Migration to South Africa : a missional reflection of a refugee using Jeremiah 29:4–12 as an interpretive framework

Abstract

This article is an auto-ethnographic reflection on the phenomenon of migration. The latter is on the increase throughout the world. This article focusses on the context of South Africa where there seems to be a negative perception of refugees in communities of poverty. It uses Jeremiah 29:4–12 as an interpretative framework to, on the one hand, analyse the negative perceptions of refugees and, on the other hand, propose ways refugees could be assets to their host communities. The author is part of a missional team that serves in some South African communities of poverty where refugees have experienced a great deal of discrimination. He reflects on his status as a refugee and a mission worker to point out a constructive role a refugee could play in society as a Christian. He refers to this role as good news agency. The article alludes to practical examples where a constructive role in a community has led refugees to be seen as assets to their communities. It concludes by stressing that the negative perception of refugees in South African communities of poverty may be an implicit collective longing local residents have for good news agents around them regardless of their countries of origin.