Where is Your Home?

By Eric Tangumonkem, Ph.D.

You might have migrated from your country of birth for the sole purpose of securing better education or greener pastures. However, God has a bigger plan for your life, and He wants to use you to be light and salt in a world that is decaying and walking in darkness. It is a privilege to be called by God to partner with Him to accomplish this important mission. That is not to say that securing a good education or greener pastures is negative. But these things are secondary to the responsibility of being a priest of God, and you should never disobey God for any economic or worldly gain. This sums up our love for God. When you love God, you will love people. And when you love people, you will share with them the greatest ever news. This is your opportunity to participate in Mission Dei.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IEM Press
• Release date: Mar 31, 2021

Eric Tangumonkem, Ph.D.

I am excited about people, their stories, where they have been, where they are and where they are going. I love to inspire and motivate people to be ALL God created them to be. I know that with God all things are possible. For I was born in a Caldera on the Cameroon volcanic Line in a village with little resources and face a lot of challenges growing up.I have a Bachelor in Geology and Sociology from the University of Buea, a Masters in Earth Sciences from the University of Yaounde and a Doctorate in Geosciences from The University of Texas at Dallas. In addition to being a consultant geologist, I am a poet, an inspirational speaker and President of Equipping of the Saints International Ministries. I am married to Elizabeth and God has blessed us with four children; Afaamboma, Nstongmboma, Elotmboma and Abuetmboma.

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Introduction

Now that you are in the United States of America, what is your plan of action? What in the world caused you to leave your country of birth and travel thousands of miles to live in a different country? Why did you choose the United States of America out of all the many possible countries you could have moved to? Are you aware of the call of God upon your life and how this applies to your present situation? What are some of the challenges you have faced, and are still facing, since you moved to the United States of America? The list of questions can go on and on, and you might be wondering why I am asking so many.

The questions posed here are among some of the most common that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have to answer sooner or later after moving to a new country. This book will be addressing primarily Christians who have moved to the United States of America from elsewhere in the world. That said, it does not negate the fact that all immigrants can benefit from the information, suggestions, and solutions that will be presented in this book.

Care has been taken to focus on the United States of America because after more than fifteen years living in the United States, interacting with scores of Christian immigrants and listening to their challenges and frustrations here, I have found there is a need to present answers to some of the questions posed. In addition to answers, it is imperative to present solutions to some of the challenges faced by Christian immigrants and pave a way forward for both the immigrants and the country.

This is not an attempt to speak on behalf of all immigrants, and the content of this book will be drawn from my personal walk with the Lord in the United States, the Holy Bible, and the experiences of other immigrants. Therefore, you are invited to have an open mind as you consider the information presented in this book. I hope that you will find it stimulating and engaging, and that the information will help you navigate some of the complexities of living and practicing your Christian faith in the United States of America. If you are in another country, some of the principles presented in this book will also apply to you and can be beneficial. This is because the challenge of finding your place in a different country is universal.

It does not matter where you are from in the world, moving countries will always provide the challenge of learning how to adapt and to fit in. In addition to fitting in, you have to be accepted by your new country or community, and this, too, may not be easy; some people may be resistant to your presence and do all in their power to make life difficult for you, possibly with the hope of driving you away. Some of this behavior is driven by fear and narrow-mindedness.

Some members of your host country may perceive you as competition for scarce resources, believing you are there to take something from them. They may think that your presence will dilute and pollute their pristine culture and way of life. Before we blame these individuals, we must give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that they are acting out of ignorance. If they understood that immigrants came to add value, instead of carrying the mind-set of taking from the country, and that immigrants are an answer to prayer, they would be delighted to welcome us. Therefore, the challenge you have as an immigrant is how to navigate through these potential obstacles and debunk common stereotypes without causing anger or bitterness.

It is not uncommon to hear immigrants talk about the ills of racism, xenophobia, bigotry, hatred, and discrimination. They point fingers at the citizens of their new country, and they complain that their lack of social mobility is a direct result of these social ills. The issue of racism, hatred, and discrimination toward immigrants is not restricted to the United States of America alone. Before we address this issue, it is important to note that wherever and whenever people move to a new area—especially when their culture is different from that of the community or country they are moving into—there is a tendency for the host community to be skeptical. The degree and intensity of this reaction often varies in direct relation to the extent of these perceived differences.

The main thrust of this book is to answer the following two questions: What made you choose to leave your country of birth? Why did you choose to immigrate to the United States of America? If you are in another country, you can frame the questions to meet your own needs. These two questions are crucial because they hold the key as to how you will respond to the possible challenges of racism, hatred, discrimination, and any other difficulty you come across, no matter how hard.

How well you do in the United States of America, and the degree of impact you have in this country, hinges on how you answer these two questions. Over the years, I have heard many responses to these questions from many immigrants. The most common answer is that many left their country in search of greener pastures because where they were born failed to provide adequate economic opportunities. That is why many left in pursuit of the American dream and are in the United States of America to raise money to better their lives and those of their loved ones. Other immigrants believe that God sent them as missionaries to the United States of America to be used by Him to expand His kingdom.

Some Christians believe that they are on God’s mission when asked the why of their displacement from one country to the other. This book is about Mission Dei, and the place and role of every Bible-believing child of God who is an immigrant. It does not matter where a Bible-believing Christian migrates to, they are already pilgrims on God’s mission, for our God is a missional God whose goal is to reconcile the fallen world to Himself.

It is an honor and privilege to be on a mission with God; the central message in this book is to challenge and awaken the consciousness of EVERY believer to the urgency of this mission and the crucial role they are called to play. When the believer starts understanding and living in obedience to this important mission, every other thing will come into focus for them. When this happens, the immigrant believer will truly become a blessing to their new country. Anything short of this is a waste of kingdom resources and time. The call to live for the eternal, and to invest our resources in God’s kingdom, is extremely clear throughout the Bible. In addition to this call to partner with God, the entire Bible is all about Mission Dei. Therefore, every believer’s preoccupation should be on how to partner with God and accomplish God’s mission.

There is a huge cost associated with migrating from one country to another. In addition to the financial cost of migrating, the immigrants often make many sacrifices upon leaving their country of birth. This is why settling for anything, but the eternal is a waste of resources and makes these sacrifices worthless. The aim of this book is not only to highlight some of the cost and sacrifices associated with immigration; it is also to inspire, equip, and motivate every immigrant who is a believer of our Lord, Savior, and Master Jesus Christ to make the most of what they have lost or invested in making their displacement possible.

This will be done by drawing from the cloud of witnesses that have already gone before us. The Bible is filled with numerous examples of people of God who were called and instructed by Him to move to foreign countries to accomplish God’s mission. The most famous example is that of Abraham, who moved from Ur of the Chaldeans to the promised land.

For some people of God, slavery meant they were forced to migrate and were subjected to terribly inhumane conditions, but God still used them to accomplish His mission. The case of Joseph comes in mind when one thinks of gross injustice and God’s redemption work. Despite being a slave and wrongfully accused by his master’s wife, Joseph rose up to the occasion and partook in the Mission Dei.

The three Hebrew boys, Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego, are another excellent example of God’s people not allowing social injustice to prevent them from participating in the mission of God in their generation. The prophet Daniel stands tall as an epitome of a God-fearing person who stood his ground and allowed God’s mission to take precedence over his personal safety and preservation of his life.

Queen Esther is another perfect example of sacrificing all for the mission of God to be accomplished. When faced with the possibility of being killed for standing with the people of God, she chose to identify with God’s people; she was willing to give up her powerful, prestigious, and privileged position as the queen of Persia. Even when the king told her that he was willing to give her anything she asked for, including half of his entire kingdom, Queen Esther asked only for the lives of her people to be spared. If she was thinking like any typical immigrant whose overarching drive is the American dream, she would have asked for material things, but she did not.

This book will also highlight a category of people, such as the priest Ezra and the governor Nehemiah, who had to move back to their country of birth to fulfill God’s mission. Most of the time when immigration is discussed, the focus is mainly on moving in one direction, which is not always the case. Some immigrants have a temporary assignment and will eventually have to return to their country of birth to fulfill their ultimate calling.

Therefore, it is crucial for each Christian immigrant to understand their place in God’s mission. Are they in the United States of America for a permanent or temporary assignment? This is a question that MUST be answered, and it cannot be glossed over by any believer who wants to fulfill God’s will for their lives. The believer cannot afford to make a guess when it comes to such matters of life and death that have eternal ramifications.

Another pertinent example that comes to mind is that of Jesus Christ. Although He was born, lived, spoke, and acted like somebody who was an immigrant, He made it clear that His kingdom was not of this world and His mission was Mission Dei. This understanding informed everything about His life and explains why Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price by dying on a rugged Roman cross among thieves even though He knew no sin.

This is not a book about social justice and fair treatment of immigrants. This does not mean social justice and fair treatment are not important issues to be addressed, but the mission of God transcends whatever social or political conditions are in place. For example, when Jesus migrated to Earth, the Roman empire occupied Judea and Samaria, but this did not prevent Him from accomplishing God’s mission. Instead, God used the Romans, as they issued the decree to crucify Jesus, and they provided the soldiers who carried out the execution.

Joseph, Daniel, Esther, and most of the other immigrants were forcefully carried into slavery and captivity, but they rose up above this social injustice and accomplished God’s mission because their focus was on the eternal and not the temporal. We are all called to live with an eternal perspective. If we fail to have an eternal perspective (the bigger picture in mind), we allow the temporal to rob us of the call to rule and subdue the earth. The danger is that, instead of walking in the spirit, we fall into the temptation to walk in the flesh. Instead of having an attitude of gratitude, we murmur and complain and blame everybody else except ourselves. Eventually, we start making excuses for not accomplishing God’s mission, and if we are not careful, hatred can consume our hearts as we try to win a spiritual battle using physical weapons.

Our reaction to racism and hate is bitterness, discrimination, and hatred in return. Our justification is that we are unwanted, and since they are unwelcoming and unfriendly, we are going to segregate ourselves and do our own thing. Whose mission are you on? Are you on God’s mission? If your answer is YES, then it is time to figure out how to conduct yourself in a manner that is worthy of this calling. The good news is that no government, race, or creed can stop you from accomplishing God’s mission; absolutely nothing in heaven, on Earth, or under the earth can stop you from accomplishing God’s mission. Let me put it more bluntly: even death cannot stop you! This book is here to help you as you embark on this important mission. God bless you.

Chapter 1

The need of the hour

What is the need of the hour? To those concerned about the future of the planet, global warming is the need of the hour and must be tackled immediately. According to some, the human population is growing at an exponential rate and will lead to the destruction of the Earth, so the need of the hour is to reduce the rate of population growth. The need of the hour for others is giving women access to untethered abortion, enabling them to have control over their own bodies. There is widespread social inequality across the world, and something must be done to curb this. Therefore, the need of the hour is social justice .

For others, the need of the hour is a world without borders, facilitating the free movement of people, goods, and services. A huge stockpile of nuclear weapons threatens to wipe out the entire human civilization. To prevent this impending danger, the need of the hour is to destroy all nuclear weapons, as well as other weapons of mass destruction. Politicians would argue that the need of the hour is an electorate that will give them the required votes to win an election. Police officers will say there is a need for less crime being committed. Married folk may state the need is for more happiness in their relationship. Children will likely say they need parents who are there for them.

In a world torn apart by war and the resulting social upheaval, millions believe the need of the hour is world peace. In addition to war, millions of people are living in abject poverty accompanied by hunger and malnutrition. Therefore, the need of the hour to some is to end world poverty and famine. Millions of people die each year from preventable diseases due to lack of clean water and basic sanitation. Therefore, one could argue that the need of the hour is to provide clean, potable water to the millions who do not have access to a safe supply. In some countries, the patient-doctor ratio is as high as 50,000 patients per doctor; therefore, the need of the hour is universal health care. The rallying cry of many is that everybody needs access to a medical doctor when they are sick.

The need of the hour for others is increased technology to relieve humans of the burden of work. Some believe it is well-funded educational programs that will help eradicate illiteracy worldwide. Others argue that the need of the hour is inclusion and tolerance because we are currently living in a world filled with racism, bigotry, hate, xenophobia, islamophobia, etc.

The need of the hour as portrayed by news headlines can go on and on. But what is the actual need of the hour? While there is nothing wrong in advocating world peace, social justice, the end of world poverty and hunger, eradication of certain diseases, destruction of nuclear weapons, etc., our best efforts in tackling these are providing only a momentary relief. This does not in any way downplay the importance of doing all we can to alleviate poverty, provide affordable health care, and eradicate disease. But, as we engage in this, we should not allow the temporal and momentary to blindside us from the eternal.

Why is there so much dysfunction in the world? Why can’t we all get along? Why is there disease, death, and decay? Why is there so much suffering in the world? Why do awful things happen to good people? Why is the natural environment deteriorating? Where are we from? Why are we here, and where are we headed to? In other words, is there anything more to life than to live and die? There seems to be an expiration date for everything on Earth; even rocks that are hard and strong break down over time.

The cause of all our problems is a three-letter word: SIN. When Adam and Eve decided to listen to the lies of the devil—by partaking in the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, desiring to be like God—they unleashed death and destruction in epic proportion. This death not only affected humans, but it has also impacted the natural environment as well. A perfect and tranquil world was suddenly thrown into a death spiral, and it will take divine intervention to reclaim and restore things back to perfection.

Sin is a result of rejecting God and doing our own thing. The following Bible verse clearly says: For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Rom. 3:23) Here, all means each and every human, because we are all the seed of Adam, and his disobedience was passed down to us.

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, death came to all people, because all sinned. (Rom. 5:12)

To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come. (Rom. 5:13-14)

Adam was given free will to choose between trusting God and following his natural inclination, and he chose the latter. All humans are a seed of Adam and are culpable as well. The physical world was not spared either. All you need to do is turn on the radio, pick up a newspaper, turn on your TV set, or browse the internet to see firsthand the devastating consequences of sin: the shattered hopes, broken marriages, murder, hatred, violence, sexual immorality, sodomy, pride, arrogance, bitterness, resentment, gossiping, blackmailing, lies, greed, selfishness, covetousness, gluttony, idolatry, love of money, blasphemy, filthy talk, dishonoring parents, anger, enmity, rage, rioting, wrath, unforgiving hearts, stealing, bribery, extortion, laziness, cheating, lying, hypocrisy, flattery, slander, deceit, defrauding of others, lust, sensuality, sorcery, jealousy, drunkenness, materialism, etc.

All the challenges and problems plaguing mankind today can be traced back to sin. The news headlines of gruesome acts and all manner of evil are manifestations of sin in the world. In other words, humans are reaping what they sow. Sin was a result of an act of disobedience and for every act there is reward. In the case of sin, the reward is death: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 6:23)

The first part of the verse talks about death, and the second part presents a solution from God, our Creator. Let us address the issue of death and its dire and devastating consequences. Death means separation and has a physical and spiritual dimension. Presently, all who have not been reconciled to God are spiritually dead, and if they die in their current state, they will be separated from God eternally. After they die on Earth, they will face God’s judgment and will eventually be sent to hell, a lake of fire and brimstone. This place of torment and suffering was prepared for the devil and all the fallen angles, not for mankind. But any human who chooses to live without God and continue in sin will end up in hell, eternally separated from God.

Throughout human history, many have pondered how a good God can send people to hell where they will suffer for ever more. This is a serious topic that needs to be addressed, and much ink has been spilled by many over millennia, but the answer is not conclusive. I personally believe that God does not send anybody to hell: people choose to go there. Just as a magnet will attract any element that has magnetic properties, people who insist on remaining in their sin and being separated from God will be attracted to hell. Because they did not have God in them, they would equally reject going to heaven to be with the Lord. Even if they were forced into heaven, they would be so uncomfortable, they would demand to leave. It is sad and unfortunate that some people have willfully refused to place themselves under the leadership of their Creator. Blaming God for our actions is not a solution because, as we are going to see, God has already