Liberty G5 partners with Christar International to serve refugees in Europe

As part of Liberty University’s G5 initiative, nearly 100 students traveled with LU Send to North Africa and Spain over spring break. Students went with the mission to serve and bring hope to the refugees who flood into southern Spain every day. 

Refugees are pouring into Europe via roundabout paths, wanting to escape the imprisoning situations of their homelands in the Middle East and Africa. 

Liberty sophomore Makenzie Barnes summed up this mission.

“As Christians, it shouldn’t matter if they come from a terrorist country or an Islamic country,” Barnes said. “What matters is that we love them, no matter what they come from.” 

The team spent three days in North Africa, learning more about the culture and environment migrants would be coming from. One morning, on a long drive through the mountains of northern North Africa to reach a remote village, the team’s time of devotions turned into more than two hours of singing worship songs together, all while traveling through hills where Christians are scarce. 

From North Africa, the team then spent a week in the province of Andalucía, where most of the migrants enter Spain. According to NPR, in 2018, Spain became the main point of entry to Europe for migrants, taking in nearly six times more migrants than Italy and receiving more refugees in some eight months than Italy did in all of 2017. 

The Liberty team partnered with Christar International, an organization dedicated to bringing the gospel to places where it is not known, to better serve the migrant population. From a base camp in Málaga, the team worked with other organizations such as the Spanish Red Cross to put on family fairs for the refugees, clean up and get locations ready to become more refugee housing, and do whatever was needed, including beach cleanup on a remote shore in Almunecar. 

Social work, psychology, theater, Christian service and communication students also used their areas of expertise to contribute to the greater mission of serving refugees in Spain. During the recent Global Focus Week at Liberty, students purchased supplies to be distributed to refugees entering Spain. These supplies were gathered and distributed by many of the Liberty students who traveled to Spain over spring break.

But most of all, they listened to the stories around them and shared the hope of Christ. 

Liberty student Truitt Robinson said the experience greatly impacted him.

“Sharing God’s love and light in a place filled with darkness was a blessing and touched so many lives,” Robinson said. “(It’s) hard to put into words this life-changing experience.” 

One young refugee that the Liberty group met was only 20 years old and had fled his home alone due to religious persecution, slowly making his way through central and northern Africa.

He recounted the harrowing sea crossing he made with several other migrants on nothing but a slab of wood with a motor attached in the middle of the night with no lights. Now in Spain, he is in the middle of the official asylum and integration process, while having picked up both Spanish and French during his time there so far. When the long asylum process is completed, he hopes to make his way to the United States and pursue his lifelong dream of attending veterinary school. 

This is only one story out of thousands. The students heard many stories of families forced to flee their homes at night for their own safety, never to return, of teenagers who ran away to escape persecution and make a better life for themselves, of relatives separated on the way to safety, and of friends and family members who died on the arduous journey to
Europe. 

Liberty sophomore Kathryn Larson reflected on the trip since returning to the United States. 

“I pray we were able to bring hope and love to the people,” Larson said. “I pray they could sense the safety and freedom that we have that transcends understanding — the freedom found in Christ.”

As the students returned home, Liberty will continue to focus on Spain as the G5 country for the remainder of the year. To get involved with LU Serve and the G5 initiative, visit the LU Serve office in Dorm 17 or check out the G5 page on Liberty’s website. Students wishing to go to Spain for longer can check out the study abroad opportunities on LU Send’s website.