have watched, dumbfounded, as scenes previously associated with the mass migration of World War II newsreels have become regular features in the evening news. We have probably also been moved to tears as we have witnessed the welcome extended by those nations and individuals prepared to look beyond their own economic needs to make room for others.
Seth argues that the world is paying the price for 15 years of underinvestment in development—we did not deliver sufficiently on the Millennium Development Goals and the world that exists today is a legacy of that failure. He hopes New Zealand will use its place on the UN Security Council to broker a solution to the Syrian crisis. Let us pray that such a solution will be found.
The Salvation Army’s international leader, General André Cox, has issued a strong plea to all European leaders to help the hundreds of thousands of refugees seeking assistance within the region. He writes: ‘From wherever these men, women and children have come, and whatever the circumstances that have driven them to undertake perilous journeys, we cannot either turn a blind eye or simply do the minimum in terms of aid and assistance.
These are our brothers and sisters and we must help with all urgency and with great practicality. I call on governments to work together to devise and implement practical and caring solutions for the immediate and longer-term future.’
The General adds, ‘Our hearts are broken, and we must act. The Salvation Army is responding to needs right across Europe—but every Salvationist can pray, and we have confidence that God hears us (1 John 5:14).’
Please pray for those who are helping these refugees, and for all who are in a position to think and act for long-term solutions.
Christina Tyson
Editor
1 John 5:3 Contemporary English Version ‘We show our love for God by obeying his commandments, and they are not hard to follow.’
1 Hoani 5:3 ‘Ko te aroha hoki tēnei ki te Atua, kia pupuri tātou i āna ture: ehara hoki āna ture i te mea taimaha.’