Lonely Migrants: The Church Can Listen
Nearly a quarter of those who migrate say they feel lonely and anxious; the church can be the first safe place.
Telemundo Atlanta reported, within the #VivirMejor series, that nearly 25% of immigrants admit to feeling lonely and suffering from anxiety (Telemundo Atlanta). There are also migrants who feel lonely in crowded churches, and that figure should make us slow down.
I don't read that number as a thermometer of anyone's faith, but as a wound. Changing countries dismantles the networks that held life together: family nearby, the friend from the neighborhood, the pastor who knew your name. You arrive in a place where everything works, but where no one waits for you on Sunday. No one should call that a lack of faith. It is a loss with a name of its own, and naming it is the first step to walking alongside it.
What the figure doesn't manage to say
Such a high percentage should make anyone who works with young people uncomfortable. Because the young person who feels lonely almost never says so.
«No one should call that a lack of faith. It is a loss with a name of its own.»
They don't say it at home, so as not to worry those who made so many sacrifices. They don't say it at church, because they fear being answered with a pressured Bible verse and being told it's a lack of faith. So they smile, serve on the worship team, translate the sermon for their parents, and go back to their room with the same weight on their shoulders.
The psalmist didn't hide that weight: "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18, ESV). God is not offended by those who weep. He draws near.
Faith is not anesthesia
Here I want to be clear, because sometimes we mix two things up. Prayer is necessary. Prayer is not the same as treating clinical anxiety.
The anxiety that won't let you sleep, that tightens your chest and doesn't go away with a night's rest needs professional support, just as a fracture needs a doctor. Prayer accompanies that process; it doesn't replace it. A misused Bible verse can close a door for years.
Substituting therapy for prayer is not faith, it is abandonment with religious language. Paul put it another way: "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2, ESV). Bearing burdens is not giving quick advice. It is staying.
A safe place before a correct answer
I wonder how many young people between two cultures are sitting in our pews without anyone knowing their full name.
The church has something no social network offers: presence. A face that recognizes you every week, a shared meal, someone who asks twice because the first answer is always "everything's fine."
You don't need a huge program. You need an adult who listens without interrupting and without diagnosing, and a small group where you can say "I'm not okay today" without it becoming a topic for the whole congregation.
If you recognize yourself in that figure, take a step this week: tell someone you trust, your pastor, or a health professional. If it's an emergency, call your country's emergency services. And something we at Sígueme recommend: the findahelpline.com directory.
Loneliness isn't solved with more activity, but with someone who sits beside you. Who could you listen to today?
