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Our view: Welcoming the stranger
Winston-Salem Journal //
A letter soliciting support from members of Congress — including our own Sens. Richard Burr and Thom Tillis — will, we hope, be influential. Its cause is compassionate and just.
The letter, signed by more than 70 evangelical pastors, leaders and church members — participants in the Evangelical Immigration Table — urges our legislators to provide permanent legal status to Afghans who are already resettled across the U.S. after fleeing from the nightmare of Afghanistan’s final days as a democracy in August 2021.
These are the people, and their family members, who assisted the U.S. military and other Americans during our long and, at the end, tragic foray in Afghanistan, only to have to abandon their homes and rush to safety here after civilized allies left and the Taliban resurged. …
Read the full piece at the Winston-Salem Journal.
Visit the Evangelical Immigration Table to add your name to the letter.
Beyond Civil Rights
As we close out Black History Month, we spoke with a member of the local church, Gashayeneh, about his experience growing up in Ethiopia and moving to the United States in his early twenties.
When Gashayeneh moved to the U.S. in 2005 from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, Black history was a seemingly distant topic for him.
“I felt like African American history was something far away from me,” he said. “I didn’t have any attachment to it—it used to feel very distant.”
Growing up, Gashayeneh learned about famed figures from the Civil Rights movement such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his political science classes, but his studies on the matter tended to focus on apartheid in South Africa.
“We were told a lot about apartheid in South Africa, how that apartheid looks like the same that African Americans were living in the U.S.,” said Gashayeneh who is an active member of Spring of Life Evangelical Church in Memphis. “We didn’t have a complete understanding of the history or the Civil Rights movements in America.”
Upon moving to Arkansas after receiving a green card through the diversity lottery visa program, what he had learned in the classroom finally began coming to life around him.
“After I came to the U.S., I learned a lot,” Gashayeneh said. “I had a personal interaction with African Americans, their lives, their histories, the culture and the challenges they’re going through. I started getting a personal understanding of the history and knowing more.”
More than 15 years later, he’s still learning today, even through his children, who celebrate Black History Month in school.
“I saw my children doing a lot of projects on African American history, especially in February about the people, what happened, innovations,” said Gashayeneh, whose children are 6 and 8 years old. “I’m happy that they know that because they have that freedom. The freedom that they have is because of that [Civil Rights] movement. I want them to have true understanding of the history and the movement.”
In fact, without the Civil Rights movement, Gashayeneh and his family wouldn’t be here today. Migration through programs such as the lottery visa was not readily available for those looking to come to the U.S. from Africa prior to that movement, and since then, families such as Gashayeneh’s have been given a chance at building a better life for themselves.
“The Civil Rights movement was not only to have equal rights for African Americans and for white people, it was beyond that,” he explained. “A lot of people have migrated from Africa to the United States, and they changed their life, and they changed their families’ lives back home, and also they were able to contribute to the growth and success of the United States.”
Because of that, Gashayeneh does his best to contribute to the country he calls home now, encouraging others who have just arrived to do the same. And as a volunteer with World Relief Memphis, he’s able to do just that.
“I’m so grateful, I’m very happy. I’m always grateful for this great nation, for the government, and for the people,” said Gashayeneh, who has served on a Good Neighbor Team before. “A lot of people invested in me when I came to the United States. Now, it’s my turn to do something good.”
Gashayeneh, thank you for sharing your story with us! We are so glad to have you here as our neighbor, helping to welcome others into the community alongside us.Â
If you would like to welcome our neighbors like Gashayeneh to the U.S. as well, join us as a volunteer or an intern this summer.Â
Learning and growing together: one intern reflects on her time at WRM
As we gear up for summer internships, we asked one of our former interns, Emma, to tell us about her time at World Relief and what it meant to her.
During winter break of my junior year, I was considering summer internship options in Memphis. As a Political Science and International Studies major at Rhodes College, I knew I wanted to expand my cross-cultural experiences. And as a rising senior, I knew I wanted to serve within the Memphis community for my last summer here.
While World Relief allowed me to connect with my studies, it also encouraged an exploration of the spiritual side of non-profit work, which I especially appreciate. In my journey of faith, I’ve always considered my home church in Texas to be my sacred roots. Being far from home for college, I sometimes felt a little stagnant in that journey. However, my home church cultivated a passion for service–faith and service have always walked hand in hand in my book. World Relief provided me an opportunity to grow in my journey of faith, immerse myself in a new side of Memphis, and learn more about the city’s refugee communities.
I worked mainly in the employment office throughout my time, helping with job readiness and computer classes. Although, I often helped with other tasks around the office like transporting clients to and from classes at the Connect Language Center or job interviews, assisting with outreach, and delivering items to clients. Though working in different offices, the four of us interns grew close throughout our Friday discussions on the book When Helping Hurts.
I am immensely grateful for the time we spent learning and growing together, challenging and expanding our understanding of service and faith. Interning with World Relief was the kind of experience I will carry with me wherever I go after graduation; it made such a positive impact on both my faith and my passion for service.
Emma, thank you for serving our families so well during your time with us! Best of luck in your future endeavors as you graduate this semester.
Do you want an internship experience like Emma’s or know someone who is looking? Intern applications for the summer are currently open!
The Gift of Friendship – Welcome Club for Refugee Students
The little moments that create welcoming communities can make the largest impact in the life of a refugee child.
As part of World Relief Sacramento’s Children and Youth Department highlight, we attended Welcome Club, a weekly afterschool program that focuses on character development and cultural engagement. Students learned about the gift of friendship and love by using rocks, pink and red paint, and multicolored markers to create “friendship rocks” to give to another friend or family member along with a note of encouragement.
Some students decided to give their friendship rocks to World Relief Sacramento team members because of their love for the program –
“Thank you so much for being a great teacher to all of these students. Thank you for everything. Happy Valentines Day.”
“To all of the coaches. Thank you so much for creating Welcome Club. Thank you so much. Happy Valentines Day.”
Programs like Welcome Club change lives by providing a space for refugee students to grow and to feel like kids. It creates a safe environment for youth to feel belonging.
We wouldn’t be able to make lasting impacts without your continuous support. You can help programs like Welcome Club this month by participating in our Children and Youth drive this month! Help us reach our goal of giving 250 $15 Target gift cards to teach students financial independence and to encourage accomplishing goals.
Click here to donate and send to Meghan Scurti (4616 Roseville Rd, Ste 107 North Highlands, CA) or by dropping them off at our office during our donation hours (Fridays 11am-3pm).
Want to continually make a lasting impact? You can become a monthly donor by clicking here!
Join us in making a difference in the lives of refugee youth.
Finally, I’m Home: Raphael’s Story of 8 Years Waiting for Resettlement
“Anything can happen and your future is over…after years of war, it was hopeless.”
Meet Raphael
Growing up in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Raphael was the youngest brother of five older sisters. Together with his family of sisters and a single mother, Raphael was constantly uncertain about the future. Conflict in their homeland, instability, and poverty are the things that he says he doesn’t want to remember.
Waiting for Resettlement
Eventually, Raphael fled to seek a better life. He found himself in a refugee settlement in Namibia, where he applied for asylum again and again in different countries. Just waiting to find a place to call home. Waiting for resettlement.
“The thought of saying one day I wish I could be an American…I could not even dream of it because it was impossible. It couldn’t come to be, so why dream of it? And then, all of a sudden, there is this new door that is just opened for you.”
Raphael, a refugee who was granted entry to the U.S. in 2018
After eight years of waiting, Raphael was granted entry into the United States in May 2018. With World Relief, he set out to begin a new life.
Watch the video below to hear Raphael share about his experience of being a refugee and gaining the opportunity to come to the United States… building relationships with staff and volunteers along the way.
Resettling Refugees for More than 40 Years
For more than 40 years, World Relief has partnered with volunteers from the community to welcome and serve immigrants and refugees across the Chicago area. Together, we have helped thousands of refugees like Raphael achieve stability and work toward a future they may not have dreamed was possible.
You can help welcome refugees like Raphael by applying to volunteer with World Relief Chicagoland today. Take the next step toward building relationships and being part of “welcome” for another refugee like Raphael.
Watch other stories of transformation on World Relief Chicagoland’s YouTube channel!
More like this:
New Opportunity in the U.S.: Jenny’s Story
I Was No Longer Safe in My Country: Yomardy’s Story of Seeking Asylum
Cozy Recipes for Winter from 5 Different Cultures
It’s February, and for those of us in Chicago, that means frigid winter temperatures. Winter means brisk walks breathing in the cold winter air and snow days spent bundled up indoors. These cold, dark months feel like the perfect excuse to get cozy.
And when I think of cozy, I think of hot drinks. I think of comforting foods that warm me up on a cold day. Chicago is a diverse and culturally rich city. Thankfully, that means a plethora of options when it comes to cold weather comfort food from dozens of cultural traditions. And at World Relief Chicagoland, we are all about celebrating that diversity. We serve families and individuals from dozens of countries with unique cultures and histories. In my opinion, one of the best parts of this is learning about and experiencing new foods and customs.
This roundup of recipes brings you delicious soups and stews from across the globe. Each is written by a cook from different background and is a unique expression their creativity and culture.
Why not test out one of the recipes below today?
Recipes for Cozying Up this Winter
Creamy Vegan Ramen Noodles
Recipe by Joanne Molinaro
Author of The Korean Vegan cookbook, Joanne Molinaro started her food blog in 2016 when she turned to a plant-based diet. But it was after going viral on TikTok during the COVID-19 pandemic that she pivoted full-time to creating recipe videos. Today, she creates 60-second videos and blogs of vegan recipes of Korean food while sharing stories about her family – immigrants from what is now North Korea.
This ramen (or “lah-myun” in Korean) recipe puts a vegan spin on a popular trend. On TikTok, cooks make ramen rich and creamy by adding egg and mayonnaise to a bowl of ramen. In this vegan version, Korean soy milk and doenjang (fermented soybean paste) lend the same level of creaminess. With tons of vegetables, soy sauce, tofu, and noodles, just a few minutes create a spicy and satisfying noodle soup.
Seco de Chivo (Goat Stew)
Recipe by Layla Pujol
Cook Layla Pujol, who goes by Laylita, was born in Ecuador before moving to the U.S. and now living in Luxembourg. Her blog is full of recipes for the Ecuadorian dishes she grew up eating, but it also introduces readers to foods from across Latin America. Laylita draws on inspiration from family and friends cooking and eating across the world and celebrates Latin American culture as well as culinary tradition.
Seco de chivo, or goat stew, is a recipe for celebration! Laylita’s community prepared it only for fiestas when she was growing up. With tender goat meat and a sauce made with flavors like garlic, cumin, achiote, oregano, cilantro, and a fermented corn drink, this hearty goat stew can also be served with rice, fried plantains, or avocado!
Borscht
Recipe by Natasha Kravchuk
Natasha Kravchuk arrived to the U.S. with her family as a refugee at only four years old. When they left their home of Ukraine, the family knew no English at all – but they were committed to becoming part of their new community. Today, Natasha and her husband Vadim make videos and blogs of their recipes on Natasha’s Kitchen. There, she shares well-loved recipes – many of which come from family and friends – and include many from Russia and Ukraine.
Beets make borscht, a nutritious and delicious soup full of beans, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage, a striking red color. Full of vegetables and served with a dollop of sour cream on top, borscht is a classic dish in Ukraine and perfect for cold winter months. Just be careful to not stain your hands red with beets in the process!
Kadhi
Recipe by Priya Krishna
One of my favorite food writers is Priya Krishna, currently with The New York Times. She calls her cookbook Indian-ish a loving tribute to her mom’s cooking – Indian-American hybrids that are “easy to make, clever, practical, and packed with flavor.”
Her Kadhi recipe for Bon Appetit is all about being simple to make but full of complex flavor – what she describes as “a cozy blanket draped over a hot bowl of white rice.” The recipe comes in many variations across regions in India, and this version is full of spices and tinted the distinctive yellow color of turmeric.
Red Red Vegan Bean Stew
Recipe by Zoe Adjonyoh
In 2010, Zoe Adjonyoh started on a mission to “bring African foods to the masses.” Today, she is a recipe creator and ambassador for “New African Cuisine” and author of a popular cookbook called “Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen.”
She sees food as a powerful tool – a “bridge between cultures” that was also a way that she connected to her own family history in Ghana while growing up as the child of immigrants.
Recipes like this “Red Red Vegan Bean Stew” are a delicious way to learn a little bit about Ghana too! This stew made of black-eyed peas cooked in spiced tomato sauce is a meal eaten any time of day in Ghana. It’s a tasty, healthy, nourishing, and comforting food that is equally easy to make! To go the extra mile, serve with fried plantain on the side.
Cook and Eat!
These recipes bring flavors from countries across the globe as their creators blend old traditions with new techniques and their own spin. If you try any of these recipes, why not share some with a friend or neighbor? Or ask someone in your community to teach you how to cook their favorite food! If you do, post a photo on social media and be sure to tag World Relief Chicagoland. We can’t wait to see your culinary masterpiece!
Continue Reading
4 Resources From World Relief Staff That Have Shaped Their Journey: MLK Day
Staff Reflections on Black History
At World Relief, we believe in celebrating all people and cultures because we are all made in the image of God. This month, we’re focusing on Black history in honor of Black History Month, from the founding of our country to the Civil Rights Movement to today, and the immigrant and refugee stories that are being woven into this history as we speak.
To kick off the month, we asked some of our staff to reflect on what Black history means to them and how it pertains to our newest neighbors arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia and around the world.
As you reflect on historically famous African American Leaders, who stands out to you the most and why?
Yusri, Resettlement Specialist: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. because he stood up for what was right, even though he knew the price of his action was costly.
Mahasin, Holistic Support Specialist: As I reflect on historically famous African American leaders, Fred Hampton stands out to me because of his dedication to seeing the Black community holistically transformed and elevated. For how young he was, he was a powerful activist who greatly influenced his community as well as the Civil Rights and Black Power movements at large.
Clarence, Employment Manager: My favorite African American leader is Harriet Tubman.  She didn’t look like a leader, but in the end, she garnered the respect of generals in the military.  She was leading enslaved people to freedom by totally depending on the guidance of the Lord.  She served as an example of how to lead under pressure by being led by the Spirit.  The life of Harriet Tubman reminds me to answer the call to lead but to not rely on my strength and intellect alone to achieve success.  Through the fiercest storms and the most challenging situations, I’m learning more with each trial to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s voice and follow it, even when it doesn’t make sense to me. 
Lydia, Volunteer Coordinator: Harriet Tubman is one of my favorite Black leaders. Under the circumstances and with all odds stacked against her, she was able to lead over 300 slaves to freedom and be an activist in the women’s suffrage movement. She was a woman, and she was illiterate. To most, those two factors might have been major setbacks. Yet, she escaped slavery and returned to help others. Her confidence and boldness were supernatural, and she attributes her success to the Lord. I hope to honor her legacy by standing up for what’s right and taking action, even if it involves big risks. I hope to walk in confidence wherever I go because of my dependency and trust in the Lord.
What lessons can be learned from the experiences of Black History Month?
Yusri, Resettlement Specialist: I think Black History Month has helped many African Americans to unite and learn more about their role in society.
Mahasin, Holistic Support Specialist: One lesson that can be taken from Black history makers is the value of perseverance and integrity. Sticking to these values (along with other factors) has led to the success of many Civil Rights movements in the U.S. and progress in the ongoing struggle for equity.
Clarence, Employment Manager: Three lessons that I will take to heart.  1) Never give up because you are the minority.  2)  Perceptions are flawed more than ever, so people will judge you by the color of your skin and not the content of your character.  3) Plan, prepare, practice, deliver, pray, and in the middle of the night when no one is watching, feel it, cry it out, sleep, and repeat.  
Lydia, Volunteer Coordinator: When I think about Black history makers, I think about our ancestors that weren’t given a choice to be taken from their homes. I think about them being uprooted from everything they knew and being forced into survival mode. They had children, and then they had children. Every generation has had to work through trauma and re-train themselves to believe that they were made and created with worth and value. Whether its Black history makers that are in school textbooks or the ones that will never be known, I believe the thing that they had in common was a deep belief and desire to be treated like they were created in the image of God. So, they spoke up. They fought back. Many died. Many have committed their lives to the cause of liberty, freedom, and justice for our people. A lesson that I will always take with me is to use my voice to speak up for what is right because that is the example that is set before me.
How does Black history help tell the story of what it means to be an American?
Yusri, Resettlement Specialist: Being an American may have many meanings that differ from one person to another. In my opinion, Black history tells a story of forgiveness and recovery.
Mahasin, Holistic Support Specialist: Black history helps to tell the story of what it means to be an American because it’s integral to painting a fuller, richer, and, most importantly, accurate picture of American history. Black history in America and American history are inextricably linked, so to understand one is to understand the other.
Clarence, Employment Manager: What comes to my mind was the memories of growing up not seeing people that looked like me as heroes, intelligent, respected, and valued. My family became my heroes. 
Additionally, increasing my knowledge of Black History helped shape my mentality and gave me survival skills to endure as well.  
A great variety of courageous Black women and men who contributed to American culture’s core taught me to seek outside-of-the-box solutions, daring to bring a difference that challenges mediocrity and superiority. I learned from Black history that there is always more than one way to solve problems, but only one way to eternal life. Whether those lessons make me more of an authentic American or a proud human craving opportunity is okay.
Lydia, Volunteer Coordinator: Black history tells a story of resilience and strength. When life gives you lemons you make lemonade. That is the story of Black history. As a people, we have taken the bad and the ugly and have been on a journey of rebuilding and restoration. Black history is American history. Black people built this country and shaped its culture, and I am proud to be a part of the legacy.
The history of African migration is long, but the story continues today. How do you think immigration helped shape Black history?
Yusri, Resettlement Specialist: Over the years, many African Americans have lost their connection with Africa and roots. However, I see that today’s migration has revived many of those who lost hope in searching or thinking about what links them to the African continent.
Mahasin, Holistic Support Specialist: I think that immigrants helped to shape Black history by pouring in elements of their own culture, that would then mix, into that of which they were integrating into. This mixing process has been happening since the first immigrants came to the U.S. and is still happening today. The result is a diverse yet distinguishable Black culture in the U.S. that many Americans claim.
Clarence, Employment Manager: The misconception is that Africans are the same as African Americans because we share the same skin tone. It’s not a bad thing; we have a difference in culture and values, just as any Caucasian American compared to any European with the same features and skin tone.  I’ve talked with many African immigrants and African friends over the past 30 years, and I don’t take it personally.  It’s the opportunity for us to learn and celebrate each other.  We know that there is a difference, and we are all proud of who we are and where we were born and raised.  It would be refreshing and rewarding to see people who don’t understand that there is a difference take action for themselves and sign up for a cultural sensitivity course covering ethnicities worldwide.    
Lydia, Volunteer Coordinator: America is a nation of immigrants. Immigrants have enriched American culture and continue to push past barriers that have been set up against them. Despite the challenges, Black immigrants continue to shape history with educational achievements and high participation rates in the workforce. This Black history month, we celebrate the success of Black immigrants and thank them for their contribution to our past history and history in the making.
Yusri, Mahasin, Clarence and Lydia—thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on Black history and for all that you do to help us empower the local church to serve the most vulnerable.
If you want to help them welcome our newest neighbors to Memphis, join our team, whether it be as a staff member, an intern or a volunteer!
Watch this Family Reunite After 9 Years Apart
Why Family Reunification is Needed
Can you imagine fleeing your home? And not just leaving behind your community. Becoming separated from your family too.
Sadly, the circumstances that push refugees from their homes often separate families. And this creates countless hardships. Sometimes there are tragic consequences. The loss has a lasting emotional impact that affects other areas of life. In other words, it can prevent families from integrating into their new communities.
Thankfully, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) sees family as a primary community, for every person. Because of that, UNHCR prioritizes family. Together, UNHCR and organizations like World Relief work to reunite husbands and wives, bring together parents and children, and connect children with their siblings. Above all, to restore relationships.
UNHCR promotes family reunification to protect and preserve the unity of this fundamental unit of society, to restore basic dignity to a refugee’s life, and especially to provide protection for children…
UNHCR
The Barriers to Reunification
However, the journey can be long. And it’s challenging. There is often an extensive waiting period after someone submits their application. Loss of formal documents can make it difficult for families to prove their relationships. Additionally, it can be expensive. Airfares, legal fees, and other costs add up. It can end up being thousands of dollars that families can’t afford. Beyond those costs, it can be hard to find affordable legal advice. Because of that, too many families go years without seeing each other.
But there is hope.
How World Relief Reunites Families
Every year, World Relief works to bring families back together. By providing free or affordable legal help, staff walk families through the whole process. First, staff can evaluate the case for reunification. Then help with submitting the application. They can sift through the required documentation. Then case managers can help with resettlement details. Finally, World Relief volunteers can even provide a ride to the airport. All of this can take years!
But it’s worth it to bring families back together.
Then when they are, it’s always an emotional experience.
Watch the video below to see one family’s emotional reunion at the airport.
Watch more videos of hope on World Relief Chicagoland’s YouTube channel!
More like this:
New Opportunity in the U.S.: Jenny’s Story
I Was No Longer Safe in My Country: Yomardy’s Story of Seeking Asylum
Three Stories of Welcoming Refugees Across the U.S.
Did you know that World Relief Chicagoland is just one office location among 17 other U.S. offices of World Relief? As we welcome refugees and serve immigrants throughout the Chicago area, we know that across the country, other offices are doing their part to welcome new arrivals to their cities! Each shares a vision for creating communities where immigrants and refugees thrive. And each has powerful stories to share of the people who come to the U.S. after leaving their home country.
The three stories below are from World Relief offices in Washington state, Memphis, Tennessee, and North Texas. Each features a courageous and resilient family. Each family experienced a tragedy that forced them to flee. And yet each story also shows evidence of hope and a future ahead.
Amira admits, “I never expected to be a refugee.“
For Amira, life felt almost perfect… then the United States invaded Iraq and her life changed forever. She started as a top student studying linguistics. Her work and research made her a university professor. She was surrounded by family. Even after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Amira stayed for three years. She wanted to rebuild her country. But then it became too dangerous to stay…
Read Amira’s story of coming to the U.S. from Iraq as a refugee and about how today, she speaks up as an advocate for refugees and caseworker with World Relief Tri-Cities in Washington state.
Nazia worries for her friends and family in Afghanistan. “It’s not one person, two people, not even one hundred—it’s more like a million people.”
When Nazia, her husband, and three children arrived in Memphis in 2019, they came with the hope of providing a safe future for their daughters and son. Because Nazia’s husband worked on special projects for the U.S. and Nazia worked for Western media, their whole family had been at risk in Afghanistan. Threats from the Taliban forced the family from their home. Seeking safety, the family sold their belongings and traveled to the U.S. on Special Immigrant Visas. In 2019, they arrived in Memphis, Tennessee, where the long work of rebuilding their lives began.
Read Nazia’s story about how World Relief Memphis is helping her family as they dream of their future in the United States…while mourning and praying for their home country of Afghanistan.
David says that the most important thing to know about Afghans is that “Whenever a guest comes to our house, we’re happy for it. We say that guest is not only our guest, it’s God’s guest that came to our house.”
At World Relief North Texas, David practices his culture’s value of hospitality. As an Afghan immigrant, he uses his knowledge of both U.S. and Afghan culture to help the World Relief North Texas team welcome the influx of people arriving from Afghanistan. David and his family escaped Afghanistan in August, so he easily recalls the rush to flee to safety. And he remembers World Relief’s welcome to his family just a few months ago.
Read David’s story of how his experience working with Americans in Afghanistan as a translator is helping welcome other new arrivals to the U.S. through cultural orientation while his own family adjusts to life in Texas.
Read More Stories of Hope
MarĂa’s Story: Letter from a New U.S. Citizen
Jerome’s Story: Becoming A U.S. Citizen After Escaping Violence
What Is It Like to Intern with World Relief?
Real Responsibilities, Meaningful Experience
Are you looking for an internship where you can gain practical experience? Do you have a passion for justice or a desire to learn about issues faced by refugee and immigrants?
From the start, as a World Relief Chicagoland intern, you have real responsibilities. With that comes the opportunity to engage directly with the immigrants and refugees that the organization serves. Alongside World Relief’s full-time staff, interns get to build relationships and play an active role in meaningful work. We think that makes World Relief internships pretty special.
World Relief’s interns play an important role in executing tasks and facilitating activities throughout each department. Some interns support a program area like Education or Immigration Legal Services. Others learn about community engagement and marketing or use their data and research skills.
And when the internship is over, interns move forward with valuable skills and practical knowledge about immigrant and refugee services.
To help you imagine what your experience interning with World Relief could be like, we talked to Kaitlin Liebling. Kaitlin is a senior at Wheaton College who talked with us about what she learned through her internship with the Employment Services team and why she recommends that other students apply to intern with World Relief.
Meet Kaitlin, Former Intern
Hi Kaitlin! Could you start by telling me a little about yourself?
I’m currently a student at Wheaton College and I’m a double major in International Relations and Spanish. I’m currently in my fourth year and from West Chicago, Illinois originally.
When I came into Wheaton, I was unsure about what I wanted to study. I had no idea what International Relations was, but then I took one intro class in International Relations, and I loved it. I had always read the news a lot, been interested in what was going on outside of the U.S., so I landed on International Relations very quickly.
How did you get connected to World Relief and what interested you about interning with us?
I have known about World Relief my whole life from growing up in the area, but didn’t know much aside from that the organization helps refugees. Initially, I got an email that World Relief was looking for interns for the fall, and I needed an internship for my International Relations major requirements. I read over the intern responsibilities online, and I thought, “It sounds like a really cool opportunity, I need an internship, I like the mission of World Relief, it sounds really interesting to help refugees.” I applied and got the internship!
How did you end up on the Employment Services team?
On the application, you can put your top two department choices. I believe I put Employment Services and Immigration Legal Services, and Courtney [Internship coordinator at World Relief Chicagoland] and I talked in the interview [about the requirements for each team]. I thought, “Let’s do Employment Services. It sounds interesting. I’m not quite sure what that means, but let’s try that.” Then Courtney had me interview with Dan, my supervisor on the Employment team.
How would you describe the work of Employment Services?
The job of Employment Services is to get newly arrived refugees a job within their first three months in the country. It’s super important that they get a “survival” job right away. Luckily, the department has a lot of connections with employers in the area. We help them with preparing for their interview and for the American workplace, which often has different standards for everything from hygiene to preparing a resume. And then, in the future, Employment Services helps people who have been here for six months or a year to start down a career path with the ultimate goal that they make even more money beyond their “survival” job.
What are a few things you learned in your internship?
I have a better understanding of what it means to be a refugee now than I had before. I honestly don’t know if I had met a refugee before my internship. Obviously, I’m not a refugee and I haven’t experienced that for myself, but I have now talked with dozens of people from Afghanistan, Sudan, Myanmar, and all these other countries. I have gotten to know a lot of them on driving trips to the doctor, the food pantry, to get a permit at the DMV…
I feel like I understand better now how difficult a decision it was to leave their home country, and how much they miss their old lives. While they’re grateful to be in America, they also really miss their home countries. It wasn’t necessarily their choice to come to America, it was really for safety reasons a lot of the time. I understand now how difficult it is to adapt to a country that is so different from your home country. There are so many different customs and cultural things.
I really think it increased my understanding of their situation, my empathy for refugees, and my support for them… from having the one-on-one interaction.
What were your favorite things about interning? Why should other students consider joining World Relief as an intern?
The variety of the intern work I did was really cool and engaging. I did a lot of different things during my internship. I did office work, I helped manage and compile documents, and I created new documents for Career Pathways, but I also drove people places and helped with the job club as well. Every day, I came in for my internship not knowing what the day was going to look like and what I was going to do. I liked that!
I loved working with the Employment Services team. Everyone there was so nice and so supportive. I felt like I could ask anyone any question and they would be happy to help me out. We were really a team. It’s a good group of people that you would want to work with.
Where there any ways that you came to understand your faith and role in the world as a Christian differently as a result of this internship?
It put into practice the call from Christ and the Gospels to love the foreigner and welcome the stranger. You can see that throughout the Old Testament. That God exhibits special care for the foreigner because they can often be forgotten or left behind. And they often need extra resources to help them in their new country. World Relief does this practically. I think it’s been very rewarding work. And a way for me to see my faith lived out in practical ways to help people and welcome them to my country.
And through practical means! On the Employment Services team, I did lots of resume reviews. I got resumes that were 7, 8, 9 pages long from refugees. That’s what’s normal in their countries, but a way of loving them and welcoming them to America is to say, “This needs to be one page and one page only for most jobs.” That’s a way to serve them where I could see my faith lived out through my work.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
I would encourage students who are interested in World Relief or need an internship to really consider doing it with World Relief. It’s very rewarding work. You learn a lot about other cultures. You meet a wide variety of people. And I think especially with all of the Afghan refugees coming in, more help from other interns would be appreciated. If you have a heart for refugees, I hope that you would consider an internship with World Relief.
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