Lift Off! 40 Days of Sacrifice - Day 21
Jeremiah 7:5-7
For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.
As we transition our prayers from the Syrian refugees to responding to the refugee crisis, take a moment to read this story of a church's opportunity to practically support the refugees by overseeing a Syrian family into their country (Canada). Take a moment and read some highlights the pray in thanksgiving for opportunities like this both for the church, but especially for families who have experienced safe passage. For the full story, head over here (it's a great read)!
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In December 2015, a group from Grace Toronto Church gathered together to help global refugees. Like the rest of the world, they had been horrified by the image of 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi, who had washed up on Turkish shores as his family tried reaching Canada. The small group researched the process of sponsoring a Syrian refugee family in Canada. On June 7, 2016, after months of waiting (and raising the legally required $30,000 for settlement), they received an email that a Syrian mother and father, along with their three children, would be arriving on June 20.
We knew the children’s ages (8, 7, 4) and had a brief work history for the parents. The father had been an upholsterer; the mother, a housecleaner. We knew they were coming from Beirut, where they’d been living for a few years after having fled Syria. But apart from this—and knowing they spoke no English—we knew little.
One thing I’ve tangibly learned from this experience is that God provides for every detail. So many times, logistically speaking, we were at the end of our resources. And then someone would unexpectedly help. They donated items. They donated time. They lent vehicles. They gave money. They used connections. The Lord was so faithful.
Right before the family left Lebanon, the mom had opted for a dental procedure. Unfortunately, it wasn’t done well, and infection had ensued. In their initial weeks here, she was living with a lot of low-level pain, but they didn’t tell us about it, not wanting to be too demanding. Then suddenly we were facing emergency dental surgery, which we didn’t know how we’d pay for—because while dental care was an eventual priority, it wasn’t ahead of permanent housing, which we were still trying to secure.
In a couple months we’ll begin transitioning them to what it will look like, after their first full year in Canada, to no longer receive the financial assistance from us they’ve been used to. But right now, we’re still practically involved in the everyday affairs of the family’s life. The father will often text me a picture of mail he’s received, the implied question being, “What is this?” I am the contact person with the children’s school to help the parents interpret various reports and permission forms. Robert is their go-to person for financial questions, and his wife, Marcia, is on-call for their children’s health emergencies. Each week there is either another donation to bring over or a maintenance item in the apartment to fix. And of course, there are always meals and games of hide-and-go-seek with the kids!
In terms of encouragement, I can simply say that this is the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I am confident God has worked everything together to bring this family here to this place at this time. Seeing them blossom is breathtaking to witness. I just saw a video the father took of himself and his son as they laced up their ice skates, pushing their plastic chairs for balance on the ice.
Excerpted from https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/one-churchs-story-of-resettling-syrian-refugee-family
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