Babies on the Move

I was at the barbershop last week waiting my turn, so I looked for reading material. I should say that I'm at the stage of life where the haircut portion of the visit with the barber is brief, while my beard requires much more attention. 

I found a recent copy of National Geographic with a cover title World on the Move and as it suggests it addresses the global reality and crisis of migrants and refugees. One photo essay was on babies born without a nation, often in dire conditions. There were many photos of Rohingya infants, children born in Bangladesh after their families fled Myanmar or Burma because they have been persecuted. An estimated 60 stateless babies are born in Bangladesh camps every day. 



Rohingya Refugee Babies

Even though this was a summer issue of National Geographic it seemed so appropriate given that a Global Refugee Forum has just taken place for the first time in Geneva, Switzerland. Lo and behold many of the participants were refugees. 

Of course I was also thinking about our Christian migrant family story as I looked at the photos of babies. Jesus, born in a stable, whose parents were eventually forced to flee to Egypt to escape death. How can we turn away knowing that central to our salvation story is this baby on the move? 



Refugees at the Global Refugee Forum