R E S O U R C E S F O R WORSHIP, LEARNING AND ACTION

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Introduction..........................................................3About refugees and World Refugee Day...........4

History 4Definitions 4Refugee facts 5

Worship resources..............................................6Wordsofintroduction 6Prayers 6

» Opening 6 » Intercession1 6 » Intercession2 7 » Offering 7 » Benediction 8

Reader’stheatre:Remembertherefugee 8Children’sstory 9Scripture-basedsermonstarters 10

» ThestoryofRuthandNaomi 10 » Thewelcomingfather 10 » TheHebrewsleaveEgypt 11

Refugee stories..................................................12Fawzia’sstory 12Resettlementstory 12Fromrefugeetosponsor 13Theblessingofsponsorship 13Abetterway 14

Additional resources.........................................15

This resource for World Refugee Day was prepared by StevePlenertofMCCManitoba,withassistancefromBrianDyck,EstherIsaac,andEstherEpp-TiessenofMCCCanada.GraphicdesignandillustrationsbyJonathanDyck.AccompanyingvideobyMeghanMast.Formoreinformation,contactyourprovincialMCCoffice.

WORLD REFUGEE DAYHospitality & Hope

View the accompanying World Refugee Day video

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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IntroductionStoriesofpeopleonthemovepunctuatehumanhistoryfromtimeimmemorial.TheBibleitselfisfilledwithstoriesofpeoplebeingforcedfromtheirhomes,beginningwithAdamandEveandincludingJesus,MaryandJoseph.Today,ourheartsandmindsarecaptivatedbySyrianrefugees,butSomalia,Afghan-istan,SouthSudanandothercountriesalsoproducethou-sandsofrefugees.Refugeescontinuetoseekspacesofsafetyinmanyplacesandformanyreasons.

MCChasbeenintegrallyinvolvedinprovidingemergencyassistancetothousandsofinternallydisplacedfamiliesinSyriaandIraq,andaswellSyrianrefugeesinLebanon,JordanandIraq.MCChasalsofacilitatedthesponsorshipofthousandsofrefugeesintheirresettlementinCanadafromtheMiddleEastandelsewhere.

Theworkofofferingassistancetorefugeesisintenselyprac-ticalwork—whetherthatmeansprovidinghumanitarianassis-tance(suchasfood,shelter,andmedicine),sponsorshipforresettlement,orthepossibilityofareturnhome.ButatMCCwebelievethatourworkofrefugeeresponsealsotakesplaceatthespirituallevel:inindividualheartsandinworshippingcommunities.Soweofferthisresourceasanintegralpartofourresponseto“serveinthenameofChrist.”

ThisworshipresourceinvitesCanadiancongregationstofocustheirworshiparoundtheplightofrefugeesinthecontextofWorldRefugeeDay(June20).ItcontainsinformationaboutthehistoryofWorldRefugeeDayandthecurrentrefugeecrisis,storiesofrefugeeandresponsesituations,aswellasavarietyofworshipresourcestoassistyouinplanningameaningfultimeofworshipinyourcongregation.Itincludeslinkstoaddi-tionalsourcesforthosewhowishtolearnmore.

We invite you to pray, worship, learn, give, and be inspired to offer hospitality and hope to refugees.

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About refugees and World Refugee Day

WorldRefugeeDaywasofficiallyrecognizedasacelebrationbytheUnitedNations(UN)in2000,andwasfirstcelebratedonJune20,2001.Priortothat,manyregionshadcelebratedtheirownversionsofrefugeeday,thelargestbeingAfricanRefugeeDay.ThedateforWorld Refugee DaywaschosentoalignwiththedaythatAfricanRefugeeDayiscelebrated.Thedayisin-tendedto“commemoratethestrength,courage,andresilienceofmillionsofrefugees.”Morethan100countriesparticipateincelebratingWorldRefugeeDayeachyear.

Therearemanytermsusedforpeoplewhoaredisplaced,including:refugees,internallydisplacedpersons(IDP),asylumseekers,statelesspersonsandmigrants.Thesecanbeconfus-ing:whatexactlydothesetermsmean,andtowhomdotheyrefer?Followingaresomedefinitionsofhowthesedifferentgroupsareclassified.

RefugeesPeoplewhoareoutsidetheirhomecountryduetofearofpersecutionbecauseofrace,religion,nationality,ormembershipinaparticularsocialorpoliticalgroupandareunabletoreturntotheirhomecountryorbeprotectedbytheirhomegovernment.Refugeesfleeintoanewcountryinordertopreservetheirownlivesorfreedomandaregivenformsofprotectionbythehostcountry.Thisdefinitionisbasedonthe1951 Refugee Convention,signedbymanycountriesinclud-ingCanada.

Internally Displaced Persons (IDP)Peoplewhohavebeenforcedtofleefromtheirhomebuthavenotyetcrossedaninternationalbordertobecomearefugee.

Asylum seekersPeoplewhoclaimtoberefugeesandseekinternationalprotectionbutwhoseclaimshavenotyetbeenevaluated.

Stateless peoplePeoplewhoarenotlegalcitizensofanystate,makingitimpossibleforthemtoaccesssocialservicesorhavetheirhumanrightsprotected.

MigrantsPeoplewhochoosetomovenotbecauseofadirectthreatofpersecutionordeath,butmainlytoimprovetheirlivesbyfindingwork,toseekeducation,toreunifyafamily,orotherreasons.Migrantisalargercategoryofpeopleonthemove,whichcouldincludeconventionrefugees,IDPs,asylumseek-ersandeconomicmigrants.

HISTORY

DEFINITIONS

Definitionsadaptedfrom: http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-

bin/texis/vtx/home

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TheUnitedNationsHighCommissionerforRefugees(UNHCR)registersandprotectsrefugees.Accordingtotheirrecords there are 20.2 million refugees intheworld.Thisfiguredoesnotincludeinternallydisplacedpersons,asylumseekers,statelesspeople,ormigrants.

There were 40.8 million internally displaced people at the end of 2015,8.6millionofwhomwerenewlydisplacedduring2014.

Anaverageof1millionpeopleseekasylumeachyear,butin 2015 3.2 million people were asylum seekers.TheUNHCRhasnotyetreleasednumbersfor2015,buttheyareexpectedtohaveincreased.

Theofficialnumberofpeoplewhoarestatelessishardtoknow,astheirexistenceislargelyunrecordedbythestatesinwhichtheyreside.Howevertheestimateisthattherewere 10 million stateless peopleintheworldin 2015.

Where do refugees come from?

Refugees come from many countries,includingsomefromCanada,butthethreecountriesthatproducedthemostref-ugeesbetween2011and2015are:Somalia1.1millionrefu-gees,Afghanistan2.66millionrefugees,andSyria4.85millionrefugees.Thesethreecountriestogetheraccountfor54%ofrefugeesglobally.

Where do refugees go?

In2015Turkeyhostedthe largest numberofrefugees,with2.54millionrefugees.PakistanandLebanonhostthesecondandthirdmostrefugees,with1.5millionand1millionrespectively.

What about Canada?

Canadahas4.19refugeesper1,000people,andranks41st globally forrefugeespercapita.

REFUGEE FACTS

Note: Thenumbersandstatisticsabovewerethelatestavailableon

March23,2016.Thesenumberscanchangequickly.Pleaserefertothe

hyperlinksforlatestnumbers.

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Worship resourcesJune20isWorldRefugeeDay.Inaworldfullofpotentialforunderstandingandconnectednesspeoplearealienatedfromtheircommunities,fleeingtheirhomesinnumbersnotseensincetheSecondWorldWar.Inaworldwheresuspicionoftheotherandfearofthestrangerhavebecomecommonplace,howdothefollowersofChristrespond?Howdowebearwit-nesstohope?

Ourexpressionofworshipthroughprayers,songsofpraiseandpreachingisadeclarationoffaiththatinspiteofuncer-taintyGodispresentinourworld.WebelievethatGodcanandwillactforjusticeandpeaceandthatweareco-labour-ersinthataction.Wegathertodaytoprayforstrengthandboldness.WeremindourselvesofGod’sfaithfulnesspastandpresent.Welookforwaystoengagecurrentcriseswithcom-passionthatwillmeethumanneed,buildpeaceandhonourthenameofthePrinceofPeace.

Opening Prayer

LovingGod.Wegatherinthisplacetoworshipyou,tofellow-shiptogetherandtolearnyourwayoftruth.AswefocusonWorldRefugeeDay,weacknowledgethatmanypeopledonothaveaspaceandaplacetocallhome.Wepraythatwewouldbeattentivetothemovementsofpeopleintheworldandthemovementofyourspiritinourhearts.Ourdesireistobefaith-fultoyourcallingtous,OGod,tobepeopleofcompassionandhope.Maythistimeofsinging,praising,prayerandlisten-ingformustobesuchpeople.Amen.

Prayer of Intercession 1

DearGod.Weaskforyourmercyonallyourpeopleinallplaces.Weprayforthosewhohavefledtheirhomes.Wepraythattheywouldexperiencesafetyandcomfort.Wepraythatintheheatofsummertheywouldfindshelterfromthesun’sblaze,andinthewinteraplaceofwarmth.Forthosewhohaveexperiencedtraumaandviolence,wepraythattherewouldbehealingandsolace.Forthosewhohavebeenseparatedfromlovedones,wepraythattheymaybereunited.

Forthosewhoareofferingshelter—bycircumstanceorchoice—maytheyexperiencethegiftofofferedhospitality.Maytherebeenoughtosharesothatresentmentagainstnewcomersdoesnotbuildup.Wealsoprayforthosechurch-esandcommunitieswhoareministeringtothedisplacedintheirownland—grantthemstrength,courageandlovetocarryon.Wealsoprayfortheperpetratorsofconflictandviolencewhoseactionorinactioncausespeopletobecomerefugees.Weaskthattheywouldrenounceviolenceandwouldadoptpoliciesofjusticeandpeaceforthosetheygovern.Amen.

WORDS OF INTRODUCTION

PRAYERS

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Prayer of Intercession 2

LordJesusChrist,werememberthatinyourinfancyyouwerearefugee.Thepoliticalleadersofyourcountrysoughttoendyourlife,andsoyourparentsfledwithyoutoanothercountryinsecret.Wedon’tknowhowlongbeforeyouwereabletoreturntoyourhomeandyourpeople.

Helpus,OLord,togrowincompassionforthosewhoaredisplacedfromtheirhomesinourday.Helpusnottoseethemonlyasproblems,statisticsorthreats.Helpustoseerefugeesasfellowhumanswhohavebeenforcedtofleetheirhomes,andaspeoplewhohavegiftstosharewithus.

OGod,weknowrefugeesanddisplacedpersonsmustmakeexcruciatingdecisions,andweaskforyourmercyuponthem.Weaskformercyforparentswhotakechildrenfromtheirhomes.Mercyforchildrenwholeaveparentstooweaktotrav-el.Mercyforthosewhochoosetostayforwhateverreasons.Weaskformercyforthosewhosehousingisinadequate–coldinwinter,hotinsummer,insufficientforprivacyorhygieneorsatisfaction.Havemercyonyourchildrenwhohavelefttheirhomes,OLord.

OGod,weknow—sometimestoowell—thecausesofdis-placementandmigration.Weprayforthesituationsthathaveledtotherefugeecrisesinourworld.Weprayforthosewhopromoteextremistideologies,thattheywouldchangetheirwaysandnotchooseviolence.Weprayforrepressiveregimes,thattheywouldseektoengagepeopleinbuildingfreedom.

Helpus,OLord,tobecompassionateandtoknowhowwecanhelpthosewhohavebeendisplaced.Helpustoknowwhenitistimetoproviderelief,whenitistimeforresettlement,andwhenadvocacyforpeaceandchangeiswhatisneededmost.Giveuscourageandstrengthtobepeopleofcom-passionandjusticeinthefaceofcomplexandoverwhelmingdemands.

Weknowthatyouloveallpeople,dearLord.Helpustobetheinstrumentsofyourloveandpeaceintheworld.Amen.

Offering Prayer

DearGod.Wegiveyouthanksforwhatwehave.Forjobs,homes,security,andformoneythatwecanchoosetogivetoothers.Wepraythatourgiftstohelpotherstodaywouldpro-videfood,shelterandameasureofhopeforthosewhoneedit.Helpustohavegeneroushearts,notonlyinwhatwegivebutinhowwethink.Maywebegenerousinlovingandcaringforrefugeesandseethemaspeoplewhoyouloveandcareforaswell.Wepraythatwarswouldceaseandthatthecauseof

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somuchdislocationanddisplacementwouldend.Untilthattimeletusnotlackinenergyandwillingnesstoreachouttothosewhosufferandhavebeenforcedfromtheirhomes.WeprayinthenameofChristwhoreachedouttoallwhosuffertobringthemintowelcomingcommunity.Amen.

Benediction

Ourworshipheretodayhasbeenaplaceofrefugeforourspir-its.Aswegointotheworldmaywebemindfulofallwhohavebeendislocatedfromtheirhomes.MaytheGodwhoseownsonlivedinexileopenourheartstocareforthosewhoneedloveandlodging,hospitalityandhope.Amen.

The following reader’s theatre for two voices is adapted from one prepared by Ben Schatzlein and Cody Turnbull, students at Providence College, Otterburne, Manitoba in February 2016. Scripture texts are drawn from the English Standard Version. Throughout, the word “sojourner” has been replaced with “refugee.”

A:NowtheLORDsaidtoAbram,“Gofromyourcountryandyourkindredandyourfather’shousetothelandthatIwillshowyou.”(Genesis12:1)

B:Nowtherewasafamineintheland.SoAbramwentdowntoEgyptasarefugee,forthefaminewassevereintheland.(Genesis12:10)

A:ThentheLORDsaidtoAbram,“Knowforcertainthatyouroffspringwillberefugeesinalandthatisnottheirsandwillbeservantsthere,andtheywillbeafflictedforfourhundredyears.”(Genesis15:13)

B:Lovetherefugee,therefore,foryouwererefugeesinthelandofEgypt.(Deuteronomy10:19)

A:Hearmyprayer,OLORD,andgiveeartomycry;holdnotyourpeaceatmytears!ForIamarefugeewithyou,aguest,likeallmyfathers.(Psalm39:12)

B:DuringthosemanydaysthekingofEgyptdied,andthepeopleofIsraelgroanedbecauseoftheirslaveryandcriedoutforhelp.TheircryforrescuefromslaverycameuptoGod.AndGodheardtheirgroaning,andGodrememberedhiscovenantwithAbraham,withIsaac,andwithJacob.GodsawthepeopleofIsrael—andGodknew.(Exodus2:23-25)

A:Youshallnotoppressahiredworkerwhoispoorandneedy,whetherheisoneofyourbrothersoroneoftherefugeeswhoareinyourlandwithinyourtowns.(Deuteronomy24:14)

READER’S THEATRE Remember the refugee

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B:Youshallnotoppressarefugee.Youknowtheheartofaref-ugee,foryouwererefugeesinthelandofEgypt.(Exodus23:9)

A:Andwhenyoureaptheharvestofyourland,youshallnotreapyourfieldrightuptoitsedge,norshallyougatherthegleaningsafteryourharvest.Youshallleavethemforthepoorandfortherefugee:IamtheLORDyourGod.(Leviticus23:22)

B: TheLORDwatchesovertherefugees;heupholdsthewid-owandthefatherless,butthewayofthewickedhebringstoruin.(Psalm146:9)

A:Donotneglecttoshowhospitalitytostrangers,fortherebysomehaveentertainedangelsunawares.(Hebrew13:2)

B:ForIwashungryandyougavemefood,Iwasthirstyandyougavemedrink,Iwasastrangerandyouwelcomedme.(Matthew25:35)

A:Thesealldiedinfaith,nothavingreceivedthethingsprom-ised,buthavingseenthemandgreetedthemfromafar,andhavingacknowledgedthattheywerestrangersandexilesontheearth.(Hebrews11:13)

ThisisIbraham(ontheleft)andthisisLarama(ontheright).(Surnamesarenotavailable.)

IbrahamandLaramaliveinMinawaorefugeecampinCamer-oon.Theyliveherewiththeirmother,twoyoungersiblings,and33,000otherpeople.Theyliveherebecauseitisnotsafeforthemtoliveintheirhome.It’snotsafebecausethereiswarinthecountrythattheylivedin.TheyusedtoliveinNigeriawiththeirwholefamily,buttheirhomegotattackedandtheirfatherwaskilled.Ibrahamwasattackedtoo,buthissisterLaramafoundhimandsavedhislife.Hehadtostayinthehospitalforfourandahalfmonthsbeforehewasabletoleave.

Ibrahamisarefugee.Hehashadalotofreallysadthingshappeninhislife.Hislifeprobablylooksdifferentthanyoursdoes.ButIbettherearealotofthingsyouhaveincommonwithhim.

Hehasbrothersandsisters,doyou?

Hegoestoschool,doyou?

Hecancountto100,canyou?

Helikestoplaysoccer(butcallsitfootball),doyouliketoplayanysports?

CHILDREN’S STORY

Source.

Tosharethisstory,enlargeandprintthisphoto,orprojectitontoascreen.

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Helikestosinganddance,doyou?

Helikestoplaywithhisfriends,doyou?

Sometimesit’seasytoseewhatisdifferentaboutpeople,andsometimesthosedifferencescanseemprettybig.Buttherearealways(andImeanalways)atleasttwothingsthatyouhaveincommonwithsomeone,nomatterhowdifferentyoumightthinkthatpersonis.Thefirstisthatyouarebothpeople,andthesecondisthatGodlovesyoubothveryverymuch.

The Story of Naomi and Ruth —TheBookofRuth

NaomiandherhusbandleavetheirhomeinBethlehembe-causeoffoodshortages.Theyresettleinanotherland.There,tragedybesetsNaomiandshelosesherhusbandandbothofhersons.Sheoptstoreturntoherhomeland,embitteredbyherexperiences.Butshehasmadeenoughofanimpressiononheronedaughter-in-lawthatRuthreturnstoIsraelwithNaomi.TheysupporteachotherandultimatelyRuthmarriesBoaz.OutofthisstoryofmigrationandresettlementcomestheancestryofbothKingDavidandJesustheMessiah.God’sloveisnotboundbynationalboundaries,ethnickinshiporevenreligion.GodworksthroughNaomitheIsraeliteandRuththeMoabitetobringabouthisredemptiveplansfortheworld.

ThestoryofNaomiandRuthbearselementssimilartodis-placedpeopletoday.Thereisanaturaldisaster,afamineinthiscase,thatcausespeopletoleavetheirhome.ThereistragedyinthedeathofNaomi’sfamily.Therearewidows,whicharecommonamongdisplacedpopulations.Thereisastruggletointegrateintoanewcommunity.Ultimately,thereisintegration,andthisintegrationchangestheshapeofthecommunitythatwelcomestheserefugees.Attheend,thereisagoodreminderthatrefugeesareofteninthebackgroundofapeople’sstoryandthatstoryneedstobetoldtokeepusopentothedisplacedtoday.

The Welcoming Father — Luke15:11-32

Interpretationofthisstoryoftenfocusesonthedissolutelivingofthesonandhowhislifestylemadethewelcomingembraceofthefathersoremarkable.However,theson’scircumstancesaretoacertainextentbesidethepointofthestory.Thekeypointofthestoryisthatthefatheractswithcompassionandwelcomesthedesperatesonwithopenarms.Notonlydoesthefatheractinwelcomebutheadvocatesforthisyoung-ersonwiththeeldersonwhowaslesswillingtoaccept.AsafaithcommunityChristinvitesustobewelcomingandnon-judgmental,andtoshareourresources.Thesourcesofdesperationinourworldappeartobewithoutlimit,however,thegraceandloveofGodisalsowithoutlimit.Weareinvited

SCRIPTURE-BASED SERMON STARTERS

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toembodyGod’sloveandgracebywelcomingandacceptingpeopleindesperatecircumstancesandbyactingasadvocatesontheirbehalf.

The Hebrews Leave Egypt — BookofExodus;Leviticus19:33-34;Deuteronomy10:17-22,24:17-22

The story of the Israelite departure from Egypt is dramatic andcentraltoJewishunderstandingsoffaith.Itisalsoastoryofmigration,landlessnessanddesperation.InthecourseofthestorythepeopleyearnfortherelativecomfortsofEgypt—theywanttogototheonlyhometheyhaveeverknown.TheyregularlyabandonthecommandsofGod,theybuildandworshipidols,andtheycomplainbitterlyabouttheirlot.Theyfacedangerfromwithoutandfromwithin,andtheirjourneyisfraughtwithperil.Whentheyfinallyarriveinthenewland,theyarebynomeanswelcomedwithopenarms.Whataretheytolearnfromtheirexperienceofoppressionandslavery?Howmighttheirrefugeestoryshapetheirresponsetoothers?InwhatwaysaretheytobecomeanewpeopleaccordingtothewaysofGod?

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Refugee Stories“WherewouldtheygoifIdon’tacceptthem?”ThisquestionisaskedbyFawzai,aYazidiwomanwholivesinIraq.Shehasbeenforcedtomovetwiceduringheryouthbecauseofreli-giouspersecution,herfamilyhavingtostartagaineachtime.Fawziamarried,andmovedagaintoherhusband’svillage.There,shehadtwochildrenbeforeherhusbandpassedaway.Herdaughterlivesinanearbyvillage,andhersonisinGerma-nyseekingasylum.HeandhisfriendsleftbecauseofthefearofbeingpressuredtojointheIslamicStategroup.

Yet,evenwithherfamilygone,shedoesnotlivealone.Cur-rently,Fawziahastwofamilies,atotalof25peoplelivingwithherinherhome.TheyhadtofleetheirownhomesinAugust2014whentheIslamicStategrouptookovertheirvillages.Fawziaknowsthepainofhavingtoleavebehindone’shomeandlivelihood,andshehaswelcomedthemin.Alongwithhosting25peopleinherhome,shealsoworksasabeekeep-er,alivelihoodthatissupportedthroughMCC’sZakhoSmallVillagesProject.Thisprovidesherwiththemoneysheneedstosurvive,andtosupportthosewholivewithher.

“Hello,hello,hello.”ThewelcomingvoiceofYhyaAlKurdiinvitesyouintohishome.HeboastsabouthiswifeFatoum’scooking,enjoyingthatpeoplearecomingtosharefoodwiththem.YhyaandFatoumhaverecentlyarrivedinCanadafromSyriawithtwooftheirsevenchildren,andarelivinginWinni-peg.TheirotherchildrenareinLebanon,AlgeriaandGermany,withmorefamilymembersremaininginSyria.

TheirlifeinSyriawasgood.Yhyawasateacherandawriter,theirchildrenaredoctorsandlawyers.Theyownedtheirownhomeandcar.Butwhenthewarcame,theyhadtoleave.Hop-ingthatthewarwouldbetemporary,theyshelteredinnearbycommunities,butasthesituationworsened,theyrealizedthattheyneededtoleave.Yhya“took[thefamily]toLebanonsotheywouldnotseeanythingofthewar.”LifeinLebanonwasnotgood,housingwasinadequateandjobsdidnotpayenoughtocovertheirexpenses.

Eventually,thefamilyappliedforresettlementwiththeUnit-edNationsandwerematchedwiththeRiverEastMennoniteBrethrenChurchinWinnipegthroughMCC.TheyarrivedinCanadainNovember2015.

TheAlKurdi’sarebeginningtoadjusttolifeinCanada.Theyappreciatethehelptheyhavereceived,butstillmournforthefamilyandthelifeleftbehind.InYhya’swords:“I’mstillsad,inshock.ButwhenIseepeoplewelcomingme,askinghowI’mdoingstartinglifehere,Ifeelmuchbetter.”

FAWZIA’S STORY

RESETTLEMENT STORY

Source:ACommonPlace.Spring2016.P.11

Source.

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THE BLESSING OF SPONSORSHIP

Viewthisstoryonvideo:Sponsoringrefugees:“ourlivesarebeingenriched”

KarinaHayat,age11,arrivedinVancouverfromGuatemalaasarefugeewithherfamilyofsixknowingnoEnglish.Now,morethan20yearslater,sheandherfamilyareprivatelysponsoringafamilyofSyrianrefugees,andaredoingsoenthusiastically.SheandherfamilyhopethattheycanhelpanotherfamilyandencouragethisnewlyarrivedSyrianfamilybecomepartoftheirextendedfamily.ThisdesiretobewelcomingrunssodeepthatKarina’schildrenaskedtoadoptchildrensothattheycansharetheirroomwiththem.

KarinaandherhusbandZeeshan,whotogethernowrunasuc-cessfulbusiness,bothcametoCanadaaschildren,andareenthusiasticabouthelpingothershavethe“Canadiandream.”They are eager to combat the fear that others have about refugeesandtoshowthepotentialwhichrefugeescanoffertootherCanadians.

Comingfromarefugeefamily,Karinarecognizesthestrug-glesthattherefugeeswillfaceuponarrival,saying“Ithinkthebiggestchallengeisthefactthatyouessentiallyarewritingoffyourentirepast—you’restartingfromscratch,youloseyouridentity.Evenasan11-year-oldIlostmyidentity.”

AnextendedfamilyinBritishColumbiabecamerefugeespon-sorsand,withMCC’sassistance,werematchedwitharefugeefamilyfromEritrea.MostoftheBCfamilymembershadnotevenheardofEritrea,buttheyquicklygottoworklearningaboutthecountry’slocation,culture,language,food.Theirworldviewgrewrapidly.

ThehostfamilycontinuedtolearnnewthingsfromtheirEritre-anfriends.Theylearnedthatparentsaroundtheworldsimplywanttoprovidefortheirchildren.Theylearnedtotreasurethefreedomandsecuritythattheytakeforgrantedandtorecog-nizetheresilienceandstrengthofrefugees.Thehostchildrengainednewplaymatesandlearnedtopractisecompassion.

Theexperienceofhostingarefugeefamilywasnotaone-wayexchange;therewasmutualbenefit.Therefugeefamilybene-fitedfromthegenerosityofthehostfamily,andthehostfamilybenefitedfromwhattheyreceivedfromtheirguests.Asoneofthehostssaid,“Ourlivesarebeingenriched.”

FROM REFUGEE TO SPONSOR

Source.

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Jean-CalvinKitatawasawell-knownMennoniteBrethrenpastor,journalist,andbroadcasterfortheChurchofChristinCongo(anumbrellaformorethansixtyCongoleseProtestantdenominations).WiththehelpofaCanadianMennoniteBreth-renmissionaryfriend,heobtainedascholarshipin1996tocometoCanadatostudyTVbroadcastingatCrossroads(100HuntleyStreet)inBurlington,Ontario.

HearrivedinCanadafourweeksafteracoupd’étatoccurredinhishomecountry.Duringthemilitarycampaignandthere-bellionthatbroughtthenewleaderstopower,massacreswerecommitted.TheUnitedNationsorderedaninvestigation.Butthenewregimedidnotpermittheholdingoftheinquest.Ithadjournalistswhoexposedthesefactsarrested.Italsodetainedjournalistswhoreportedonthegovernment’slinkswiththeRwandanandUgandanarmiesanditsuseofchildsoldiers.Kitatawasnotabletoreturnhome.

KitatagainedrefugeestatusinCanadain1998.ButitwasthreeyearsbeforehiswifeElyséeandtwoyoungsonscouldjoinhiminhisnewhomeinQuébec.Thoseyearswereex-tremelydifficult.“Ilearnedwhatitmeanttobehomeless,hungryandextremelylonely.”Asthesonofapowerfulchiefbackhome,becomingarefugeewasalsoashamefulexperi-ence.Backhome,hewouldhavebeenapowerfulandwealthyleader;hereinCanadahewasapoorrefugee.

ButJean-CalvinandElysée,withtheirtwosonsandCana-dian-borndaughter,havemadeanewlifeforthemselvesinQuébec.Abigpartoftheirlifeisreachingouttootherrefugeesandnewcomers.Itisawayforthemto“giveback”toCanadaforwhattheyhavereceived;itisalsoawaytosupportnew-comerswhoarestrugglingtofindtheirwayinanewland.Theyknowhowhardthejourneycanbe.

Today,asPeaceandJusticeCoordinatorforMCCQuébec,Kitataalsospreadsthemessageofthegospelofpeace.Hehasseenhowwarandviolencecantearsocietiesandfamiliesapart.AsafollowerofJesus,heknowsthereisabetterway.

For more stories please see the UNHCR or the MCC Canada websites.

A BETTER WAY

Source:Jean-CalvinKitata

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Additional ResourcesFive years and counting.AnaccountofMCC’sresponsetotheSyriaconflictfiveyearsafteritbegan.

Refugee response. Somebasicsonhowtosponsorarefugeefamily,makeadonationtowardresettlement,orvolunteeryourtime.

Syria, Iraq crisis response largest in MCC history. HowMCChasspent$34.6milliontorelievethesufferingofSyriansandIraqis.

Sponsoring refugees:“Ourlivesarebeingenriched.”ABrit-ishColumbiafamilysharestheirexperienceofsponsoringarefugeefamily.

Syria and Iraq crisis: Thank you.MCCsaysthank-youtothosewhohavecontributedtoitsrefugeeresponse.

WorldRefugeeDayvideo.

Canadian Council for Refugees

United Nations High Commission for Refugees

FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM MCC

MCC VIDEOS

OTHER ORGANIZATIONS