Alma spotted the church workers and exhaled, hopeful help would soon arrive. As they approached her Alma gestured with her hands, signaling to the volunteers a desire for a hug and prayers. They gladly obliged. Soon she was pointing to one of their phones. Clutching the device in her hand, Alma pounded the keys in Google Translate to share her story.
The single mom immigrated from Venezuela with her three children. Drawn to our country by the promise of America, Alma was grateful, but still struggling. She and the kids, ages 9, 12 and 16, were wrestling with food insecurity and, although she was able to enroll them into school early to prepare them for the coming school year, Alma was unable to buy even basic school supplies. Clothing and shoes were a more immediate need.
"Alma also needed a cell phone, knowing the small screen would open up a whole new world in the new world she was now calling home."
Beyond the basics, Alma also needed a cell phone, knowing the small screen would open up a whole new world in this new world she was now calling home. Adjusting to their new homeland, Alma discovered, was proving difficult.
Advocate United Church of Christ members heard similar stories since reaching out to Venezuelan immigrants settling in their community.
Many new arrivals gathered in a police station and a nearby field house seeking resources. While the Google Translate feature helped the immigrants to ask for assistance, the English-speaking volunteers used it to share the gospel with their new neighbors. Soon, the entire group was on their knees praying and worshiping God in English and Spanish.
"The Spirit of the Lord was apparent as hands raised and there was a constant shout of Jesus and God!" said the Rev. Malcolm J. Griffith.
The church responded to Alma by giving each of her children a new PowerPack®, a colorful backpack filled with paper, pens, pencils, crayons, erasers, plus age-appropriate gospel literature. The church also provided the family with clothing, shoes and a phone.
Advocate Church received the backpacks through an ongoing partnership with Cru® Inner City. In addition to the backpacks, Inner City provides pre-distribution training for every participating partner. The training offers effective evangelism techniques to the local churches. In preparation for the distribution, thousands of volunteers come together for local packing parties.
From there, hundreds of churches place the PowerPacks into the hands of those most in need in their neighborhoods. The gospel is front and center through each of these touch points — from signups to training, packing to distribution, and follow-up.
The gift of the PowerPacks® opened up a door of opportunity by meeting a practical need for Alma's family. The kindness created receptive hearts as they witnessed Christ's love in motion.
"We talked about God's love and mercy, how we are His children and that He wants an intimate relationship with us," Pastor Malcolm said.
Through that effort, the family listened to a message of new life in Christ just as they were on the precipice of a new life in America. Overwhelmed by the generosity of the church and Christ's generosity on the cross, Alma and her three children asked Jesus into their hearts.
"Once you encounter Him you will never be the same. We cannot be separated from Him by language."
It was not a fleeting decision as Alma and her three children became regular church attendees at Advocate Church.
"Although we have been able to find a Spanish-speaking translator to give of their time to help the family follow and read the Scripture we do know that some verbiage is lost in the translation," the pastor said. "However, we do know that God's love is universal, that once you encounter Him you will never be the same. We cannot be separated from Him by language."
Lori Arnold serves as the senior writer for Cru's inner-city ministry.
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