Posts by worldrelief
World Relief Announces Opening of New Office in Whatcom County
October 15, 2021
CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
lauren.carl@pinkston.co
703-388-6734
BELLINGHAM, Wash. â World Relief has announced the opening of a new office in Whatcom County, Washington, one of several new offices slated to open around the country in the coming months to serve the refugee community.
World Reliefâs Whatcom County location, approved by the State Department in mid-September, currently has one professional staff member: resettlement manager Steven Shetterly. The officeâs focus at present is on refugee reception and placement, securing housing, helping children get into school and offering employment aid. World Relief hopes to continue to expand its services throughout Western Washington in the years to come.
“World Relief is excited to launch the Whatcom County office in concert with the community. We have been welcoming, rooting and empowering refugees and immigrants throughout the community for 40 years in Western Washington and are excited to extend our reach to Whatcom County,â said World Relief Seattle executive director Chitra Hanstad. âAs we have seen here in King County, refugees and immigrants bring their culture and innovation to our local community and economy. We look forward to this partnership and to building a thriving community together.â
World Reliefâs Whatcom County office began as a core group of volunteers who were eager to see more locations open in their region. Shetterly coordinated with Hanstad and World Relief vice president of U.S. programs Jennifer Foy, who both came alongside Shetterly and the volunteer group at large to facilitate World Reliefâs expansion into Whatcom County with their experience and resources.
âI have been thrilled to see the amount of local support shown for the opening of this office, from community organizations and faith groups to local government and the many individuals who have reached out to offer help and support. Iâm convinced that Whatcom County has the ability to serve as a place of welcome and refuge for families fleeing violence and persecution, and that ultimately we will be a stronger community because of it,â said Shetterly.
More than 4,000 Afghans arrived in Washington state with special immigrant visas from 2010 to 2020, and there are many more to come from various countries. World Reliefâs further expansion in Western Washington, starting in Whatcom, will broaden the structure of work previously being done by the organization in neighboring regions and increase its capacity to serve the refugee community within a 100-mile radius of the site.
World Reliefâs Whatcom County location will begin receiving arrivals in November. The office expects to receive 15 arrivals before the end of 2021 and plans on resettling a total of 75 throughout the remainder of the federal fiscal year. The biggest needs are finding available and affordable housing and financial funding to hire additional staff to hire staff who will be ready to welcome newcomers with excellence.
âRefugees bring their courage, creativity and resilience in the face of hardship, and we will benefit from welcoming them into our community,â said Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu. âWe look forward to providing an opportunity for these families to thrive!â
To learn more about World Reliefâs work in Whatcom County and Western Washington and how you can financially support, visit: http://tinyurl.com/whatcomrefugees.
To download a PDF version of this press release, click here.
About World Relief
World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization that brings sustainable solutions to the worldâs greatest problems â disasters, extreme poverty, violence, oppression, and mass displacement. For over 75 years, we’ve partnered with churches and community leaders in the U.S. and abroad to bring hope, healing and transformation to the most vulnerable.
Learn more at worldrelief.org.
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Died: Evelyn Mangham, Who Convinced Evangelicals to Welcome Refugees
Image: World Relief / edits by Rick Szuecs
by Daniel Silliman, Christianity Today
Churches werenât always ready to help Evelyn Mangham. When she cold-called them in 1975 seeking sponsors for refugees from the Vietnam War, they often had other plans and other financial commitments.
But in call after call with Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA) churches, and then any congregation affiliated with the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), Mangham pushed, quoted Scripture, told stories about Vietnamese people from her 20 years as a missionary, and applied moral pressure.
Fixing Up Houses For Afghan Refugees
by Ben Schamisso, Newsy
A Chicago church restores its building to help refugees from Afghanistan resettle.
Moving Beyond The Compassion Moment
Itâs been just over a month since the U.S. evacuation of Afghanistan began and a 7.2 magnitude earthquake shook Haiti. While the news headlines may be settling down, the need continues. Our U.S. offices are preparing to welcome thousands of Afghans into their communities, and our church partners in Haiti are hard at work helping their communities rebuild.
At World Relief, weâre committed to moving beyond the compassion moment â bringing hope and lasting change to the women, men and children who need it most.
This blog was originally published on Aug. 14, 2018 and was updated in September of 2021.
The âCompassion Momentâ
In 1984, BBC journalist Michael Buerk produced what was arguably the most groundbreaking news reports of the late 20th century, documenting massive famine in Ethiopia. Record low rainfalls, compounded by the effects of a brutal civil war, contributed to an estimated one million deaths and made millions more destitute. In his report, Buerk described the scenes of dying families huddled in feeding camps as âa biblical famine in the 20th century.â
The report went viral, transmitted by 425 television stations worldwide. Musicians, artists and celebrities of all kinds came together to organize fundraising events, the culmination of which was the Live Aid concert, watched by over 400 million people worldwide. The surge of compassion was huge.
Fast forward to 2008, when genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan splashed across headlines and the Save Darfur movement was born. The campaign grew like wildfire, garnering unparalleled supportâfrom high school students to politicians to Hollywoodâs biggest names.
Millions of dollars were pumped into advertising, celebrity spokespeople ensured constant media coverage and high school and college clubs and letter-writing campaigns ramped up national support in the blink of an eye. Again, the surge of compassion seemed unstoppable.
Then, in 2015, a picture of a little Syrian boy washed up on the shores of Turkey broke over the news. His name was Alan Kurdi, and he had drowned as his parents sought to escape the violence and horrors of the civil war in Syria. The image of this unimaginable horror once again fueled a compassion moment that captivated the world and led to an outpouring of generosity. The Swedish Red Cross saw donations skyrocket from $8,000 to $430,000 in one day â a pattern experienced by many other international organizations the day after Alanâs photo was released.
Each of these tragic stains on our global history have been complex and different. But they have one painful commonality. The compassion moments failed. The outpouring of support did not last. Donations stayed elevated for a few weeks â before returning to normal levels. And these crises were largely forgotten. Conflict persisted and the images of suffering became commonplace. We returned to our normal.
We should not be surprised. Today, the litany of crises around the world seems to be endless. Famine continues to stalk much of Africa periodically. The number of conflict zones seems to multiply. Mass migration driven by conflict is increasing sharply with the number of displaced people in the world today at an all-time high.
Psychic Numbing
Today, the Democratic Republic of Congo currently faces one of the worst food security crises in the world. A volcanic eruption occurred in May just outside of Goma, displacing more than 20,000 people and destroying much of the arable farmland, which the community relied on for food.
In Ethiopia, civil unrest has displaced an estimated 1.7 million people from their homes since 2020. Many are internally displaced, while others have crossed borders into Eritrea and Sudan where they live in refugee camps. And yet, these crises have hardly impinged on the consciousness of the average American. We have become numb.
Why? Perhaps it is fatigue. Perhaps itâs a belief that itâs no longer possible to make a difference. A belief that the problem is just too big. Indeed, when the World Food Program reported that it had run out of funding for its emergency response in Syria just 12 months after the outpouring of charitable giving that was spurred by Alan Kurdiâs death, many undoubtedly took this as proof that their compassion wasnât, and never would be, enough.
But what if there was a different way to respond to these crises? What if funding didnât run out with the hand-outs, but became a catalyst for crisis preventionâa hand-up? Would the world believe once again in the power of their empathy? Could we transform humanitarian responses to have impact that lasted far beyond the end date of a single crisis?
Sustainable Solutions
Humanitarian crises are rarely simple or short-lived. In fact, recent OHCA reports reveal that more than 90% of humanitarian crises last longer than three years, with the average length being seven years. It, therefore, makes sense that responses that focus only upon the immediate âcompassion momentâ to raise funding are insufficient. The root causes of most humanitarian crises, whether catalyzed by nature or by conflict, are complex and multi-dimensional. They require far more than just emergency aid. Only a response that goes beyond relief to include restoration and rebuilding will truly heal and transform suffering populations.
Thatâs why at World Relief we go beyond immediate assistance to focus on empowering local communities with sustainable solutions to these complex crises.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and other nations plagued by conflict, we design and implement programming in conflict prevention through village peace committees, interfaith peace gatherings and youth against violence initiatives. These programs ensure that peace is maintained, create stability and social harmony and provide a mechanism for communities to resolve local conflicts before they turn to war.
In parts of Africa, where drought and conflict often contribute to re-occurring food crises, we teach communities to rethink common cultural practices to ensure children begin life with proper nutrition and introduce food diversity through new agricultural techniques.
And in places like Haiti, we developed strong networks of local churches that have led to sustainable development work beyond initial disaster response. In Les Cayes, we established a church network after Hurricane Matthew struck Haiti in 2016. These church networks are now responding to the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit in August, partnering with us to do distributions and are helping us to identify those most in need.
And in the community of Mapou, Haiti our disaster risk reduction work has helped communities develop low-tech early warning systems that dramatically reduce their potential vulnerability.
In each of these cases, we mobilize the authority, knowledge and outreach capacity of local churches and other partner organizations within the affected communities, magnifying and extending the impact of our work so that change can be sustained long after we depart.
Of course, we cannot claim to have the solutions or the resources to end these humanitarian crises. But we can seek to operate beyond the compassion moment with long-term, sustainable and transformational solutions to complex crises. These solutions ensure that even in the face of crises that seem âtoo bigâ, âtoo hardâ or âtoo complicated, we can still make a differenceâbreaking the cycle of despair and empowering the most vulnerable with courage, resilience and hope.
We can still say âyesâ.
Tim Breene served on the World Relief Board from 2010 to 2015 before assuming the role of CEO from 2016-2020. Timâs business career has spanned nearly 40 years with organizations like McKinsey, and Accenture where he was the Corporate Development Officer and Founder and Chief Executive of Accenture Interactive. Tim is the co-author of Jumping the S-Curve, published by Harvard Publishing. Tim and his wife Michele, a longtime supporter of World Relief, have a wealth of experience working with Christian leaders in the United States and around the world.
Abdul’s Story
by Adrienne Morton //
Abdul* began working for the United States Government in Afghanistan in 2007. Prior to his employment with the US military, he had served as a border soldier in Afghanistan and also spent time working for the United Nations. Abdul had always been a hard worker, and his work ethic was quickly recognized by the United States as he rapidly moved his way up the ladder and ultimately served as Chief of Support for a team of Afghan soldiers working alongside Americans.
Even now with the horrific images the world is seeing out of Afghanistan, he speaks fondly of his former life. âWe had a good life back home. My family was in a village while I worked in the countryâŠwe felt comfortable thereâŠmy family was in a good position.â Having worked for the U.S. Government, Abdul qualified for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV), which allowed him to enter the U.S. under refugee status, along with his family. The SIV program is designed to protect global citizens who were formerly employed by or on behalf of the U.S. government overseas. Abdulâs family was resettled by World Relief Durham in November 2020.
Abdul was appreciative when asked about his family in Afghanistan, with whom he speaks every day. âThey are safe because they are not in Kabul. They donât go outside very often and are staying at home.â As the only member of his extended family who served with the U.S. Government, he was the sole family member who qualified for SIV status.
He believes his family in Afghanistan is safe – for now. While his extended family is healthy and has food on the table, he acknowledges that their future in Afghanistan is fraught with uncertainty and fear. âThose who worked with the U.S. and Afghan governments are not safe; there is no trust. Everyone is in danger right nowâŠpeopleâs lives are unsafeâŠevery moment is very dangerous.â
Abdul says that all Afghans are sad right now. âWe are all thinking about our families back home and how we can support them.â When asked about how the local community can help, his answer was quick and simple â âItâs your kindness.â
Starting again in the U.S. has been hard. âThere are new people, itâs a new and different country, sometimes very happy and sometimes very sad. But it is better than Afghanistan. No one wants to leave their country, but we will do our best to have a good life here.â
After being offered several employment opportunities, Abdul opted to work as a cashier at a gas station due to its proximity to his apartment. Heâs currently supporting his immediate family of nine in the U.S. and his extended family in Afghanistan through this job, though he aspires to gain employment more like what he had back in Afghanistan. âI had a big position with the U.S. Government and I will do my best to find a better job.â
When asked what he would like others to know about the situation in Afghanistan he replied, âI ask all of the world to help Afghanistan, to understand the situation there, because only Afghan people suffer from everything (happening there). I donât want this situation to continue.â
*Name changed for confidentiality
Sharing Hospitality Along The Path
People often reflect on life as a journey. Along the path, we encounter roadblocks, delays and detours â passages that seem a little too narrow and mountains that appear too steep to climb. Over hills and down through valleys, we live one day, one moment, one breath at a time.Â
When the complicated twists and turns of our own journeys become a lot to manage, itâs hard to see past our own challenges and observe the difficult roads others must travel. But on this path, our faith calls us to move steadily forward â responding with open eyes and tender hearts.
Last month, I joined World Relief as the new Program Lead for The Path community â community made up of compassionate women and men who give monthly to World Relief to bring lasting change to people and communities in need. It is a privilege to walk alongside this community as we bear witness to hope giving way to healing, calamity encountering compassion and suffering colliding with lasting solutions.Â
I recently watched this devotional from Ann Voskamp and I wanted to share a short clip of it with you today. Ann shares her conviction that the authenticity of our faith is demonstrated in our hospitality and compassion towards those in crisis, and she invited us to walk alongside a world in need. I invite you to listen to Annâs words and consider how we can take this journey together, showing hospitality and sharing Godâs love with each person we encounter along The Path. Â
Letâs take this journey together. When you join The Path in September, your entire first year of gifts will be matched dollar for dollar up to $100,000! Only a few days remain to unlock this challenge. Will you join us on The Path to lasting change and see your impact doubled today?
Denise Kersey serves as The Path Lead at World Relief. With a background serving in communication roles for missional organizations, she is passionate about connecting people with opportunities to live out their call to love and serve others.  Â
World Relief Calls for Greater Strengthening of U.S. Refugee and Asylum Systems as the Refugee Ceiling Increases to 125,000 for FY2022
September 21, 2021
CONTACT:
Audrey Garden
lauren.carl@pinkston.co
571-405-1606
BALTIMORE â Yesterday, the Biden administration reaffirmed the presidentâs commitment to set the refugee ceiling for Fiscal Year 2022 at 125,000. World Relief welcomes this increase to the refugee ceiling, which comes at a time when the world is facing the greatest refugee crisis at any time in recorded history, but calls on the administration to do more to strengthen its refugee and asylum programs to protect any individual seeking protection from persecution
âWhile 125,000 is the highest refugee ceiling since President George H. W. Bush set the ceiling at 142,000 for Fiscal Year 1993, we believe this increase in and of itself is not sufficient to provide true protection to those fleeing persecution. We must invest resources in rebuilding the resettlement program and also increasing capacities overseas to process those waiting to enter the United States. This includes providing protection to at-risk Afghans, Uyghurs facing religious persecution, Hong Kongers seeking freedom, and others who remain in dangerous situations overseas, â said World Relief Senior Vice President for Policy and Advocacy Jenny Yang. âWhile the 125,000 ceiling for FY2022 is short of our ask of 200,000 refugees we believe the United States can and should admit in FY2022, we urge the Biden administration to welcome as close to 125,000 refugees as possible while also upholding our commitments to provide protection to those arriving to our border.â
As the recent withdrawal of U.S. military presence in Afghanistan and subsequent evacuation demonstrated, the U.S. refugee admissions program is a necessary and vital tool to not only protect our allies but also those facing violence and persecution. The United States must continue to strengthen the U.S. refugee resettlement program to not only help Afghans but also others fleeing violence and persecution. The administration must also commit more resources and institute reforms to the program to ensure we can reach the goal of resettling 125,000 refugees in FY22 while also fully supporting refugee integration as they arrive in the United States. âAs most of the Afghans arriving to the United States are parolees, we urge both the administration and Congress to provide the necessary governmental support to allow Afghan parolees access to benefits and the ability to adjust status once in the United States,â said Jenny Yang at World Relief.
âWorld Relief has partnered with the U.S. State Department as well as with thousands of local churches and tens of thousands of volunteers since the 1970s to welcome approximately 300,000 refugees,â said World Relief President and CEO Myal Greene. âWeâre eager and ready to welcome more individuals who have fled persecution in their countries of origin, whether they are Afghans or Iraqis persecuted for their service to the U.S. military, those persecuted for their faith, those fleeing repressive authoritarian regimes or others who qualify under U.S. law.â
Protection for those seeking refuge in the United States is offered not just through our U.S. refugee resettlement program but through asylum at our U.S. borders. As the United States increases its annual refugee ceiling in FY2022, World Relief is concerned with the denial of due process to Haitians and others who are currently seeking asylum along the U.S.-Mexico border, many of whom are being expelled to countries of origin without being allowed to present requests for asylum. Even as World Relief welcomes those processed for refugee status abroad, we also believe that our country must respect U.S. laws that offer asylum to those who reach our country and can demonstrate a credible fear of persecution. World Relief works through local church partners in various parts of Haiti to address the troubling conditions that have led many to flee, exacerbated by the recent earthquake in Les Cayes, and we also are eager to partner with churches in the U.S. to welcome those seeking asylum who are allowed into the U.S. to await their court hearings.
To download a PDF version of this press release, click here.
About World Relief
World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization that brings sustainable solutions to the worldâs greatest problems â disasters, extreme poverty, violence, oppression, and mass displacement. For over 75 years, we’ve partnered with churches and community leaders in the U.S. and abroad to bring hope, healing and transformation to the most vulnerable. Learn more at worldrelief.org.
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Change Unites to Bring Peace and Restoration
Today, on International Day of Peace, harmony seems hard to find. Friends, families, communities and nations are divided. If youâre like us, your heart aches at the divisions driving disunity, conflict and even war around the world. But we believe Godâs heart is for reconciliation â and wherever God is, there is hope.
World Relief DR Congoâs Berger Bireo shares how he came to understand that a unified church has the power to create lasting change in communities around the globe â his own included. This lesson in unity not only shaped Bergerâs own view of the church, but has motivated him to build peace and call the global church to unite in our common identity as children of God, being agents of peace wherever we go.
*This blog was originally published on Nov. 23, 2020 and was updated on Sept. 21, 2021.
âBlessed are those who bring peace, for they will be called children of God. ” – Matthew 5: 9
Cycles of Conflict
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), referred to affectionately as the Heart of Africa â rich in resource, culture and beauty. As the second largest country in Africa, she is home to over 60 million people representing more than 450 tribes and languages.
Although DRC’s tribes have lived together for centuries, some influential leaders have exploited their differences and created artificial ethnic rivalries. Sustained conflicts have been fueled by various sources: armed militias, land disputes, the return of refugees and internally displaced people, gender-based violence and the widespread rape of women. As a result, the nation and its people have been engaged in a cycle of conflict and violence which has stolen more than five million lives and kept millions more from being able to realize their full potential.
Since 1996, people have not experienced a notable period of peace. In fact, the majority of children in eastern DRC have never known peace in their lives.
An Instrument of Peace
Itâs easy to be overwhelmed and discouraged by this conflict-ridden history. There are days when I myself struggle to see beyond these seemingly devastating challenges. Yet I believe that God gave us the very instrument needed to establish peace in DRC: the Church.
I did not always recognize the power the local church could have in bringing peace to DRC. In fact, prior to joining the World Relief team, I worked as a Pentecostal pastor. I loved my congregation, but we were inward-looking, believing our needs and our views were all that was important. Working with World Relief has changed the way I view things. I now see that when the whole body of Christ is united together â regardless of church or denomination â we can move mountains.
At World Relief, we believe that when the church is mobilized to achieve its full potential, it has the power to change our world. The local church offers the greatest hope of reconciliation between classes, tribes, ethnicities and political parties by unifying people under a common identity in Christ. In DRC, Iâve seen this with my own eyes.
As head of the Department of Mobilizing Churches for Integral Mission, I lead trainings with local church leaders, encouraging them to recognize the positive impact of coming together in unity to address their communityâs problems. Together, Iâve witnessed these once divided churches mobilize to serve the most vulnerable â building houses for widows and widowers, visiting the sick and taking care of orphans.
As a field agent, I also facilitated the establishment of 130 village peace committees in some of the DRCâs most tumultuous areas. Through this effort, we reunited more than 2,000 divided families, as well as the communities of North Kivu Province, who once saw one another as enemies, but who today come together as friends working toward peace and unity.
Village Peace Committees are part of an ongoing peacebuilding initiative that World Relief has embarked on in partnership with local churches and community leaders in eastern DRC. Each committee is made up of 10 members from various social and ethnic groups in the community who are trained in conflict mediation and relationship restoration, seeking to promote peace between individuals, families and communities. This mediation interrupts the cycles of revenge that have the potential to escalate to violence by focusing on reconciliation and forgiveness.
A Vision for Unity
Today, many local churches have become instruments for transformation and unity in DRC. Five years ago I would not have believed this possible. And itâs my greatest prayer that this can be true for the global church, too â that Godâs people, united around their common identity as children of the Most High, would lead us in the way of Peace.
On the night before He was crucified, Jesus prayed that we would be one as He and the Father were one (John 17:21). The theme extends throughout scripture. Psalm 133 exclaims âhow good and pleasant is it when brothers dwell together in unity.â
1 Corinthians 1:10 appeals âthat there be no divisions among you.â And Galatians 3:28 tells us âThere is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.â
As Christians, we are called to be agents of peace, and to put our identity in Christ alone. This is no small task, and it is hard work. But I believe this was the very purpose for which the church was created. As followers of Jesus, we must be the shining city upon the hill. We must lead in love because we cannot call people to live differently if we ourselves cannot gather together in peace and unity.
Each night, my family and I gather in prayer for DRC. We pray for the people of our nation, for sustainable peace and for DRC to serve as an example of the change that is possible when once divided churches and communities unify for peace.
Take the next step to build peace and lasting change in communities across the globe by joining The Path. Now through September 30, 2021, when you join The Path with a monthly gift, your entire first year of giving will be matched up to $100,000.
Berger Bireo has been working with World Relief DR Congo since 2013. He started as a conflict resolution facilitator and is currently Deputy Program Coordinator and Chaplain of World Relief Congo. He is passionate about working for social, economic and spiritual change for World Relief staff and their families, as well as for whole communities in order to create peace for the sustainable development of Godâs children.
Loving Your Neighbor is a Key Part of Being a Good Citizen
On September 17th, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services invites âAmericans to reflect on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and what it means to be a U.S. citizen.â
Today, on Citizenship Day, World Reliefâs Karen Spencer, who recently became a U.S. citizen herself, reflects on what her journey to citizenship has taught her about loving our neighbors and being a good citizen.
My Story
Growing up in a small city in central Canada, I was surrounded by immigrant families who openly shared stories of endurance and escape, now embraced by a new country to call home. These families immigrated from places like Ukraine, Hungary, Poland, Chile and Vietnam.
Most of my classmates were first or second-generation Canadians whose parents or grandparents warmly welcomed me into their homes, sharing interesting foods before sending me off with well-wishes in varying languages or accents.
As a second-generation Canadian myself, I clung to the tidbits of my Scottish, French and British family histories that I caught from conversations and scrapbooks. The movement of people fascinated me, so it wasnât a surprise that I looked beyond my own country as a young adult to study in the United States. What I did not expect, however, was to fall in love with an American, marry and become an immigrant myself!
Becoming a Citizen
A few years ago, I worked with a World Relief Immigration Legal Specialist to pursue naturalization. Throughout the process, I was impressed by the expectation for me to have already displayed certain characteristics of citizenship: good moral character, adhering to the law and demonstrated service in my community.
But what intrigued me, however, was how community awareness and action were also strongly emphasized as required responsibilities for me and my fellow new citizens.
Beyond the application process itself, the naturalization ceremony emphasized giving back to our new country through acts of service. Various organizations had set up booths in a type of information fair to help us immediately find ways to serve the community. The definition of citizenship as the qualities that a person is expected to have as a responsible member of a community, was on full display.
This experience left me to wonder, do most other Americans realize this moral obligation as citizens? Or do many consider this responsibility to only apply collectively rather than personally?
Moreover, my faith compelled me to think even deeper â could it be that Godâs call for me to love my neighbor is a key part of being a good citizen?
An Unsettling Reality
Lately, I have felt unsettled as Iâve watched the news and considered all the events that have forcibly displaced so many women, men and children from their homes: fires, floods, hurricanes, famine, political uprisings, war.
More than 82 million people currently live their lives displaced from their homes â some have been temporarily internally displaced, like those in Louisiana affected by Hurricane Idaâs devastating floods, or those in Haiti affected by the recent earthquake that happened in August.
Others have been evacuated from their countries on military planes as we witnessed in Afghanistan. Even more walk or run to the borders of neighboring countries for shelter in temporary refugee camps, wanting to return home, but most often left stateless for years, as fewer than one percent are invited for permanent resettlement in a third country â hopes and dreams are put on hold as the basic need for survival and safety dominate decisions.
If youâre like me, all of this can feel overwhelming, leaving you at a loss of what to do or how to help.
But as both an immigrant and naturalized citizen, I have learned that you and I hold a unique position of power, influence and responsibility, both as individuals and collectively. We can make a difference in the lives of our neighbors near and far, and as citizens of the United States, we have both a right and responsibility to do so.
From Awareness to Action
For most of my adult life, I have prayerfully discerned and sought out opportunities to love my neighbors next door, across town and around the world. But it wasnât until I came to World Relief that I found my way and my voice as both an immigrant and naturalized citizen, to move from awareness to action â specifically when it came to meeting the needs of my immigrant neighbors and people forcibly displaced.
What I love most about my work at World Relief is that I get to invite others to join me. You and I donât have to be stuck, distraught by the headlines. With World Relief, we can move to meaningful love-in-action through advocacy, giving financially and relationally welcoming and walking alongside our newest neighbors.
Beyond all of the ways to do this with World Relief, each of us can start by recognizing that our neighbors near and far are image-bearers of God. We can look people in the eye with care and concern, truly seeing them and their situation and recognizing without judgment that we might be in a position to help.
Individually, we can pray about what God is inviting us to do personally, or who He is inviting us to befriend, showing love in word and deed. Whether itâs joining a World Relief Good Neighbor Team, volunteering at a local library or preparing a meal for your neighbor whose spouse is going through cancer treatment, there are limitless opportunities for us to love our neighbor as Jesus so beautifully lived out throughout scripture.
On Citizenship Day, and every day, letâs demonstrate true citizenship by actively loving and welcoming our neighbors, together.
Karen Spencer is World Reliefâs U.S. Marketing Partner and serves U.S. offices in the area of identity and messaging. She previously served as Mobilization Director for World Relief in Memphis, where she lives. She is a connector of people, places, passions and purpose.
US families step up to welcome Afghan refugees in their homes
by Katie Kindelan, Good Morning America
Kenneth and Adi Martinez have an extra bedroom in the home they share outside of Seattle with their 6-month-old son and 3-year-old daughter.
So when the Martinezes watched the coverage of tens of thousands of people fleeing Afghanistan last month as the Taliban took over, they stepped up to help.
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