Internationals Who Live Among Us: Doing World Missions at Home

by Neal Pirolo

"We are here. We're living among you. The reasons for which we came are diverse. Some are noble; some motives are not so pure. But we are here. What are you going to do with me? Well, not me. But the others... You see, I am one of the fortunate few who has recently found a friend in America. Oh, here he comes now. Let me introduce him to you. This is Jonathan."


"Hi! Yes, I grew up in a church that emphasized missions. Speakers came from distant lands telling of the challenge to reach the lost. My heart was stirred with compassion, so I began praying for various missionaries. But circumstances of my life would not allow me to travel to those faraway places I had heard about. One day I opened my eyes to realize that God has brought the internationals of the world to the doorstep of every church in America! And now my wife and I have opened the door of our home and our hearts to an international student. We are involved! What a great pleasure! What an opportunity God has put before us. Its better than a day at the beach,I realized after my first contact with international students. My wife says it makes her feel like an ambassador with a teacup!"




Christian, one of the most strategic “foreign” mission fields today is at the very doorstep of our homes.
• Strategic because it is so close at hand. They have moved into our neighborhood.
• Strategic because it represents the segment of our population with the most dramatic growth.
• Strategic because it does not cost the “mega- bucks” of going to another country.
• Strategic because it is good training for those who will go to another country.
• Strategic because so little effort yields such a great harvest.
• Strategic because it reaches people who are open to the Gospel.
• Strategic because it is in His Word: “Do not take advantage of aliens in your land; do not wrong them. They must be treated like any other citizen: Love them as yourself...” (Leviticus 19:33-34).

212 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2013

Reviews

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pirolo authored the book, "Serving as Senders," which has been a staple for how local churches can and should support the folks that they send out. It is a no-nonsense treatment of the topic and about the best resource available on the subject. So, when Neal Pirolo sent me a copy of his new book in hardcopy (it isn't available in Kindle format) I expected it to be a practical guide on how to interact with internationals in ministry and it certainly delivers. Highlighting the incredible opportunity that internationals place before the church is not revolutionary, of course. Putting feet on that vision is a bit less common. This book has a bit of both but it leans a bit more on categorizing the types of internationals that we might encounter.

The rough outline of this book starts with the vision and opportunity, moves to international students and then onto "MKs" (missionary kids). I appreciate his focus on MKs as they are an often overlooked resource for international outreach. There is a chapter devoted to illegal aliens. This is a tough topic and Pirolo sticks mostly to the human aspects of what life is like for an illegal and what sort of obstacles are faced by churches trying to serve them. Unlike other things I have read by Evangelicals on this issue Pirolo doesn't push any particular political view on the reader regarding illegal immigration. He then moves on to visitors, people who are are staying in the US for a short time as well as business people who are working in the US but continue to have their primary identity with their home culture. The book addresses refugee relocation, a service I have seen successfully provided by a number of local churches and a great way to get your feet wet in outreach to internationals. The final chapter is on ethnic communities.

There are a number of useful "challenges" in the book in which there are action steps or inventories to complete. These are contemplative exercises that will assist people in coming to grips with their own attitudes and willingness to serve internationals.

The best audience for "Internationals Who Live Among Us" would be people attending churches who are either unaware or underexposed to the international community within their midst. This book is not so much targeting the potential long term missionary or missions pastor. Rather, it would be a good resource for a missions pastor to have on hand to give to those interested in engaging with internationals. Pirolo's topic is very relevant to the current context. At this point in US history, almost every Christian can find a way to relate to internationals. They are among us, and we do have an incredible open door.

[Marti Wade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neal Pirolo, author of Serving as Senders Today, The Reentry Team, and several other works, has published a new book dealing specifically with welcoming (and ministering to) internationals. Pirolo divides them into seven distinct groups: international students, undocumented aliens, visitors, business people, refugees, established ethnic communities, and (perhaps surprisingly) returned missionary kids. Each group gets its own chapter in this book.

While much might be said about needs and opportunities within each of these populations, Internationals Who Live among Us provides a good introduction and may help readers with compassion for one group to discover some of the others. Interviews, anecdotes, and observations invite the reader to identify with internationals and consider how they and their churches might better understand and engage with these groups.

The book is directed solely to an American Evangelical Christian audience and written with some eccentricities of style which might put off readers. It is, though, full of little gems – resources, insights, and practical ideas for becoming personally involved in global outreach without leaving your town.