Posts Tagged ‘Thankfulness’
Worth the Wait: A Story of Faith, Perseverance and Love, Despite the Odds
For seven years, Congolese refugees (and newlyweds!), Mbimbi and Goreth, didn’t know if they would ever see each other again. Separated by continents, Mbimbi was stuck in Burundi while Goreth resettled and began her new life in America. In spite of the long wait, the two of them never lost hope, their love growing by the day.
“No one can do what Goreth did,” Mbimbi said about his wife’s commitment not to remarry. Instead, Goreth chose to hold onto hope, believing God was faithful and would bring Mbimbi back to her in America.
Where It All Began
In 2008, Goreth was a wife and mother living in Goma, a city in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Her day began like any other day – she woke up, brushed her teeth, made some tea and headed to the market to sell clothes at her stand. It became a day she would never forget when “the fighting broke out.” She recalls, “My daughters, [Christine and Valentine], and I started running, and we found a way to get past Goma to Burundi. That’s when I started my life as a refugee. My [first] husband died in the fights.”
Goreth and her daughters ended up in a Burundian town filled with other refugees. Upon arrival she shares, “I felt relief because of sleeping in a house and churches help us and Christians help us.”
While Goreth and her daughters were refugees in Burundi, Mbimbi was working as an auto mechanic in Baraka, a city south of Goma in DRC.
In 2014, an armed civilian group put pressure on him to “join them for the fight and to be a soldier.” These groups were once formed to defend the Congolese against rebel armies. But tragically, they have created more chaos and violence than protection for the Congolese peoples.
So, when Mbimbi refused, they threatened him. With a target on his back, he reflects, “That was the night my uncle called me and said, ‘They are looking for you.’” That same day, “I told fishermen what happened and ask if they can help me to another place. They hide me in the boat and carry me down river.”
From there, Mbimbi went to Boku, where “they [gave him a] motorcycle to go to Boda.” From Boda, he traveled to Burundi where he ended up in the same town as Goreth.
Having arrived in the same town six years apart, Goreth and Mbimbi met, by chance, while filling out paperwork to earn refugee status. Goreth was farther along in the process while Mbimbi was just beginning his paperwork. Despite crossing paths at different stages in their journey to flee DR Congo, they formed a connection “and began a relationship.” Within a year, they were married.
Oceans Apart
Even though they were living in a safer town than the cities they had fled, Goreth and Mbimbi couldn’t escape the violence. In 2015, their Burundian town experienced fighting; so, when Goreth was given the opportunity to go to America, she agreed. The catch? Mbimbi wouldn’t be able to join her and her daughters. It was a bag of mixed feelings for Goreth.
“To be a refugee is not an easy thing,” she says. “It’s just a thing you have to do to pray to God. God helped me because I became strong and fight for the kids to grow up…in a safer place.”
Leaving behind her new husband, Goreth and her daughters traveled to America not knowing when and if they would ever be reunited with Mbimbi. When they arrived in the U.S., their new lives began right away.
Goreth remembers they were greeted by World Relief staff and volunteers. “[They] had already found an apartment for us,” she recalls.
Staff and volunteers came alongside Goreth and her kids, taking them to doctors appointments and helping Goreth find a job in manufacturing, packing hospital-grade linens. Goreth expresses sincere gratitude for all of World Relief’s help, especially in “the first three to six months.”
Even though Goreth felt “sad sometimes” she shared with deep conviction that she “still waited and prayed to God” for Mbimbi.
At Last, Together Again
Both her and Mbimbi’s prayers were answered when he was resettled to America in July 2022. Finally reunited with his wife, Mbimbi is taking a World Relief “Zoom job class and language class.”
He takes comfort in knowing that once his job and language classes are complete, he can still count on World Relief.
“It’s not like they abandon you,” he said. “If you still need something, they are there to help.”
Mbimbi and Goreth are currently renting a one-bedroom apartment. Now able to dream together, the couple says, “for the future, we are praying to God that we can get our own house.”
Knowing that God has provided for them before, they are trusting, through prayer and perseverance, that anything is possible!
As crises converge, and global conflict forces more people to flee their homes, it takes all of us, to move forward together, to build peace and lasting change. When you give today, you help us build peace in places like DR Congo while also welcoming those like Goreth and Mbimbi who have been forced to flee to the United States.
Michelle Visk is a freelance writer passionate about sharing compelling stories of individuals impacted by nonprofits throughout the world. In addition to writing for nonprofits, she recently launched her own interior design e-consulting business, geared at making interior design more accessible to the middle class so everyone can create a home they love. When she’s not writing or doing e-consults, she enjoys spending the majority of her time with her husband and pouring into her two feisty little girls (ages 3.5 and 5) as a stay-at-home-mom. Before becoming a stay-at-home mom, Michelle worked in ministry for 10 years, serving as a Communications Director for a multi-site church. She holds a BS from Butler University.
10 Reasons to Give Thanks Around the World
As followers of Jesus, we are called to be people of hope — to “know the hope to which [Jesus] has called [us]” (Eph. 1:18) and to “hold unswervingly” to it (Heb. 10:23). How, then, can we cultivate and embody hope even in the midst of the world’s suffering?
According to some experts, the answer is simple: gratitude.
Gratitude is one of the strongest predictors of hopefulness, and it’s scriptural. Giving thanks in all circumstances helps draw our focus back to Jesus and his past, present and future faithfulness — not ignoring suffering, but seeing it in light of a God who has promised to transform ashes to beauty and wipe away every tear.
Today, we invite you to join our staff around the world in giving thanks for how God is still working to transform lives and communities through the local church. Will you cultivate hope with us?
1. Burundi
“We are thankful that, with God’s help, we have equipped and mobilized 60 local churches in Nyarusange district to serve their communities, including providing support to 30 people considered to be most vulnerable because they are living with disabilities, orphaned or widowed.
“Churches also distributed 30 chickens to 144 households. The chickens will be able to multiply and provide eggs for eating and selling. Our church network in Nyarusange was even ranked at the provincial level as the number three most active and committed network caring for the most vulnerable!” — Cesalie Nicimpaye, World Relief Burundi Country Director
2. Cambodia
“We are grateful for 53 Kids’ Clubs with over 1,000 children graduating after finishing our 41-week curriculum focused on developing healthy relationships with God, others and self. We appreciate the 100+ volunteers and church and community leaders who supported this. Moreover, we keep praising God for helping our Savings for Life program members grow their savings and improve their financial well-being.” — Romroth Chuon, World Relief Cambodia Program Operations Director
3. DR Congo
“I am most grateful for the field office staff God has called to be part of World Relief DRC. They are beyond dedicated to serving the people of DR Congo and creating change in their country. With grit and prayer, they have pushed through seemingly insurmountable challenges.
“This year, we reached nearly 165,000 individuals with valuable food security resources, we started a new Families for Life program to rebuild marriage relationships through the local church, and we grew our new Church Empowerment Zone in Ituri Province despite security challenges. Numbers alone do not do the DRC program justice — it is the people, the team, who are the measure of success.” — Amanda Patterson, Program Officer, Humanitarian and Disaster Response Unit in DR Congo and South Sudan
4. Haiti
“We are grateful to God for the 440 new youth who joined the second year of the agri-business project in the southeast region of Haiti. We are also grateful to have 105 direct beneficiaries of our housing project, implemented in partnership with Habitat for Humanity in response to those affected by the earthquake on August 14, 2021 in Les Cayes.” — Pascal Bimenyimana, World Relief Haiti Country Director
5. Kenya
“We are grateful that God has blessed Kenya to partner with 489 churches engaging 5,305 volunteers to share on reproductive and sexual-health related messages to 157,271 families in three counties.” — Nancy Owola, World Relief Kenya Monitoring and Evaluation Manager
6. Malawi
“I thank God for what we have managed to accomplish this year, especially through our Families for Life program, which helps strengthen marriages and give families the tools they need to thrive. This year, we have transformed 19,424 couples in our five Church Empowerment Zones! We are celebrating and thanking God for these transformations because we believe that if we transform a couple — if we transform a family — we are going to transform a local church, and the local church is going to transform the community. If the community is transformed, then we are going to transform Malawi.” — Jane Lumanga, Former World Relief Malawi Director of Programs
7. Rwanda
“Through our Savings for Life program, we are grateful to have reached 9,479 community members through 390 new saving groups — 14 of which are digital — with financial inclusion resources and training in key economic development modules such as Financial Literacy and Business Development, Smart Spending and Deciding Together. This is impacting close to 40,000 vulnerable people across the program area — thank you, God!” – Michael Ntambara, World Relief Rwanda Impact and Quality Director
8. South Sudan
“In South Sudan, we’re thankful to God for the work of our SCOPE Health Promoters and local church partners. Together, we have assisted 10,568 children under five with immunizations and treatments for malaria, diarrhea and pneumonia. We have also helped refer 3,213 mothers to health facilities for maternal services. But my favorite is the number of babies delivered with support from our health promoters — 601 new babies! We pray that by God’s grace, these babies will grow up to have a good life in South Sudan.” — Hillary Muni, World Relief South Sudan Area Coordinator
9. Sudan
“We are thankful to God for uniquely granting World Relief Sudan with wisdom to provide solutions for water shortages in the Jabel Marra region through the construction of six check dams. This year, the dams have harnessed enough water for domestic use in over 35,000 households, as well as for fruit farming.
“We are also thankful that God has enabled us to distribute 58,355 metric tons of food to 430,000 Internally Displaced People (IDP) and returnees across three Sudanese states in Sudan, and provide primary health care services to 459,748 IDPs, returnees and host community members in the Darfur region.” — Stephen Gatimu, World Relief Sudan Program Director
10. U.S.
“We are grateful that God has raised up 873 churches and 8,430 volunteers this year to help us welcome refugees and immigrants across the U.S. — whether Afghans escaping the Taliban, Ukrainians fleeing war or individuals and families from around the world looking for safety and an opportunity to thrive. We are especially thankful that 1,600 individuals have been reunited with family members, many after enduring long separations from spouses, children, parents and siblings.” — Mandy Barb, Senior Director of U.S. Programs
Join us in giving more people more reasons to give thanks this holiday season.
Why World Relief Chicagoland Staff Are Thankful This Year
As we approach the end of the year and the start of the holiday season, many of us take time to reflect on the year behind us. We consider what we have to be thankful for. For some, the previous year was difficult, full of hard things and grief. That might make this holiday season feel painful or bittersweet. For others, this year has seen immense change or big life milestones.
Yes, practicing gratitude in the face of suffering and change is difficult. And yet, reflecting on what we have to be grateful for can help us be more hopeful as we seek joy and practice thankfulness.
At World Relief Chicagoland, we have seen God’s faithfulness in countless ways. Even amid big challenges and sad events, there is much to be grateful for. Because of that, we asked staff to share what they are thankful for this year. And the responses were inspiring! Join us in practicing gratitude today and read our staff’s testimonies below.
We believe that there are so many reasons to give thanks! Join us in counting your blessings. As a result, you might even see God’s grace and goodness in your life in new ways.
What are you thankful for this year?
I am grateful for trusting relationships with the people we serve and the chance to speak Swahili with some of them. I am also thankful to have friends among my coworkers and for the vibrant neighborhood and friends in Albany Park where our Chicago office is located, an office cube to make into a hospitable space, and the opportunity to worship each morning at our 8:30 prayer time.
– Katelyn Skye Bennett, Employment Counselor
I am grateful to work on a team that is passionate about serving refugees and other immigrants in learning English so that the students can fully integrate into the community and workplace.
– Mary Cerutti, Education Director, Suburbs
This year, I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of the World Relief family. I have felt welcomed and challenged to grow in my walk with God during morning prayer and words of encouragement from coworkers. I am so thankful to form part of a Christ-centered organization that supports and empowers the immigrant and refugee community through a holistic and sustainable approach while exemplifying the love of Christ.
– Brenda De Leon, Immigration Legal Services Paralegal
Welcoming our new neighbors…
Reflecting on 2021, I’m thankful that so many churches and volunteers are standing with us as we welcome arriving families and build community with immigrants and refugees who are already living in our neighborhoods and communities.
– Sara Aardema, Church and Volunteer Engagement Director, Chicago
One thing that I am grateful for is to work in an office when I can freely mention Jesus and prayer. I am also thankful that every day, I get to go to work and make a difference in someone’s life. Being the hands and feet of Jesus is priceless.
– Isoken Aiwerioba, Office Manager
I am grateful for the partnership with churches across Chicagoland, which are contributing to the reach of our God-given work in building and creating communities of love and welcome! Thank you, churches, for being the hands and feet of Jesus to strangers!
– Adrian Hendarta, Church Mobilization Coordinator
Making an impact, together…
Reflecting on 2021, I am grateful to work in a place where people make a difference and impact other people’s lives in the community and all around the world. World Relief has been an answered prayer in my life, and in many people’s lives. It is a blessing to be part of this work.
– Andrea Rodriguez, Immigration Legal Services Administrative Assistant
I am grateful for the foundation partners who believe in creating a brighter future and investing in their communities. That vision inspires me and reminds me that by working together, we really can create just and welcoming communities where everyone thrives.
– Carrie Woodward, Foundations Partnerships Manager
This year, I am so grateful for the incredible outpouring of love from our church partners. I am thankful for their strong interest in volunteering, generous giving, and inspiring their members to engage.
– Keith Draper, Church and Volunteer Engagement Director, DuPage & Aurora
What are YOU grateful for?
Thank you for reading what World Relief Chicagoland staff are grateful for! Now, spend some time thinking about the blessings in your life and work. What are those things that you are thankful for?
Finally, share your reflections with us! We want to hear from you! Please share what you are grateful for by tagging @WorldReliefChicagoland on Facebook or @WRChicagoland on Instagram or Twitter.
10 Reasons to Give Thanks in 2021
2021 has been a challenging year. Like you, we’ve felt the pain of loss, the ache of division in our churches and communities and the harsh realities of ongoing injustice around the world. This Thanksgiving, we may even feel tempted to ask, What’s there to give thanks for?
And yet at World Relief, we’ve found there’s much to be grateful for in 2021. In the midst of the crises and the chaos, God has opened doors, made paths straight and raised up partners who move with us to serve those experiencing vulnerability. We asked 10 of our staff from around the world to share just some of what they’re grateful for this year. We hope their testimonies of God’s faithfulness shining through in 2021 will inspire you to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thess. 5:18), as they have us.
What are you grateful for in 2021?
Karen Crisler, Community Engagement Manager, Appleton, WI: I’m grateful to be in a field of work that is laboring towards restoration; that despite the fractures in all spheres of life, redemption is at work. I’m also grateful that I’m slowly learning that this work doesn’t rest on my shoulders, but rather my daily need is what tethers me to Jesus. I’m so thankful that I got to join the World Relief staff this year!
Clemence Nkulikiyinka, Integral Mission Technical Advisor, Rwanda: I am thankful that God’s grace has sustained us in 2021. World Relief has been able to keep human resources, despite the challenges brought by the pandemic. I am grateful for the ability to virtually connect with colleagues and opportunities to visit and support in-person as the world reopens. I am grateful that we have access to vaccines, and that they are reducing the mortality rate.
Matilda Matitha, Country Director, Malawi: I am thankful to God because he continues to protect WR Malawi staff and their families from Covid 19 as we serve vulnerable communities. I am also grateful to God for the opportunity to be part of the great mission in WR Malawi where we are reaching close to 1.9 million people.
Abby Ray, Communications & Advocacy Coordinator, High Point, NC: I’m extremely thankful that God provided a job for me at World Relief. Working for an organization that aligns with my personal mission and values, and working with people who care about me as not only an employee but a neighbor and sister of Christ, is so encouraging. I’m incredibly thankful for all of the people in our office who take such good care of our clients and church partners.
Katie Love, Preferred Communities Program Manager, Baltimore, MD: We are grateful that God has provided through government grants and private donations to meet the needs of thousands of Afghans arriving in America. With these funds, we will be able to support housing and mental health needs, provide one-one-one case management and help pre-literate Afghan women build community and gain access to resources through literacy training.
Andualem Mekonnen, Program Quality Specialist, South Sudan: I am very grateful to God Almighty for keeping me and my family protected from the horrendous COVID-19 pandemic. I am also grateful for the opportunity God has opened for me to serve the marginalized and neglected communities in South Sudan through World Relief.
Bailey Clark, Communications Coordinator, Memphis, TN: We are so grateful for our host families and their incredible hospitality toward refugee families. Hearing their sweet, encouraging stories has been a huge blessing.
Ileana Gómez, CYRUS Support, Nicaragua: I’m thankful for the opportunity to get to know our staff in South Sudan and Kenya while living with and learning from them. Their work is amazing! I saw the commitment of each of them to our vision at World Relief — that was a blessing and is still a blessing. I’m grateful that I could have this wonderful experience, and I thank God that he returned me home safe and sound in 2021.
Megan Ashley, VP of Marketing, Chicago, IL: I’m thankful for the commitment to excellence each member of the World Relief team brings to their work. It seems to be in each person’s DNA to bring our best to those we’re working with and for — even when it can mean extra hours, tough conversations or adapting overnight to an unfolding need somewhere in the world. Whether it’s our best writing, design, client care, policy, program, etc., we’ve been blessed with people who care.
Jeff Walser, Senior Director of Development, Tampa, FL: I am so thankful for the presence of God through his people in my life. It’s been a chaotic year of ups and downs, hopes gained and hopes lost. As I’ve struggled to keep buoyant, God’s people — with steady loving hands, patient words of encouragement and faith-filled prayers — have redirected my gaze to the One who calms the winds and waves and leads us forward into the work he has given us to do.
Thanksgiving: Inviting You to a Moment of Praise and Prayer
As we enter into the holiday season, what are you most thankful for? Maybe it is the birth of a new grandchild this year, more time spent with your family, tending a garden this past summer, spending time in nature, or even experiencing the struggles in life that led to growth.
As an organization motivated by Christian faith, World Relief Chicagoland considers our gratitude as a moment to see God at work in our midst and respond in prayer. How can you do the same? The Psalmist captures this gratitude as he celebrates God’s love and compassion. He responds in praise.
In Psalm 103, we read:
Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 103:1-5 NIV
Moments of Praise
A call to praise God is often the climax of praise in the Psalter. Here at World Relief, there are many ways we can praise God for his work as we enter into Thanksgiving. May we take a moment to recognize and praise God for his love and compassion.
- Between our three offices in Aurora, Chicago, and DuPage County, we have welcomed nearly 200 arrivals since September 1st.
- Our Chicago office began welcoming newly arriving refugee families for the first time since 2018.
- Well over 1100 people have inquired to volunteer in the past three months.
- Students attending the Careers Pathways class were hired in well-paying positions to support their families.
- More students have been able to take part in English classes because they are virtual.
Moments of Prayer
At the same time, there are many ways we are asking God to move in the months ahead. This Thanksgiving, will you join the World Relief community in prayer for lasting change?
- For all the new refugee arrivals for smooth adjustments to the United States and to be able to adapt to the weather this winter.
- For our refugee and Afghan evacuee’s who are arriving to the United States with high expectations and finding everything much more difficult than they expect it to be from housing to jobs.
- More volunteers to tutor students who are learning English.
- The right people to join the World Relief Chicagoland team as there are many open positions and that these new staff members would feel welcomed.
- Permanent housing options that are affordable for families to move into upon their arrival.
- For our Immigration Legal Services team who are hearing about many situations of people processing trauma and feeling very overwhelmed.
- For World Relief Chicagoland staff to find times of rest and renewal this holiday season.
Join us in Prayer
We’re reminded that while creating change isn’t easy, it’s possible when we move together. May we pray this prayer of thanksgiving as we gather with friends and family this holiday season.
God of all blessings, source of all life, giver of all grace: […]
We thank you for setting us in communities: for families who nurture our becoming, for friends who love us by choice, for companions at work, who share our burdens and daily tasks, for strangers who welcome us into their midst, for people from other lands, who call us to grow in understanding, for children, who lighten our moments with delight, for the unborn, who offer us hope for the future.
Vienna Cobb Anderson
We thank you for this day: for life and one more day to love, for opportunity and one more day to work for justice and peace, for neighbors and one more person to love and by whom be loved, for your grace and one more experience of your presence, for your promise: to be with us, to be our God, and to give salvation.
For these, and all blessings, we give you thanks, eternal, loving God, through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
We would love for you to share these moments of praise and prayer with your family and friends. When you share this post, tag World Relief Chicagoland on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
Thank you for joining World Relief Chicagoland in praying for our refugee and immigrant neighbors as they rebuild a new life in our community.
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