[{"id":819,"order":0,"imagePath":"https://admin.ezystream.com/static/images/article/de088976-1961-4aff-9994-d306bb01e886.png","type":"image","content":"https://admin.ezystream.com/static/images/article/de088976-1961-4aff-9994-d306bb01e886.png"},{"id":820,"order":1,"contentText":"Deborah Makarios of Epuni Baptist Church asks u201cWho is my neighbour?u201d
The first we heard of it was the man next door. He came to Epuni Baptist Church. He missed his wife and kids. He got headhunted for a good job here. He was eligible for residencyu2014which would have allowed him to bring in his familyu2014but the applications werenu2019t being processed. He went on missing his wife and kids, as Christmas and birthdays came and went.
Hearing othersu2019 stories
He wasnu2019t the only one in that situation. People who were working hard and paying their taxes couldnu2019t see their families untilu2026 they didnu2019t know when. Even people like Cameron Conradie, invited to emigrate here to fill a skills shortage, were still not allowed to reunite with their families.
People like Jagdeep Singh Dhillon and his family, with jobs here but visiting whanau overseas when the COVID-19 pandemic reached New Zealand, were trappedu2014lack of residency meant they couldnu2019t return, though they still had to pay rent on their homes in New Zealand until their savings ran out.
The border is closed
The reason for all this was that the border was closed, to protect New Zealand from the virus. Exceptu2026 the border wasnu2019t closed to the thousand people who came for the Americau2019s Cup, bringing their spouses and children (and, in one or two cases, mothers-in-law).
The border wasnu2019t closed to Hollywood stars and their children (and their childrenu2019s nannies). The border wasnu2019t closed to sports teams.
The Bangladeshi cricket team were granted MIQ places for two tours in less than twelve months. The Wiggles visited. A tribute band passed through. Our friend went on missing his family.
What does God say?
Over and over again in Scripture, welcoming and caring for the foreigner is given as a command, and cited as an indicator for righteousness (see Leviticus 19:33-34, Job 31:32, 1 Timothy 5:10, Titus 1:8, Romans 12:13 and Hebrews 13:2).
Most tellingly of all is Matthew 25u2014Jesusu2019 condemnation (a hard word, but an apt one) of those who failed to welcome him in the form of u201cthe least of these,u201d and his commendation of those who were welcoming, even if they didnu2019t recognise him.
u201cI was a stranger,u201d Jesus said. The word he used is xenosu2014as in xenophobia. The epistles reiterate the reminder: Jesusu2019 people are foreigners on earthu2014as he is (see Hebrews 11:13, 1 Peter 1:1 and 2:11).
What to do?
The stories kept coming. Measured by the Word of God (and what better measure is there?), this was injusticeu2014unrighteousness. But what could we do?
I washed dishes and gnawed at the question. A hunger strike? Better not start anything youu2019re not prepared to finish. A prayer gathering? But can a single prayer meeting bring about systemic change? After all, the pandemic didnu2019t cause these problems so much as exacerbate and uncover them.
Then the idea came to me: a prayer relay. A single congregation may not have the resources to persevere in prayer on this one issue day after day and week after week for as long as it takes, but one day is manageable. Then another church can take up the burden in prayer the next day. And another church the day after that.
Step by step
I brooded on the idea. Perhaps it was just another pipedream, another over-ambitious scheme. Then we heard Carey lecturer Michael Rhodesu2019 sermon on u2018Whatu2019s the point of the people of God?u2019 It was a valuable reminder: justice and righteousness is what weu2019re here for.
It impelled me into action. I put the idea into words as best I could and shared it with my fellow elders on the Oversight Team. The response was encouraging.
One thing followed another. Emails flew back and forth with feedback and discussion. I preached on u2018Justice, righteousness, and the foreigner: what does God say?u2019 For the second time in my life, I built a website: reuniteprayer.nz.
Progress
Before our chosen launch date, the Minister of Immigration announced a new residency track for a range of migrants working in New Zealand. Applications would open before the end of this year; the majority hopefully to be approved by the end of next year. It was progress, but another long wait lay aheadu2014for those who were eligible. At best, theyu2019d be able to join tens of thousands of others in the MIQ lottery sometime next year.
For everyone elseu2014including those caught outside the country (even those still working remotely), those who are studying while working, and those whose marriages are not recognised as they havenu2019t lived together for 12 months yetu2014there is nothing but the prospect of one day, maybe, getting to the front of a queue to enter another queue to get residency (and either of those queues may stop moving at any time). Until then, limbo.
Our friend is leaving New Zealand, with nothing to show for nearly two years of separation but the renewed offer of residencyu2014if he misses another year or more of his young childrenu2019s lives. Itu2019s a price heu2019s not willing to pay.
Run with perseverance
On the 19th of October, as Parliament resumed sitting, a group of Epuni Baptist Church members gathered to pray outside the Parliament buildings. Others prayed where they were, in the small hours, the morning, the afternoon, evening, night. For a day, Epuni Baptist Church lifted up our immigration system, those caught in it, and those who direct it, to our merciful Father.
Weu2019ve run our leg of the relay. Who will take it from here?
Sign up your church for a day in the prayer relay at reuniteprayer.nz.
Contributor: Deborah Makarios was raised between cultures in Papua New Guinea. She is married to Tim and is an elder at Epuni Baptist Church. She has a strong if sometimes impractical reaction to injustice.
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