Meet Rachel...

My name is Rachel Farmer. I am a student at SWBTS, and I came here to get my MA Missiology degree, so I could go back overseas and serve in career capacity as a missionary. Before coming to SWBTS I was in Indonesia for 3 years as a JMAN teaching English and working with university students.


When I first came to Fort Worth, I had heard that there was a large refugee population in the area, and I immediately wanted to get involved. I started by volunteering at World Relief, an evangelical association, connected with UNHCR for resettling refugees world wide. I began volunteering as an English teacher and in other ways as well. Through my volunteering efforts I was able to get a job working for another refugee settlement agency called Catholic Charities, and I have been teaching English with them for a little over a year now. Catholic Charities is a non-profit organization; however, it is not evangelical like World Relief. However, as a Christian I don't let that stop and I still seek to be His hands and feet first and share him as I can through class with my students.

The main thing I do with refugees is teach them English, but beyond that I want to be there friend and be there for what they need. I have been a part of helping them adjust to the US through a brief course on how to get a bank account and a driver's license. I take refugees to the store weekly sometimes, and I have been there when they are grieving the loss of a loved one thousands of miles away. Currently I am really involved with an Iraqi family, and up to this point I have also been really involved with a group of Eritrean refugees. I have also been really involved with a Bhutanese family the past year, and when I first started working with refugees I worked with a Burmese family primarily.

I also have a group of friends, and our ministry here is working with refugees. We have done things like birthday parties, family soccer afternoons, park days, trips to the mall, in home Bible Studies, Easter services, Christmas parties, and baby showers. In all of these activities we seek to present the Gospel in some way, and we seek to be their friend. Our goal working with refugees is to ulitmately share Christ with them and see them come to have a personal relationship with Him. The secondary goal is to be their friend and to show them that there is a nice side to America. To also break down all stereotypes they have of Americans as well.

If someone is wanting to get involved with refugees the first thing one needs to know is to be willing to go their home. Be willing to eat or drink whatever they serve you. Don't refuse and don't be afraid. Invite them to your home or out to you to do some quintessentially American (where ever in America that is), and do not ever hide your relationship with Christ. Most refugees assume that all Americans are Christians anyway, so you have a huge open door right there. Most refugees come from cultures where culture and religion are not two separate things.

Getting involved with refugees breaks the average American out of their American bubble. It also breaks down prejudice and racism, and by befriending and witnessing to refugees you are going to all nations.