A Better Country (Second Edition): Embracing the Refugees in Our Midst

By Cindy M. Wu

You Were Once Strangers 

 

Jesus said, “I was a stranger and you invited me in.” (Matthew 25:35)  

 

More than two thousand years ago, Jesus challenged us to welcome and care for the strangers among us.  How do we fulfill this challenge? What does compassion look like today? 

 

A Better Country aims to help Christians—specifically Christians in the United States—think theologically and practically about the ongoing and changing refugee needs. This workbook is divided into six lessons followed by a personal action plan as your application. The second edition includes additional questions for discussion, along with spiritual practices at the end of each chapter for transformation of mind, heart, and soul in our posture toward refugee welcome. 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: William Carey Publishing
• Release date: Oct 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9781645084549

Cindy M. Wu

Cindy M. Wu is an author, missions mobilizer, and ordained minister. She and her husband are co-founders of Mosaic Formation, a ministry focusing on the spiritual formation of leaders serving diverse and underserved communities. Cindy holds an MA in Religion from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and is the author of books on global Christianity and the refugee crisis. Get further acquainted at www.cindymwu.com.  

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Cover: A Better Country: Embracing the Refugees in Our Midst, Second Edition by Cindy M. Wu

ENDORSEMENTS

At a time when over 100 million people in the world—each of them created in the image of God—have been forcibly displaced from their homes by violence, persecution, wars, and turmoil, the church dares not turn a blind eye. Christ made it abundantly clear that our God cares deeply about the most vulnerable, and if we claim to be His followers, we must also. Individual believers, small groups, and local churches will be grateful that Cindy Wu’s A Better Country provides biblical clarity and unique insights into the refugee experience and the US refugee resettlement infrastructure, and shows how God can use us to welcome, engage, serve, and partner with those He brings near. The spiritual practice sections of each chapter make us aware of how God can use our experiences with those who have lost everything to increase our dependence on Him, mature us spiritually, and grow our capacity to enjoy Him now and for eternity.

PAT HATCH

Refugee and Immigrant Ministry Director, PCA Mission to North America

More than a mere academic exercise, Cindy’s passionate advocacy on behalf of refugees is an expression of her faith in Christ. Through her writing, teaching, training, advocacy, and personal involvement, Cindy embodies the spiritual practice of hospitality to the stranger rooted throughout Scripture, and she longs to see the body of Christ do the same. To that end, Cindy has written an exceptional tool for ministry leaders, small groups, non-profits, individuals, families, and communities to prepare them to come alongside refugees and other forcibly displaced persons with the love of God. We have had the privilege of working side-by-side with Cindy for years and have witnessed her living out these biblical truths. The principles in this book serve as a powerful and practical framework for those seeking to live out God’s invitation to welcome the foreigner in our midst.

MICHAEL, MDIV, & JULIE MEISSNER

Co-founders, Abba’s House of Texas

A Better Country is a thoughtful and clear introduction to the refugee crisis and the church’s response. Cindy Wu untangles the complexity of refugee resettlement in the US and demystifies the first steps of building relationships with our neighbors who have experienced forced displacement. Set within a historical and biblical context that maintains honesty about the challenges, readers are left with a practical and hopeful path to live out the call to love our neighbors as ourselves.

SHANNA DOUGHTY, MA

Co-Facilitator, Refugee Highway Partnership North America (RHPNA)

Over several years I have watched Cindy Wu read, study, listen to, feel personally, and write about refugees and their situations in the United States. She has done so with deep compassion joined together with objective realism. This most timely workbook should be widely read and used in churches across our land.

DEAN BORGMAN, MA

Senior Professor of Youth Ministries and Social Ethics, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

Every Christian wishing to find the balance between security and compassion should work through A Better Country. Wu serves the church by presenting an excellent foundation for understanding refugee history, journey, and advocacy. This timely workbook presents facts to alleviate unnecessary fears in these important days.

DAVID DANIELS, DMin

Lead Pastor, Central Bible Church

Ms. Wu lives in Houston, America’s most ethnically diverse city and practices the kind of hospitality she espouses. Out of her own experience and interest, she offers a workbook to help the reader learn about refugees and embrace the challenge of offering them hospitality. I envision a Sunday School class or home group using this valuable resource in a group study. Ms. Wu artfully combines facts, refugee stories, and words of challenge, for those who wish to serve others. She refers to Mariane from Rwanda in the Introduction and then quotes her in the book’s Conclusion: People have many freedoms here (USA) and hard work pays off. Close the door behind you and open another one. You don’t have to live in between doors. That is the challenge Cindy Wu extends to her readers. Be a door-opener for the world’s refugee peoples wherever you find them.

RICHARD L. HANEY, PhD

Executive Director, Frontier Fellowship

A Better Country is a book for such a time as this. More than 100 million people in the world have been forced to flee their homes and are seeking a better life. Cindy Wu provides a solid biblical, moral, and historical basis for welcoming refugees into our country and into our communities. A Better Country is a very practical guide for both churches and individuals, filled with resources and suggestions for how Christians can live out the biblical call to welcome the stranger.

DAVID HUSBY, MDiv

Retired Director, Covenant World Relief

At a time when the arrival of refugees is mired in misinformation and fear, Cindy Wu has created a fantastic, timely resource in A Better Country. With insightful analysis, biblical wisdom, and clear applications, this is a superb resource for Christians searching for a deeper understanding of refugees.

MATTHEW SOERENS, MS

US Director of Church Mobilization and Advocacy, World Relief

Cindy Wu’s new book is a remarkable fusion of facts, personal experience, and biblical reflection on how Christians should treat migrants and strangers. As the West increasingly closes its heart, mind, and homelands to the rest of the world, this is a timely prophetic call to the church to follow Jesus’s example and welcome the stranger. As a bonus, Wu’s approach is highly practical, providing a much-needed tool for churches and small groups to study and to act.

TODD M. JOHNSON, PhD

Co-Director, Center for the Study of Global Christianity, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

Title: A Better Country: Embracing the Refugees in Our Midst, Second Edition

A Better Country (Second Edition): Embracing the Refugees in Our Midst

Copyright © 2022 by Cindy M. Wu

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Interior Designer: Mike Riester

Cover Designers: Josiah Wu and Mike Riester

Cover Illustrator: Josiah Wu, "The Hospitality of Abraham’s