CLARKSTON, Ga. – In a city known as the most diverse square mile in America, 10 Arkansas Baptist women recently joined local ministries to serve, learn, and build lasting connections with refugee families.
The group traveled to Clarkston, Georgia, an Atlanta suburb that has become home to refugees from around the world. Approximately 1.8 square miles in size, Clarkston represents more than 60 countries and more than 120 different people groups.
Organized by the Arkansas Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU), the trip, March 23-27, marked the third visit to Clarkston since 2019. Seven participants were visiting the refugee community for the first time.
“We really felt like this was something the Lord was leading us to do again,” Arkansas WMU Executive Director Laura Bramlett said, noting interest following their Annual Meeting and Missions Celebration in September, where ladies heard from Susie Helton, director of the Refugee Sewing Society.
The Refugee Sewing Society in Clarkston is a faith-based non-profit that serves refugee women by providing a safe community to build relationships, creative arts skills training, and an opportunity to earn an income through sales of products they create.
Serving the Community Through Relationships
For this trip, the team partnered with local ministry leaders who coordinated the week and provided cultural orientation. Through their leadership, the group learned more about the refugee journey and ministries serving the community.
Each day, the team split to serve in different ways. Some worked alongside women at the Refugee Sewing Society, helping cut fabric and encourage volunteers. Others served at Clarkston International Bible Church, cleaning classrooms, organizing donated goods and preparing seasonal clothing for distribution. The group also completed a Refugee Loss Simulation.
Afternoons often took the group into nearby apartment complexes, where they prayer walked and invited residents to an upcoming Easter service.
Bramlett said those encounters highlight the importance of relational ministry, especially in a community as culturally diverse as Clarkston.
“With so many different cultures, you can’t immediately share everything,” Bramlett said. “You have to build trust first. You have to become a familiar face.”
She said the team was intentional about approaching ministry in a way that supported long-term relationships rather than short-term interactions.
“When we first began talking about the trip, the question wasn’t, ‘What do we want to do?’” Bramlett said. “It was, ‘What would be most helpful to you?’ because we’re leaving, but the people serving there are staying.”
That mindset shaped how the team engaged with residents — from prayer walking to accepting invitations into homes — with a focus on listening, learning and forming genuine connections.
“It’s a slower kind of ministry,” Bramlett said. “But it’s meaningful because those relationships can continue to grow long after we’re gone.”
She added that seeing doors open with Afghan families during the trip reinforced that approach.
“When God opened those opportunities, it was a reminder that the people already there will keep building those relationships,” she said. “We’re just getting to be a small part of what He’s already doing.”
Those intentional efforts often led to meaningful conversations and unexpected connections.
Meaningful Moments and Global Perspective
“It was so beautiful to watch all of the ‘God moments’ unfold through even things we might view as small,” said Abby Hutchins of Shiloh Community Church in Fayetteville. “We heard powerful testimonies from refugees who are believers. It reminded me that God is always at work.”
In several cases, team members were invited into homes.
“One of my favorite moments was being welcomed in by a Muslim woman who only spoke a few words of English,” Hutchins said. “Her hospitality and love for us, despite being far from home and from a different culture, was incredible.”
The team also supported Thrive, a cooking ministry connected to the church that provides opportunities for refugee women to prepare meals and share their stories. During the week, participants heard testimonies from women whose journeys spanned continents and cultures.
The group also supported refugee-owned businesses, including Refuge Coffee Co. and local restaurants.
Participants said relationships built during the trip were just as impactful as the work itself.
“My heart was encouraged by women who are ahead of me in life and faith,” Hutchins said. “They poured into me in ways that strengthened my walk with Jesus.”
For Arkansas WMU President Lisa Jones, the experience reflected the global reach of the Gospel.
“I was reminded of a vivid snapshot of the world compressed into a single square mile,” Jones said. “I stood in awe of the people we met — their courage, resilience and perseverance.”
Drawing from her experience serving overseas with the International Mission Board, Jones said she was encouraged by the unity among ministries in Clarkston.
“It was inspiring to see Christian organizations working together with a shared purpose — that all might know Christ,” she said. “The hospitality of the community and the long-term commitment of those serving there left a lasting impression.”
Bramlett said the trip was designed not only as a mission effort but also as a vision experience.
“It’s important that we come alongside what God is already doing,” she said. “We’re there for a short time, but the people serving in Clarkston continue building those relationships every day.”
The goal, she said, is for participants to return home with a broader perspective.
“That they would come, see what God is doing, and then go back and bring others,” Bramlett said.
For Hutchins, that impact continues.
“I can’t stop thinking about the trip,” she said. “I’m asking how we take what God did there and live it out at home.”
