June 20th was World Refugee Day—a day to remember, to raise awareness, and to call to action.
I am a refugee.
I came to the U.S. when I was five years old from a refugee camp in Kenya.
I’m South Sudanese by blood—but I’ve never stepped foot in my homeland.
South Sudan gained independence in 2011,
but the scars of war still linger.
The conflict, the trauma, the displacement… it doesn’t end with borders.
It leaves a mark on hearts and homes.
Refugees don’t just flee bombs and bullets.
They flee pain.
They flee spiritual oppression.
They flee emotional torment that words can’t explain.
The war is not only in the land, but also in the soul.
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities,
against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world…”
—Ephesians 6:12
There are battles you cannot see, but you can still fight—
on your knees.
This World Refugee Day, don’t just remember the crisis—respond.
Pray for the persecuted.
Intercede for the displaced.
Cry out for the broken.
Plead for revival to sweep the nations.
Ask that refugees wouldn’t just find shelter—
but that they would find rest in Christ.
May we not grow numb to the pain of others.
May we be stirred to weep, to intercede, and to hope.
He is our Refuge.
And He is coming.
Let every war-torn heart know:
Freedom is still to come.
-A.G.