Vision of ‘Harvest’ Brings Hope, Joy to Those Serving Refugees

There’s no doubt that images of refugees arriving at camps with little more than the clothes on their backs affect even the most hardened of us, tugging on our heartstrings and often testing our faith and overwhelming us with feelings of helplessness.

Such is not the case, however, for NLICM’s Dagne Balcha, who was reminded in a recent vision that there are some seasons during which soil is more fertile for sowing and reaping than others, and the same is true when it comes to reaching people for Christ.

“I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”

John 4:35

The vision came to him six months ago while at the airport in Addis Ababa, waiting for a flight to Gondar, where he planned to recruit and train missionaries. But his best-laid plans came to an abrupt halt when his flight was canceled, and he was forced to fly into Eastern Ethiopia instead. “I could feel anger building in my heart because my tight schedule had been changed,” he said. “But then I felt the Holy Spirit open my eyes to see a ripe harvest in this war-stricken field. Suddenly, my heart was filled with joy at seeing harvests coming to the Lord.”

Dagne immediately shared his vision with other pastors and many in the NLICM family, hoping they, too, would see the immense potential in preaching the Gospel in these war-torn regions.

The rest, as they say, is history: Dedicated missionaries were identified, and partners such as The Fellowship Church stepped forward to help raise funds and necessary resources. Together, their shared vision led to a three-day training session in Khartoum, followed by establishment of a training and recruitment center in the small city of Gedaref, centrally located near three refugee camps. (See map illustrating camp populations at top right.)

To date, eight missionaries are now spreading the Gospel in the Um Rakuba and Tunaydbah camps, beginning the fulfillment of Dagne’s vision and paving the way for more to follow!