Hi, friends!
My name is Dora Mahoe. I am twenty-three years old and from Kauai, Hawaii. My placement with GoCorps is with United World Mission, and I will be doing refugee ministry in Phoenix, Arizona. I first became passionate about refugee ministry during a study abroad program in Brisbane, Australia. In one of my classes, we discussed Australia’s refugee issue, and that motivated me to further study the refugee issue for my senior paper. While I was researching for my paper I came across Acts 17:26-27, which states,
“From one man [God] made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” (NIV)
In a nutshell, this verse tells how God sets people in specific times and places with the hope that they will seek and know Him. When I read this verse and thought about it in regards to refugees, I realized the refugee issue was a missional opportunity. Although it was overwhelming, God was inviting me to see how He is redeeming horrible circumstances by moving masses of people from different countries and bringing them to countries like the United States where (possibly for the first time) they can meet Christians and encounter the gospel. Acts 17:26-27 challenged me so much that it compelled me to pursue refugee ministry opportunities after I graduated college.
As I look at where I’m now, I can definitely say my passion for refugees did not come in one moment, but instead it grew from different choices I made. Who knew my decision to study abroad in Australia would lead me to learn about refugees, which led me to do a college paper on refugees, which led me to realize I wanted to pursue refugee ministry, which finally led me to the GoCorps? I sure didn’t! Three years later, when I look back at what God has done in my life, I’m realizing He’s forming a pretty cool story, and it’s definitely far from over! I’m very excited for you all to join me in this story too.