It’s been an incredible past week for all the wrong reasons: sky-rocketing case numbers in NSW, the destruction in Haiti and then just when you thought you were regrouping from that – the Taliban have regained control in Afghanistan.

Shocking scenes in the global news: the sheer desperation of those striving to flee from an oppressive rule, cruelty and death. The queuing for days in sheer chaos that, really, no one can control.

It’s been horrific to watch.

Evidently, no one expected it to become this bad, this soon – yet it did.

And whilst these tragedies continue, there has still been hope.

I watched a news reporter from UAE explaining how no US flights had been able to leave Kabul because of an air traffic jam in the UAE. It reminded me of how connected the globe is right now.

In these connections comes the opportunity to provide compassion. Britain and Germany have said they will provided places for aircraft to land as a staging post for wherever they may be headed next. Praise God for that. As a result, citizens of foreign countries and Afghani refugees may have safe passage out.

Who else may be able to help them? How can I help them?

In lockdown, in Sydney, with only my laptop at my fingertips (literally), there really does seem to be little that I can do, other than pray.

Pray for safe passage out of Afghanistan for all those who seek it.

Pray for protection for all those who have helped allied peacekeepers.

Pray for the women and children of Afghanistan who have had their rights decimated, that they may regain freedom and fruitful, meaningful lives once more.

They’ve been shocking scenes in Kabul, but they’re not what brought me to tears watching the news this week. That came on Saturday night.

Their faces were blurred, still they looked exhausted in the way they carried themselves.

Some were Australians. Others were freshly establishing their status as refugees.

They had reached safe haven in Western Australia on Friday night. They walked out onto the tarmac into the rain at Perth airport at about 1:30 in the morning. It was dark and they were ushered quickly into hotel quarantine.

And watching it brought tears to my eyes because they had found their freedom.

There hasn’t been much of anything good in the news lately, but watching a few people that I’ve never met before walk across a tarmac, was the best thing I’ve seen all week.

Confined in my apartment, there’s not much I can do but pray for them. So I will. There’s one other thing I can do though and that’s offer a word:

“Welcome”

Yours in the safe haven,

Alison