In July 2019, Luke & Jenny Herrin, AIM’s International Director and his wife, went on an AIM summer team in Catania, Sicily.
The migrants we met were all from West Africa. The Senegalese are street vendors, have residency papers, and have been there for years. The Gambians are mostly young men without papers and are very connected to Jamaican Reggae culture. There are a smattering of others from Mali, Guinea, Nigeria, and Ivory Coast. Some have horrific migration stories; some came on aeroplanes. Some live on the streets; some in apartments. Some have found stable places in society; some sell drugs. But with the exception of the Nigerians, everyone we met was Muslim.
Because we speak French, we found natural connections. In general, we asked about their story, told some of our story, and asked if they wanted to hear God’s story. For those who were interested, we followed up with Bible studies. Otherwise, we prayed for them and offered a brochure or gospel. At the end of our 10 days, we connected the interested ones with long term missionaries.
This kind of outreach is difficult. The days were hot and long, and many migrants were not open to the gospel. We planted many seeds, watered others, prayed a lot, and trust a harvest will come.