resources for worship, learning and action€¦ · asylum seekers people who claim to be refugees...
TRANSCRIPT
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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
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