Jean Pierre Gatera stood in front of a group of Rwandese soldiers, awaiting execution. The solders had mistaken him for a rebel and were holding him until nightfall. \u201cI prayed, telling God, \u2018If you exist, if you help me from here, I will serve you,\u2019\u201d the pastor recalls. \u201cAnd because He is just, He rescued me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gatera\u2019s life reads like a modern-day account of Joseph. He was born as a Burundian refugee and grew up in Rwanda. In 1994, Rwandan civil war broke out and his family fled the violence and genocide. Jean Pierre, who was away at school, was left with no way to contact his family. He had no home, no possessions, and no documentation.\u00a0He walked hundreds of miles, searching refugee camps for his family, and seeking asylum for himself. He ultimately made his way to Kakuma Refugee Camp, located on the border between Kenya and South Sudan.\u00a0For the first three years he tried unsuccessfully to gain refugee status so he could receive provisions from the United Nations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was not recognized as a refugee simply because the leaders did not believe I was Burundian,\u201d he recalls. \u201cEvery Saturday for three years, I\u2019d go to a local mountain and pray for God to intervene in my situation.\u201d\u00a0In time, God did miraculously intervene. A house fire led the police to inquire why\u00a0he had no documentation. When they learned he\u2019d spent three years being shuffled around the system, he was sent to Nairobi, Kenya, where he interviewed, received proper documentation and provisions, and gained refugee status.\u00a0During the three years Gatera was awaiting documentation, he gained something much more valuable \u2013 a spiritual calling.<\/p>\n
Members under Rev. Tito, an IPHC minister living in the camp, took Gatera in and provided food and shelter. He began attending church services and revivals; at one meeting, a visiting pastor shared a personal story of persecution. Gatera walked down the aisle that night and accepted Jesus Christ. From that day on, he carried out the promise he\u2019d made when God delivered him from execution years earlier.<\/p>\n
Salvation shifted Gatera\u2019s perspective. He realized being a refugee did not mean he was resigned to a life of poverty and hopelessness. \u201cGod put me onto\u00a0the world stage, because that is where\u00a0I belong,\u201d he says. He completed his education at a camp school, then attended Kakuma Interdenominational School of Mission and was ordained as an IPHC minister.<\/p>\n
Gatera began to accompany his pastor to leadership meetings and ministerial gatherings in the camp. It didn\u2019t take long for other camp ministers to recognize his gifting as a leader. The man who came to Kakuma without education or documentation became chairman of the United Refugee Churches. Pastor Gatera spent 14 years overseeing dozens of churches in a camp housing more than 185,000 refugees.<\/p>\n
Gatera\u2019s life and work within Kakuma have given him a unique perspective. Where others see a hopeless humanitarian crisis, he sees an opportunity for global ministry and latter day evangelism.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are 70 million people on the move,\u201d he says. \u201cThere is a need for a shift. That is a key issue to understand in terms of evangelism and missions. If those people can be reached, the world can know Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n
While refugees may spend decades in a camp, as Gatera did, the goal is to move to a permanent residence. Some remain in the country where they initially gain refugee status; some go back to their home countries when peace has resumed, and others are placed in new countries around the globe as part of resettlement programs.\u00a0Gatera believes if refugees can be trained as ministers while they wait for placement, the church will be more successful in global missions and church planting. He envisions a day when the IPHC has a department dedicated to working with and training refugees.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf refugees are trained effectively, they can go into countries and start churches and serve in ministry,\u201d he says. \u201cIf there is an effective mechanism, the IPHC can partner ministers with needs, and the church can expand in a tremendous way.\u201d\u00a0For almost 20 years, Pastor Gatera built a life in the Kakuma Refugee Camp. He married, started a family, led ministries, and trained leaders. Yet he was still a man without a home. In 2016, after 14 years of praying and patiently applying for relocation, Gatera and his family were invited to relocate to the United States.<\/p>\n
Today, he still ministers to refugees, although his work looks different than it did in the camp. \u201cI believe that what I passed through is the outlet for me to help other refugees. I can help them pass through the same situation,\u201d he says. Gatera works as a janitor; he uses the rest of his time to mentor other refugees settling into life in the United States. He helps them navigate paperwork, connects them to services, and ensures they acclimate to a new culture and social structure.<\/p>\n
Gatera also sees his experience as an opportunity to educate others. \u201cI can help other people to understand the refugee situation,\u201d he says. He believes the American church should be more intentional in reaching out to refugees. And he believes media reports often lead to fear and misconceptions that drive a wedge between churches and refugees.<\/p>\n
Many refugees, Gatera says, have an education, leadership experience, and insight that can be assets in ministry. But it can be hard to find a church that welcomes or wants to partner with them.<\/p>\n
In his own community, misunderstandings and church regulations about baptisms and credentials led refugees to start their own church service rather than integrate with established congregations. Gatera hopes that by sharing his story, he can help to overcome these misinterpretations and build a bridge between churches and refugees.<\/p>\n
From preaching and training in the African desert to waxing floors in Minneapolis in the winter, Gatera sees God\u2019s hand on his life. He is committed to living out his calling wherever God places him. When asked if he would change anything about his past, he says: \u201cThere is no way you can change your story. You can only learn to make things better. There are two options: to learn from your experiences, and to help teach others.\u201d<\/p>\n
Originally published in Encourage<\/a> magazine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"excerpt","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":4343,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[305,1,610],"tags":[618,898,149,572,565,436,897],"class_list":{"0":"post-4342","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-encourage-magazine","8":"category-general","9":"category-justice","10":"tag-618","11":"tag-be-ready-with-open-arms","12":"tag-encourage-magazine","13":"tag-justice","14":"tag-megan-alba","15":"tag-refugees","16":"tag-when-the-refugees-come","17":"entry"},"title_es":"Cuando vengan los refugiados, prep\u00e1rate con los brazos abiertos","content_es":"Jean Pierre Gatera se par\u00f3 frente a un grupo de soldados ruandeses, esperando su ejecuci\u00f3n. Las soldaduras lo hab\u00edan confundido con un rebelde y lo reten\u00edan hasta el anochecer. \u201cRec\u00e9 y le dije a Dios: 'Si existes, si me ayudas desde aqu\u00ed, te servir\u00e9'\u201d, recuerda el pastor. \"Y porque \u00c9l es justo, me rescat\u00f3\". La vida de Gatera se lee como un relato moderno de Joseph. Naci\u00f3 como refugiado de Burundi y creci\u00f3 en Ruanda. En 1994, estall\u00f3 la guerra civil en Ruanda y su familia huy\u00f3 de la violencia y el genocidio. Jean Pierre, que estaba en la escuela, no tuvo forma de contactar a su familia. No ten\u00eda hogar, ni posesiones, ni documentaci\u00f3n. Camin\u00f3 cientos de millas, buscando campos de refugiados para su familia y buscando asilo para s\u00ed mismo. Finalmente se dirigi\u00f3 al campo de refugiados de Kakuma, ubicado en la frontera entre Kenia y Sud\u00e1n del Sur. Durante los primeros tres a\u00f1os intent\u00f3 sin \u00e9xito obtener el estatus de refugiado para poder recibir provisiones de las Naciones Unidas. \"No fui reconocido como refugiado simplemente porque los l\u00edderes no cre\u00edan que yo fuera burund\u00e9s\", recuerda. \"Todos los s\u00e1bados durante tres a\u00f1os, iba a una monta\u00f1a local y rezaba para que Dios interviniera en mi situaci\u00f3n\". Con el tiempo, Dios intervino milagrosamente. Un incendio en la casa llev\u00f3 a la polic\u00eda a preguntar por qu\u00e9 no ten\u00eda documentaci\u00f3n. Cuando se enteraron de que hab\u00eda pasado tres a\u00f1os barajando el sistema, lo enviaron a Nairobi, Kenia, donde lo entrevist\u00f3, recibi\u00f3 la documentaci\u00f3n y las provisiones adecuadas, y obtuvo el estatus de refugiado. Durante los tres a\u00f1os que Gatera estuvo esperando la documentaci\u00f3n, obtuvo algo mucho m\u00e1s valioso: un llamado espiritual. Los miembros del reverendo Tito, un ministro de IPHC que vive en el campamento, acogieron a Gatera y le proporcionaron comida y refugio. Comenz\u00f3 a asistir a servicios religiosos y avivamientos; En una reuni\u00f3n, un pastor visitante comparti\u00f3 una historia personal de persecuci\u00f3n. Gatera camin\u00f3 por el pasillo esa noche y acept\u00f3 a Jesucristo. A partir de ese d\u00eda, cumpli\u00f3 la promesa que hab\u00eda hecho cuando Dios lo libr\u00f3 de la ejecuci\u00f3n a\u00f1os antes. La salvaci\u00f3n cambi\u00f3 la perspectiva de Gatera. Se dio cuenta de que ser un refugiado no significaba que estaba resignado a una vida de pobreza y desesperanza. \"Dios me puso en el escenario mundial, porque ah\u00ed es donde pertenezco\", dice. Complet\u00f3 su educaci\u00f3n en una escuela de campamento, luego asisti\u00f3 a la Escuela de Misi\u00f3n Interdenominacional Kakuma y fue ordenado como ministro de IPHC. Gatera comenz\u00f3 a acompa\u00f1ar a su pastor a reuniones de liderazgo y reuniones ministeriales en el campamento. No pas\u00f3 mucho tiempo para que otros ministros del campo reconocieran su talento como l\u00edder. El hombre que lleg\u00f3 a Kakuma sin educaci\u00f3n ni documentaci\u00f3n se convirti\u00f3 en presidente de las Iglesias Unidas para los Refugiados. El pastor Gatera pas\u00f3 14 a\u00f1os supervisando docenas de iglesias en un campamento que alberga a m\u00e1s de 185,000 refugiados. La vida y el trabajo de Gatera dentro de Kakuma le han dado una perspectiva \u00fanica. Donde otros ven una crisis humanitaria desesperada, \u00e9l ve una oportunidad para el ministerio global y la evangelizaci\u00f3n de los \u00faltimos d\u00edas. \"Somos 70 millones de personas en movimiento\", dice. \u201cHay una necesidad de un cambio. Esa es una cuesti\u00f3n clave para entender en t\u00e9rminos de evangelismo y misiones. Si se puede llegar a esas personas, el mundo puede conocer a Jes\u00fas \u201d. Si bien los refugiados pueden pasar d\u00e9cadas en un campamento, como lo hizo Gatera, el objetivo es mudarse a una residencia permanente. Algunos permanecen en el pa\u00eds donde inicialmente obtienen el estatus de refugiados; algunos regresan a sus pa\u00edses de origen cuando se reanuda la paz, y otros se colocan en nuevos pa\u00edses de todo el mundo como parte de los programas de reasentamiento. Gatera cree que si los refugiados pueden ser entrenados como ministros mientras esperan su colocaci\u00f3n, la iglesia tendr\u00e1 m\u00e1s \u00e9xito en misiones mundiales y plantaci\u00f3n de iglesias. \u00c9l imagina un d\u00eda en que el IPHC tenga un departamento dedicado a trabajar y capacitar a los refugiados. \"Si los refugiados reciben capacitaci\u00f3n efectiva, pueden ir a pa\u00edses y comenzar iglesias y servir en el ministerio\", dice. \"Si hay un mecanismo efectivo, el IPHC puede asociar a los ministros con necesidades, y la iglesia puede expandirse de una manera tremenda\". Durante casi 20 a\u00f1os, el pastor Gatera construy\u00f3 una vida en el campo de refugiados de Kakuma. Se cas\u00f3, form\u00f3 una familia, dirigi\u00f3 ministerios y entren\u00f3 a l\u00edderes. Sin embargo, todav\u00eda era un hombre sin hogar. En 2016, despu\u00e9s de 14 a\u00f1os de orar y solicitar pacientemente la reubicaci\u00f3n, Gatera y su familia fueron invitados a reubicarse en los Estados Unidos. Hoy, \u00e9l todav\u00eda ministra a los refugiados, aunque su trabajo se ve diferente de lo que fue en el campo. \u201cCreo que por lo que pas\u00e9 es la salida para ayudar a otros refugiados. Puedo ayudarlos a pasar por la misma situaci\u00f3n \u201d, dice. Gatera trabaja como conserje; \u00e9l usa el resto de su tiempo para guiar a otros refugiados que se instalan en la vida en los Estados Unidos. Los ayuda a navegar por el papeleo, los conecta con los servicios y garantiza que se aclimaten a una nueva cultura y estructura social. Gatera tambi\u00e9n ve su experiencia como una oportunidad para educar a otros. \"Puedo ayudar a otras personas a comprender la situaci\u00f3n de los refugiados\", dice. \u00c9l cree que la iglesia estadounidense deber\u00eda ser m\u00e1s intencional en llegar a los refugiados. Y cree que los informes de los medios de comunicaci\u00f3n a menudo conducen al miedo y a conceptos err\u00f3neos que generan una brecha entre las iglesias y los refugiados. Muchos refugiados, dice Gatera, tienen una educaci\u00f3n, experiencia de liderazgo y una visi\u00f3n que pueden ser activos en el ministerio. Pero puede ser dif\u00edcil encontrar una iglesia que les d\u00e9 la bienvenida o quiera asociarse con ellos. En su propia comunidad, los malentendidos y las regulaciones de la iglesia sobre bautismos y credenciales llevaron a los refugiados a comenzar su propio servicio en la iglesia en lugar de integrarse con las congregaciones establecidas. Gatera espera que al compartir su historia, pueda ayudar a superar estas malas interpretaciones y construir un puente entre las iglesias y los refugiados. Desde predicar y entrenar en el desierto africano hasta encerar pisos en Minneapolis en el invierno, Gatera ve la mano de Dios en su vida. Est\u00e1 comprometido a vivir su llamado donde sea que Dios lo coloque. Cuando se le pregunta si cambiar\u00eda algo de su pasado, dice: \u201cNo hay forma de que puedas cambiar tu historia. Solo puedes aprender a mejorar las cosas. Hay dos opciones: aprender de sus experiencias y ayudar a ense\u00f1ar a otros \".\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\nPublicado originalmente en la revista Encourage<\/a> .","author_name":"M\u00e9gan Alba\u00a0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/Feat-Image2.png","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pb62Bx-182","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4342"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4342\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}