Posts Tagged ‘U.S.’
Our Journey to âYESâ: Ross & Emily Jones
Tell me a little about how you first got involved with World Relief?
We first learned about World Relief through Park Street Church in Boston. They were running a series on global justice, with a real emphasis on mission work. It was great to learn about how we might expand our passion for justice globally through World Reliefâthey were one of the first organizations we heard about that was really involved in social justice issues overseas. And they kind of became a tutor for us in learning about the issues of the world.
Tell me about your own decision making process when it came to charitable giving? Why do you give?
Weâve always believed we should give back, with both our time and money. Both Ross and I are very aligned in that we agree we donât just want to keep stockpiling our resources and we want be good stewards of what weâve been given. But I would say it was really about a decade ago that we got to a point in our philanthropic journey where both of us had this strong sense we didnât want to keep living up to the standards that our finances would allow. We were concerned with the level of income and wealth inequality in the U.S., and I think we also believe thereâs only so much you can enjoy in life before you experience a sense of diminishing returns. So we decided what kind of lifestyle we wanted and how much we needed to live that way. Then we agreed that anything we made above that, weâd give away.
God calls us to generosity in many ways. We felt called to use our money to go after the injustices in the world, and our foundation, Imago Dei, has been our response to that call. Of course, people give in many ways. You just have to listen to God, discern and discover what is yours to do.
How did you decide what and who to give to? What was important for you?
We were particularly drawn to World Reliefâs focus on empowering and entrusting communities with their own change. When we went on a vision trip to Cambodia with World Relief, we saw small churches leading change in their communities, and it felt so much more empowering than just charity. It was the local church implementing the change that they wanted to see, not an outside intervention coming in and forcing something. In that sense, World Relief seemed to be navigating all the damaging colonialist undertones and aid dependence pitfalls very well. They really appeared to be catalyzing change from the inside out, delivering their work in and through the local church.
What’s been the most exciting thing you’ve seen or heard about as a result of your giving?
The sweet spot of our giving is to organizations (typically faith-based or faith-inspired) that are working to dismantle barriers for girls and women and helping them to become all God made them to be. Weâve been really inspired by the ways in which World Relief is working to integrate gender justice and reconciliation into their broader programming model, and entering into the gender struggles of our world. So many organizations tend to take a very specific programmatic approachâcreating clubs or programs just for women and girlsâbut we know that to really get into gender norms and work to change those, you need to take a more holistic approach. World Relief supports churches as they wrestle with contradictions in culture and gender stereotypes, and encourage a holistic theology of wholeness and wellâbeing, embodied in Imago Dei.
What motivates you to continue giving today?
World Relief is really like a big family that keeps growing. It feels like this exciting movementâthis amazing relational web, in which everyone truly believes in the organization. It really feels like a community. Sometimes when organizations are so big and bureaucratic, they lose their humanity. But we really feel like weâre part of something bigger at World Relief, part of a movement and a family. It feels very human.
We think they have that for many reasons. Probably most significant for us is that they help people and churches to embrace the liberating and holistic dimensions of the gospel. That is just so important in a world where there is a harmful use of religion for authoritarian purposes. World Relief really works to tap into the spiritual essence of the gospel, at a time when that is so needed. Weâve seen that play out this year in the U.S. in particular, where World Relief has shown so much moral courage in the face of the refugee and immigration crisis. As a family, itâs really touched us and weâve been so grateful to have a guide that can speak with such a clear moral voice in relation to all thatâs going on, especially when itâs really hard to know what on earth is happening. It really reminds you that this work of love, peace and justice can start right here in your backyard. You look out in the world and think about the world you want to create for your own children. Well, the answer is you start here and work outward.
How has your life been impacted or changed since you started giving to World Relief?
Weâve really enjoyed the shared solidarity and experience that comes with giving to an organization over the long haul. Weâve been able to learn so much about the world through World Relief. Weâve learned about what it takes to create change in a truly complex world. And weâve learned about the role of faith in these complexities, about how we can use it to move the needle forward. World Relief reminds us to keep growing and learning about the world. Itâs so easy to just go about your life, to be self absorbed, and sometimes the worldâs problems seem so big you want to run away and stick your head in the sand. But thereâs so much joy in doing your part, and doing it with others. Everyone weâve met at World Relief is so dedicated; they quietly and passionately go about this amazing work and it reminds us that thereâs always something you can do. Weâre grateful for that moral courage that they demonstrate so admirably.
What would you say to other families that are thinking about giving to World Relief or a similar organization? Any advice or encouragement?
You know, giving can often feel like this really big and daunting thing but a little money can go a long way globally. God calls us, really invites us, into faithful stewardship. And itâs often when you lean in and give generously that you discover the greatest blessings in life.
Weâd say start with your own humanity and your own heart. Allow yourself to feel the struggles of the world. Let them draw you in. You donât have to figure it all out at once. Just start somewhere where you feel a natural affinity and see how it expands. Find where your heart is drawn and, from that point, just enjoy the journey. When it becomes more than just writing checksâthatâs when you know itâs where your heart is.
Are you ready to find your âYESâ?
Francesca Albano currently serves as Director of Branded Content at World Relief. With a background in Cultural Anthropology and a graduate degree in Strategic Marketing Communications, she connects her interests in societal studies and global cultures with her training in brand strategy and storytelling. Francesca is especially passionate about grassroots community development and the treatment and advancement of women and girls around the world.
The Immigration Facts: The Face of Asylum at the Southern Border
Who are the people approaching our border from Mexico? What does it mean to seek asylum? For a nation of immigrants, the ways by which foreign-born individuals and families legally enter the U.S. remain mysterious for many Americans. Hereâs a helpful guide to get it all straight.
Standing in the Gap
In Ezekiel 22:30, the prophet says on behalf of God, âI looked for anyone to repair the wall and stand in the gap for me on behalf of the land, so I wouldnât have to destroy it. But I couldnât find anyone.â
In the ancient world of the Bible, cities had walls surrounding them to provide protection from enemies. When the wall was breached, the city was vulnerable to destruction; the only way to secure it was for people to risk their lives by literally standing in the gap in the wall and fighting the enemy.
I remember the first time I heard the term âstand in the gapâ because I had no idea how I could do that for anyone, especially immigrants. My own immigration story had been simple and resolved easily when I was in elementary school. It had left me ignorant of the plight of many immigrants to the U.S. I distinctly remember the pleasure of flying into the Los Angeles Airport with a tourist visa and landing to the welcome of family, including an uncle who had become a U.S. citizen and already filed for an immigrant visa for his brother, my dad. My uncle, unknowingly, had stood in the gap for us.
More recently, Iâve been reflecting on this idea. If thereâs a biblical model for standing in the gap for vulnerable people, how do I stand in the gap for my immigrant neighbors?
At least part of the answer came to me incidentally through my work at World Relief, which has brought the brutal realities of our immigration system into my life. Stories I would rather not know. Stories most people donât want to know either.
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Stories of teenagers terrorized by gangs in their home countries, seeing no other option than a long journey north to live with a relative in a safer place.
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Stories of families who never had any desire to migrate but were forced to close their businesses and head north because they could no longer afford to pay their criminal extortioners and feared for their lives.
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Stories of men and women living in impoverished economies and unable to feed or educate their children, so they head to the U.S. in search of job opportunities and a better future.
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Stories of relatives who suffered terrible and undignified deaths crossing the desert and had no burial or memorial service.
Itâs difficult to hear these stories, but Iâve come to realize that part of standing in the gap is bringing the whole, ugly and ruthless world into our lives, into our understanding of family and love of neighbor. Our willingness to listen to and enter into these stories allows us to share in the suffering of our neighbors and stand in the gap in prayer and advocacy. Itâs far more difficult to stand in the gap for statistics and economic rhetoric around a political issue, but put a human face and a story on that same issue and everything changes.
A friend once told me that she couldnât do my jobâshe couldnât listen day after day to the tragedy and suffering that is often part of the immigrant experience because she would want to take every person home with her.
I do take every person home with me, but not in the way she meant. I carry those stories with me everywhere. They inform the way I vote; how I see other immigrants; the way I speak about them to other people; and how I advocate for them. I have seared them into my consciousness. And I know Iâm not complicit in their suffering and terror. Instead, their stories keep me hungering and thirsting for righteousness, as Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5:6).
They make me long to see justice and compassion in our immigration system, despite the fact that all efforts at reform of that outdated system have failed in recent years.
And yet I have hope. Because Jesus promises that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. My prayers and advocacy for immigrants are fueled by that promise.
Itâs important to stay thirsty for righteousness, but itâs important to stay hydrated, too. And for me, that means standing in the gap for my immigrant neighbors, drinking in all their stories while I pray and advocate for them.
Karen GonzĂĄlez has worked at World Reliefâs headquarters in Baltimore since 2015. She is an HR professional, an immigrant advocate, and a writer, who emigrated from Guatemala to the U.S. as a child. Karen has a graduate degree from Fuller Theological Seminary, where she studied theology and missiology. Her first book, releasing in May 2019, is about her own immigration story weaved with theological reflections on the many immigrants found in the Bible.
Frontline Report: The Border
Lea este artĂculo en Español, AquĂ.
Ted Oswald, World Relief Sacramento’s Immigration Legal Services staff attorney, and Kevin Woehr, DOJ Accredited Representative with World Relief DuPage/Aurora, recently returned from Tijuana, Mexico as part of a team comprised of World Relief staff from across the U.S. advising asylum seekers at the border. The following offers a brief but powerful glimpse into their time on the border.
A Venezuelan family of six huddled together as they told us their story. They were fleeing political persecution from their government for not supporting the ruling party. After their 18-year old pregnant daughter was arrested under false charges and brutally beaten, the family fled the country. At the border, they tried to plead for asylum, but were turned away. And so they tried again. This time they were heard â but told they could only take their two youngest children. Two must stay behind. Knowing they could not and would not be separated, they refused. Now they wait, together. They are number 601 in line.
Seeking Refuge
Each day, hundreds of people come to the Tijuana border crossing between the U.S. and Mexico, fleeing all manner of violence and poverty. These are the families hoping to apply for asylum in the U.S. Praying for a new beginning. And for safety.
At the border, their names are added to a list. A record of all those applying for asylum â and one that can grow to over 1,000 entries long. Each day, a new batch of numbers are called and these asylum seekers are interviewed. There, the U.S. must assess whether asylum seekers have a credible fear of persecution on the basis of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. The validity of these fears are determined during this interview. Not many can meet the specific requirements, and asylum seekers often face prolonged detention while their full asylum claim is judged. If denied, they are deported back to their home country. If approved, however, they are granted new life in the U.S.
Stories of the Line
This week, as we listened to the recounting of past trauma and held up these very human stories of loss, fear, pain and hope against the strict standards of asylum law, we prayed fervently for Godâs justice and mercy for these suffering and vulnerable people.
In the asylum line, children napped on the floor and parents sat by the fence waiting for the custodian of the list with the hope that maybe, just maybe, some of them would add their names. We estimated that over 1,000 peopleâs names were on the waitlist, and that it would take 4-7 weeks from when they signed up to the moment of their interview.
Alongside that line, we met men, women and children who told us their stories:
A young woman from Mexico told us of the fateful night she was riding home from work in a local taxi. A gang pulled in front of the car, got out and killed the driver, then threatened her and her colleague. They promised that if she ever talked to the police she would be killed. In such a small town, the woman knew that though she did not know them â they knew her, and likely her family too. A few months later, her brother and uncle were killed. And so she fled.
An 18-year old Honduran boy told us of his escape from the Mara 18, an infamous and violent gang who had tried to recruit him. They threatened him frequently, trying to force him to work for them by extorting local families. When he refused, he was kidnapped and locked in a house, where one evening he was able to escape. He cried as he told us he was never able to say goodbye to his family.
A young couple from Honduras told us of their escape from gang violence and harassment. The wife has been raped, and though she contacted the police, nothing was done. Now, several months pregnant, she and her husband are seeking asylum in the hopes of beginning a new life.
Eye of the Storm
At the end of the days we began to process the stories we had heard. Stories of lives already ravaged by persecution on so many different levels (physical, emotional, sexual and mental), lives disrupted and broken, yet still somehow still intact, now standing at the border. Here these lives waited, preparing to plead their case for asylum.
As we advised individuals and families on the likely realities of applying for asylum in the U.S, we simply wished we could give them good news; news that the pain and fear was over and that they could begin to heal and restore. And yet our words were simply more words of preparation for the hardships that were still to come: detention, interviews, family separation, possible deportation, attorney fees and more. The storm was not over. It would continue on.
There were days when this knowledge was crippling. When hope evaded us. And yet, we held on to the hope that our counsel and encouragement would provide these vulnerable individuals and families with the support they needed to journey through the next phase of the storm.
Our time on the border was a clear reminder that this work is powerful, humbling and, sometimes, even holy. As our team returns to the U.S., we will continue to bear witness to what weâve encountered at the border. We ask that you would join us in continued prayer for this important work and for peace for the hundreds of families seeking refuge at our border.
Ted Oswald has served with World Relief since 2017 as the Immigrant Legal Services (ILS) program director and attorney where he provides immigration legal services, mobilizes volunteers, and offers community legal education seminars. A licensed attorney, Ted has a Juris Doctor from the Thomas R. Kline School of Law at Drexel University, a Graduate Diploma in Forced Migration and Refugee Studies from the American University in Cairo, and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from UC Davis. He is the author of three novels, Because We Are: A Novel of Haiti, There is a Land, and Little Flower.
Kevin Woehr Kevin Woehr is a partially DOJ Accredited Representative with World Relief DuPage/Aurora and has been a member of the legal team since August of 2012. As a Senior Immigration Specialist, Kevin represents clients before the Department of Homeland Security, providing legal counsel on a wide range of administrative processes. Additionally, Kevin oversees the application process of hundreds of eligible young adults each year in the capacity of DACA program coordinator. He is trilingual in English, French, and Spanish and was born and raised in Chile.
Reporte de Primera LĂnea: Reflexiones desde la Frontera
Read this article in English, here.
Ted Oswald, un abogado de la oficina de Servicios Legales de Immigracion en World Relief Sacramento, recientemente regreso de Tijuana, Mexico como parte de un equipo compuesto de personal de World Relief de todos los EE.UU. asesorando a los solicitantes de asilo en la frontera. A continuaciĂłn, se ofrece una breve pero poderosa visiĂłn de su tiempo en la frontera.
Una familia de seis venezolanos se acurrucaron juntos mientras nos contaban su historia. HuĂan de la persecuciĂłn polĂtica de su gobierno por no apoyar al partido gobernante. DespuĂ©s de que su hija embarazada de 18 años fue arrestada bajo cargos falsos y brutalmente golpeada, la familia huyĂł del paĂs. En la frontera, intentaron pedir asilo, pero fueron rechazados. Y entonces lo intentaron de nuevo. Esta vez fueron escuchados, pero dijeron que solo podĂan llevar a sus dos hijos mĂĄs pequeños. Dos deben quedarse atrĂĄs. Sabiendo que no podĂan y no estarĂan separados, se negaron. Ahora esperan, juntos. Ellos son el nĂșmero 601 en lĂnea.
Buscando Refugio
Cada dĂa, cientos de personas llegan al cruce fronterizo de Tijuana entre los EE.UU. y MĂ©xico, huyendo de toda clase de violencia y pobreza. Estas son las familias que esperan solicitar asilo en los Estados Unidos. Orando por un nuevo comienzo. Y por seguridad.
En la frontera, sus nombres son agregados a una lista. Un registro de todos los que solicitan asilo – y una que puede crecer a mĂĄs de 1,000 entradas de largo. Cada dĂa, se llama un nuevo lote de nĂșmeros y estos solicitantes de asilo son entrevistados. AllĂ, los EE.UU. deben evaluar si los solicitantes de asilo tienen un temor creĂble de persecuciĂłn en basado en su raza, religiĂłn, nacionalidad, opiniĂłn polĂtica o pertenencia a un determinado grupo social. La validez de estos temores se evalĂșa durante esta entrevista. No muchos pueden cumplir con los requisitos especĂficos, y los solicitantes de asilo a menudo se enfrentan una detenciĂłn prolongada mientras su solicitud de asilo es juzgada completamente. Si se les niega, son deportados a su paĂs de origen. Si se les aprueba, no obstante, se les otorga una nueva vida en los EE.UU.
Historias en la Linea
Esta semana, mientras escuchamos el recuento de los traumas pasados y resaltamos estas historias muy humanas de pérdida, miedo, dolor y esperanza en contra de los estrictos eståndares de la ley de asilo, oramos fervientemente por la justicia y misericordia de Dios para esta gente sufrientes y vulnerables.
En la lĂnea de asilo, los niños dormĂan la siesta en el suelo y los padres se sentaban junto a la cerca esperando a el guardian de la lista con la esperanza de que tal vez, solo tal vez, algunos de ellos agregaran sus nombres. Estimamos que mĂĄs de 1,000 nombres de personas estaban en la lista de espera, y que tomarĂa de 4 a 7 semanas desde que se inscribieron hasta el momento de su entrevista.
Al costado de esa lĂnea, nos encontramos con hombres, mujeres y niños que nos contaron sus historias:
Una joven de MĂ©xico nos contĂł la fatĂdica noche en que viajaba a su casa del trabajo en un taxi local. Una pandilla se detuvo frente al automĂłvil, saliĂł y matĂł al conductor, luego la amenazĂł a ella y a su colega. Le prometieron que si alguna vez hablaba con la policĂa, la matarĂa. En una ciudad tan pequeña, la mujer sabĂa que, aunque ella no los conocĂa â ellos si la conocĂan a ella y probablemente a su familia tambiĂ©n. Unos meses mĂĄs tarde, su hermano y su tĂo fueron asesinados. Y entonces ella huyĂł.
Un niño hondureño de 18 años nos contĂł sobre su escape de la Mara 18, una pandilla abominable y violenta que habĂa tratado de reclutarlo. Lo amenazaron con frecuencia, tratando de obligarlo a trabajar para ellos extorsionando a las familias locales. Cuando se negĂł, fue secuestrado y encerrado en una casa, donde en una noche pudo escapar. LlorĂł cuando nos dijo que nunca pudo despedirse de su familia.
Una joven pareja de Honduras nos hablĂł de su escape de la violencia y el acoso de pandillas. La esposa ha sido violada, y aunque contactĂł a la policĂa, no se hizo nada. Ahora, con varios meses de embarazo, ella y su esposo buscan asilo con la esperanza de comenzar una nueva vida.
El Ojo de la Tormenta
Al final de los dĂas comenzamos a procesar las historias que habĂamos escuchado. Historias de vidas ya devastadas por la persecuciĂłn en tantos niveles diferentes (fĂsico, emocional, sexual y mental), vidas interrumpidas y rotas, pero todavĂa de alguna manera intactas, ahora de pie en la frontera. AquĂ estas vidas esperaban, preparĂĄndose para defender su caso de asilo.
Al aconsejar a individuos y familias sobre las posibles realidades de solicitar asilo en los Estados Unidos, simplemente deseamos poder darles una buena noticia; noticias de que el dolor y el miedo habĂan terminado y que podĂan comenzar a sanar y restaurar. Y sin embargo, nuestras palabras fueron simplemente mĂĄs palabras de preparaciĂłn para las dificultades que aĂșn estaban por venir: detenciĂłn, entrevistas, separaciĂłn familiar, posible deportaciĂłn, honorarios de abogados, y mĂĄs. La tormenta no habĂa terminado. Esto podria aun continuar.
Hubo dĂas cuando este conocimiento fue paralizante. Cuando la esperanza nos evadĂa. Y, sin embargo, mantuvimos la esperanza de que nuestro consejo y aliento proporcionarĂa a estas personas y familias vulnerables el apoyo que necesitaban para atravesar la siguiente fase de la tormenta.
Nuestro tiempo en la frontera fue un claro recordatorio de que este trabajo es poderoso, humilde y, a veces, incluso sagrado. A medida que nuestro equipo regresa a los EE.UU., seguiremos siendo testigos de lo que hemos encontrado en la frontera. Le pedimos que se una a nosotros en la oraciĂłn continua por este importante trabajo y por la paz de las cientos de familias que buscan refugio en nuestra frontera.
Ted Oswald has served with World Relief since 2017 as the Immigrant Legal Services (ILS) program director and attorney where he provides immigration legal services, mobilizes volunteers, and offers community legal education seminars. A licensed attorney, Ted has a Juris Doctor from the Thomas R. Kline School of Law at Drexel University, a Graduate Diploma in Forced Migration and Refugee Studies from the American University in Cairo, and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from UC Davis. He is the author of three novels, Because We Are: A Novel of Haiti, There is a Land, and Little Flower.
Kevin Woehr Kevin Woehr is a partially DOJ Accredited Representative with World Relief DuPage/Aurora and has been a member of the legal team since August of 2012. As a Senior Immigration Specialist, Kevin represents clients before the Department of Homeland Security, providing legal counsel on a wide range of administrative processes. Additionally, Kevin oversees the application process of hundreds of eligible young adults each year in the capacity of DACA program coordinator. He is trilingual in English, French, and Spanish and was born and raised in Chile.
The Baby in the Manger and at the Border: What Paula White Gets Wrong
My pre-school-aged daughter made a compelling observation as she played with our nativity set a few years ago, rehearsing the Christmas story as it appears in her childrenâs storybook Bible. âDad,â she observed, her eyes fixed on the collection of wooden shepherds, animals, âwise men,â and the holy family of Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus, âWeâre missing a figurine. We donât have the âmean king.ââ
Few peopleâeven those who, like our family, try to keep Jesus at the center of our Christmas celebrationsâspend much time reflecting on the most troubling part of the biblical narrative of Christâs birth. Iâve not yet encountered a crĂšche that included a King Herod figurine. We tend to conclude our Christmas pageants with the three Magi bowing down before Jesus. The curtain comes down, and we all go home to open gifts and enjoy a meal.
But thatâs not the end of the story. According to the Gospel of Matthew, as soon as the Magi leave to return to their country, Joseph is warned in a dream that the tyrannical King Herod would shortly begin a genocide of little boys in Bethlehem. Joseph got up in the middle of the night and escaped to Egypt with Mary and the newborn Jesus, out of Herodâs reach.
While mystical stars, shepherds and angels have little to do with our day-to-day lives, this part of the story is painfully pertinent to our headlines today. Jesus was a child refugee, part of a family that fled a credible fear of persecution by seeking asylum in a foreign land. As children and their parents have arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border in recent months with similar stories, many fleeing gang violence in Central America, how could followers of Jesus not respond with compassion?
According to Paula White, our response should be to double down on tough immigration policies. Why? Because, according to her, Jesusâ situation was fundamentally different than families arriving at the border today.
âHe did live in Egypt⊠but it was not illegal,â said White to CBN.
And then, much to the chagrin of many theologians, she went further: âIf he had broke the law then he would have been sinful and he would not have been our Messiah.”
Itâs a tidy argumentâbut it just doesnât work with the rest of the biblical witness. Various biblical examples of civil disobedience quickly make any such claim untenable. The Hebrew midwives are praised for defying the murderous decree of Pharaoh, who like Herod, ordered that Israelite infants be slaughtered. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refuse to worship an idol. The Apostle Paul, whose instruction to âbe subject to the governing authoritiesâ is sometimes cited as a basis for total obedience to civil laws, spent time in jail, having violated unjust laws. The Apostle Peter, when charged to stop preaching the gospel, insisted that âwe must obey God rather than human beingsââan attitude that led to his incarceration and martyrdom.
Most importantly, though, Jesus himself was repeatedly criticized for lawlessness. On one occasion, he healed a man born with a shriveled hand, infuriating the Jewish religious leaders who saw this as defying the Ten Commandments by breaking the Sabbath. It is one of few incidents in the gospels when Jesus is described as becoming angry, distressed by these leadersâ hardheartedness, putting their interpretation of the law ahead of compassion for the human suffering in front of them.
When Jesus later acknowledged that he was king (albeit, of a kingdom ânot of this worldâ), he was challenging Roman law, which acknowledged no ultimate authority but Caesar. Christ was condemned by the state as a criminal and executedâbut this act of love and compassion was certainly not a sin. It was the sacrifice that Christians believe saved us from our sins and what compels us to extend grace to others.
For those who follow Jesus today, we can insist that our government respond to the plight of vulnerable people in ways that both extend compassion and honor the law. And as a matter of fact, a U.S.-ratified treaty does allow those with a credible fear of persecution to request asylum at the border, even if they âenter or are present⊠without authorization, provided they present themselves without delay to the authorities and show good cause for their illegal entry or presence.â
Of course, not all will qualify. Some, even those with heartbreaking stories, may not meet the precise definition of a refugee under U.S. law. But we can still treat all with dignity, not separating families, norâexcept in the rare case that there is a compelling reason to believe they could pose a public safety riskâdetaining them. Churches, non-profit organizations and the extended families of these asylum-seekers are eager to help support them while they wait for their day in court. Whatâs more, such alternatives have been proven effectiveânot to mention significantly more affordableâin ensuring people show up for their hearings as required.
I donât know whether Jesusâ flight to Egypt was lawful or not. But I know that if my daughterâs life was at riskâwhether from a âmean kingâ or MS-13âIâd flee. Her life is far more precious than my respect for man-made laws. And Iâd pray, when I reached the other side of the border, to be met by compassion.
Matthew Soerens serves as the U.S. Director of Church Mobilization for World Relief and is the coauthor of Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion and Truth in the Immigration Debate (InterVarsity Press, 2018). Follow Matthew on Twitter.
Imagine Love
Earlier this week, World Reliefâs CEO, Tim Breene, asked us not to turn a blind eye to the incredible suffering of refugees and asylees worldwide. Indifference to pain and suffering on this scale, he wrote, cannot be the answer. In this same piece, Tim asked, âWhat then are we to do in the face of a refugee crisis of unprecedented scale?â
There are no easy answers to these questions, and no quick fixes either. And though we may not have all the solutions, we do have hope. Because we know there is one thing we can do – with all our hearts, all our souls, and all our minds.
We can love.
âLove your neighbor as yourself,â Jesus taught us. So what does that mean for us here at World Relief? And what does it mean in the context of our work with refugees? Yes, as a Christian organization, we strive to live biblically and to embody compassionate, unconditional love through all that we do. But how do we really put that love into action? And does it really make a difference?
Last year I was in a meeting when my colleague, Emily Gray, expressed our desire to love at every step along the journey, âfrom social security cards to birthday cards,â she smiled.
That phrase has stuck with me ever since. Why? Because it so perfectly represents the ways in which I see World Relief staff go beyond both whatâs required and expected, in small (and often big) acts of love.
Iâd like you to do something for me. Iâd like you to imagine that you and your family have spent the last six years fleeing danger, with little more than the clothes on your back. Youâve lost friends, youâve lost family, perhaps youâve even lost hope. Imagine youâre finally given the opportunity to rebuild your life, yet upon arrival, as you try to read the airport signs in a foreign language, the realization dawns on you: This is only the beginning of the next struggle.
This realization could be devastating. It could be crippling. It could even be too much to bear. You had always imagined that once you found refuge, the pain, the loss, the hopelessness would be behind you. Yet suddenly the questions begin running through your mind⊠How will you learn a new language? How will you find a job and support your family? How will you get around? How will you pay your bills? How will you even know what questions to ask and who to ask? Imagine the overwhelming loss of control you might feel. The panic. The fear. The weight of responsibility.
Now, with this all running through your head, imagine a smile as you exit customs. Imagine a sign of welcome in your language. Imagine an embrace. Imagine a family, giving up their evening, to take you home in a warm car. Imagine that new home, well furnished, prepared for your arrival. Imagine your favorite food on the table. Imagine a community of other families like yours, coming together to welcome you on that first night. Imagine conversation in your native tongue â the answers to so many of your questions answered by those that have gone before you.
Now imagine the realization that you wonât have to do this alone. That from job placement, to English classes, to bus route training, to child care, to DMV lines and hospital appointments, someone will be with you. And that someone will show you love, compassion, and friendship at every step along the way. From social security card, to birthday card.
Has the fear subsided yet? Do you feel loved?
At World Relief, weâve welcomed and provided support to almost 300,000 refugees since 1979. We love these strangers as neighbors because Jesus calls us to love. But we also do it because we know thatâs what weâd all want for our own families. And we believe that every family deserves the opportunity to build a stable, secure life. Love is more than an organizational identity for us at World Relief. Itâs in the DNA of our leadership, our staff, our partners, and volunteers.
Now let us return to Timâs question: âWhat then are we to do in the face of a refugee crisis of unprecedented scale?â
There is much we cannot control. But that does not mean we have to stand idly by. We can continue to advocate, to love, and to speak out on behalf of vulnerable refugees all around the world. Because this, this we can control. This we can do.
We can love.
Francesca Albano currently serves as Product Development Lead at World Relief. With a background in Cultural Anthropology and a graduate degree in Strategic Marketing Communications, she connects her interests in societal studies and global cultures with her training in brand strategy and storytelling. Francesca is especially passionate about grassroots community development and the treatment and advancement of women and girls around the world.
How Will the Lens of History Judge Us?
This Wednesday is World Refugee Day. For many, if not most of us, it will pass by largely unnoticed, especially in the midst of such turbulent times. We are in the middle of a global refugee crisis of unparalleled scale, yet often, it seems we have become accustomed to the pictures and stories of suffering and immune to the pain. Perhaps this is understandable. Many might call it self-preservation. But when we look back on today, how will the lens of history judge us?
Tipping points in history are hard to see when there is no single decisive event that marks the change. And it is easy to be blinded by busyness, by oneâs own troubles or by the love of our own comforts. But as the people of God we are called to see reality as God sees it.
Jesus called us in the Great Commandment in Matthew 22 to âlove our neighbor as ourselves,â and the example of His life made it clear that this does not simply mean the person around the corner, but the orphan and the widow, the vulnerable, the oppressed and the dispossessed.
So what are we to do in the face of a refugee crisis of unprecedented scale with 25 million refugee and asylum-seekers fleeing violence and unspeakable atrocities in places like Myanmar, Syria, El Salvador, Iraq and South Sudan? What are we to do when the United States appears to be fleeing from the values and leadership that once set it apart from the world?
David Miliband, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, recently wrote in a Washington Post editorial that âif current trends continue, the U.S. government will have no refugee resettlement program at the end of this administration.â
This may appear an exaggeration, yet the facts speak for themselves. Miliband, building on IRC information, reports from Reuters and data from the State Departmentâs Refugee Processing Center, revealed the grim realities of our current refugee policy.
In 2017, the U.S. received 6,996 Iraqi refugees. In the first half of this fiscal year, only 107 arrived. Iranâs numbers were comparable: 2,577 came to the U.S. in 2017 and only 31 in the first half of 2018. And only 44 Syrians had been given asylum within our borders, in contrast to the 6,557 last year. Thatâs fewer than were killed in the alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria on April 7th.
This dramatic decline also impacts Afghans and Iraqis who have served the United States overseas and are targeted back home because of it. The number of âSpecial Immigrant Visasâ (SIV), and âP2 Direct Accessâ(P2) visas, through which these brave immigrants enter the country, has lowered significantly. A mere 36 Iraqi P2 refugees have arrived in 2018 â a striking contrast with last yearâs 3,051. Since March of 2018, SIV arrivals have plummeted by an average of 500 a month.
Persecuted Christian refugee admissions have also dropped by historic proportions. In the year prior to the current administration, the number of Christian refugees admitted to the US. was over 42,000. If the current pace of admissions continues through December, this number will drop to less than a third of that level, with most coming from the Soviet Union and other Eastern European countries.
Martin Luther King Jr. once said âour lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.â
Of course, we understand the security and economic concerns many have over the influx of foreign-born people coming to the United States. We sympathize with those who feel left out, marginalized or simply not heard in todayâs fast-changing world. But turning a blind eye to the incredible suffering of refugees and asylees worldwide is not the answer to the challenges we face as a society. Indifference to pain and suffering on this scale cannot be the answer.
Our concern needs to be for the poor everywhere, not in one place at the expense of another. Last year the wealth of the USA (as measured by GDP) grew by $766 billion. Surely it is not too much to ask to that we not turn our backs on these most vulnerable people when as a nation we enjoy such bounty?
Our God lives above all history, seeing everything in the ever present “now.” Let us pray that He will grant us a new lens to see the untold suffering of our day and enter into it with compassion and courage. In this, we will rise above the fog of our everyday cares and join Him in changing the course of our time. And perhaps those who follow us may take courage by our example.
Tim Breene served on the World Relief Board from 2010 to 2015 before assuming the role of CEO in 2016. 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.
VIDEO: Al’s Story
When violent extremists burned down his motherâs medical clinic and attempted to kidnap him, Al and his parents fled Iraq and were eventually resettled in the U.S. Watch his incredible journey and join us as we help immigrants and refugees rebuild their lives in the U.S.
He is Still Good
Itâs been over a full year since the first Executive Order that began a time of chaos and reductions in the refugee program â and kicked off a wave of anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies. We have talked a lot over this last year about the struggles, and we know they continue. But I donât want to just focus on loss, because as weâve been taught, that is not the whole story.
Like many of you, I have prayed intensely in this last year for God to use His power in changing our circumstances, and I continue in those prayers. Some of the things for which Iâve cried to God have not been granted yet, and sometimes my heart hurts because of it. In those times I have reminded myself of a simple phrase: And if not, he is still good.
He is good. And I am learning to go to Him in true gratitude for His goodness. But while things donât always go as I wish, He has provided every staff member of World Relief, and through all of you, ample evidence that He is still good and that He is blessing and affirming the work he has called us to do:
- 3 new office directors joined World Relief last January â Chitra in Seattle, Mark in Spokane and Kerry in Upstate SC â showing amazing faith in spite of circumstances.
- God allowed us to welcome 7,565 refugees and SIVs, who have fled some of the most violent conflicts in our world, to a place of safety and opportunity
- We were able to serve 7,955 participants in other refugee programs
- 10,723 immigrants got quality, low-cost legal services and were able to receive the rights of law
- 4,948 other immigrants, beyond our work with refugees, were served throughout offices to find stability and to be helped on the journey toward integration
- We were instrumental in filing 2,565 citizenship applications that will give a permanent belonging to immigrants, many of whom have no other home
- We educated 731 people about human trafficking and how they can help stop slavery
- 23 former slaves were directly served in our programs to enter a new life free of their oppression
- We processed some 6,500 new volunteer applications, a record number, and prepared this army of volunteers to love our immigrant neighbors
- We provided education or training in 523 churches, calling Godâs people to welcome the stranger
- 314 church teams were formed and launched to deeply love and care for immigrant families
- As we invest in the future, we had 189 individuals attended 40-hour immigration training to prepare to represent immigrants and advocate for their rights
- In addition to our network of U.S. offices, we supported 52 church-based ILS programs as we empower the church to serve more deeply
In preparing these numbers for our upcoming annual report, we can say that despite all of the negative we have seen this year, God has worked through World Reliefâs U.S. Ministries in the lives of:
- 31,900 Direct Beneficiaries
- 48,900 Indirect Beneficiaries (family members, congregants, community members, etc.)
Numbers are impressive, but we should not see these as numbers but lives â people with hopes and dreams, people made in the image of God and people God loved enough to leave the glories of heaven and come to this broken world to show how much He loves them.
And, His love is such that as the Good Shepherd, He reminds us that He would do it all for just one of us.
He is still good!
Prior to becoming the SVP of U.S. Ministries, Emily Gray served for six years as the Executive Director of World Reliefâs offices in DuPage County and Aurora, Illinois. She is a former full-time missionary to Central America and is a founding member of Mission Lazarus, also serving on Mission Lazarusâ board for 15 years. Emily is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, earning a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Abilene Christian University, a Master of Social Work from Boston University, and has completed doctoral hours at the University of Texas at Arlington. She has been married for 30 years to Cary, a Computer Scientist, teacher and scholar of Christian hymns.
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