Don't Want to Go Home

If we want to adhere to God's Word and live a life pleasing to Him, we can expect that there will be occasions when our faith is tested, giving us an opportunity to either trust God or to trust in our own strength. Joshua, when faced with a new leadership mantle, was encouraged to make the correct choice, as we see in Joshua chapter 1:
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

We can be convinced that when we decide to be obedient to God, that He goes with us - and amazing things can happen to the person whose heart is totally, wholeheartedly devoted to Christ. And, our assurance that God's Word is true and our reflection on past experience can prepare us for obedience in the future. Even when some may say that we are not doing the right thing, in the midst of that opposition, we can trust God's Word.

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The Christian life is marked by the display of and assurance of God's faithfulness. And, we will encounter challenges - opportunities - along the way for God to show us His love. Romans chapter 5 states:
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

The deadline is approaching for a family who fled Germany in 2008 and has been living in America since then to leave.  

You may be familiar with the saga of the Romeike family, a Christian family, which, according to The Christian Post...

...garnered national headlines when they requested asylum status because they wanted to homeschool their children for religious reasons. Homeschooling is banned in Germany under nearly all circumstances, and any parents who refuse to send their children to school can face fines, imprisonment or even lose custody of their children.

The decision to homeschool came from what HSLDA calls a "growing concern that the content of the German public school's curriculum — particularly anti-Christian and sexual elements — threatened to harm their children."

The HSLDA - the Home School Legal Defense Association - reported that the family was told by their local office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in early September it had four weeks to leave the U.S. 

The article notes that:

Although the Department of Homeland Security granted the Romeikes asylum, officials overturned the decision, and the family was granted indefinite deferred action status in 2014 after years of legal battles, according to the HSLDA.

Over the last decade, the family has regularly reported to their local ICE office and has been allowed to work and homeschool their children.

ICE's decision to deport the family reportedly was announced during a routine check-in and came as a surprise to the couple and their seven children, two of whom are now adults and married.

The Romeikes' request for asylum had been rejected by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2013, and they have been living with visas to remain in America - until now.

The Washington Stand relates that if the family returns to Germany:

Since homeschooling remains as tightly restricted as when the Romeikes left Germany, the family of seven will face the same legal fines, and potential jail time, as before. “The persecution there is very real today, as it was 15 years ago,” said the family’s attorney, Kevin Boden. Since the family’s departure, teachings about alternate sexualities and genders have come to pervade German reading and math courses. “The idea is to show children that there are different ways to love and live,” an LGBTQ activist told the UK Guardian.

“The Romeike family should be able to stay in the United States and home educate their children,” said the president of the Home School Legal Defense Association, Jim Mason, a staunch defender of the Romeikes. “America is a land of freedom and opportunity, and there are few freedoms or opportunities more important than the ability of parents to safely direct the education of their own children, without fear of punishment or persecution.”

The article notes:

The Romeike family’s deportation represents “a sad example of the perverse priorities of the Biden administration on immigration policy and nearly every other area of government” — a juxtaposition that “defies belief,” Meg Kilgannon, senior fellow for Education Studies at Family Research Council, told The Washington Stand. “Are we really living in a country with a border open to terrorists and drug cartels but that deports entire families who follow the rules to seek asylum on a claim of religious freedom?”

The family lives in Tennessee, and The Tennessean newspaper reports:

Since they were told they would have to leave, the HSLDA has set up a petition that has received just over 56,000 signatures as of publication.

The petition says it is addressed to the Biden administration, which it asks to reinstate the Romeikes’ deferred status and save them from deportation.

Also, the article states that: "Congress is considering a bill that would grant the Romeikes permanent status as legal residents, with a possible pathway to citizenship." It notes that Rep. Diana Harshbarger from Tennessee "filed the bill on Sept. 12, and it is being reviewed by the House Judiciary Committee."

This family wanted to come to America, which was described as a "land of freedom and opportunity." They wanted, due to their religious beliefs, to homeschool their children in Germany, but that was not legally possible.  So, they came - they have scratched and clawed and have persevered - 10 years ago, it appeared that, while not being granted full citizenship in the U.S., they at least were permitted to stay. But, yet, for inexplicable reasons, they now have to go.  

They have stood, and were rewarded - at least temporarily.  Now, there are more battles to fight. Fortunately, they are not alone.  There are thousands who are aware of their plight and have signed a petition, and I would venture to guess that more than a few of those individuals are praying.  Because we serve a God of miracles.  They have trusted the Lord so far, and now, they are not giving up.  This can be a reminder on our journey through life: we may have encountered a difficulty, a barrier, a challenge - but we can draw strength from the One who has sustained us and believe that, because we have seen His hand in the past, that He will be faithful to us in the future.  Taking a bold stand will often come with a cost, but we can know that His Spirit will be with us.