I had no idea that CARE packages were an official humanitarian outreach from North Americans to Europeans during and after WWII. NPR recently wrote an article about them, explaining how a German POW was initially suspicious of the package, but eventually concluded that “Americans are different. They help people in need, regardless of who and where they are.”
Now, Americans who were WWII refugees are sending CARE packages to Syrian Refugees.
Receiving a letter from a former refugee, “made me feel like I exist” – states one Syrian refugee teenager.
I do not know what it is to lose my home and my country to war. I do know that God commands us to care for refugees, immigrants, asylum seekers, victims of human trafficking, and anyone else who needs Care. The Bible is full of commands to care for one another.
In just a few weeks, I’ll travel to Europe and meet with refugees. Some might have been refugees from World War II or the Bosnian Conflict; some might be recent arrivals from Syria or Eritrea or Afghanistan. My prayer is that God will show us how to care for refugees today.