In recent weeks, we’ve all seen the news about refugees fleeing Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban’s takeover. The images and stories have been harrowing – people leaving everything behind, desperately boarding planes, not even sure where they’re going, but certain that their lives are in very real danger if they stay where they are.
I wonder if we can even imagine what that must be like. How do you find a job, secure safe housing for your family, register your children for school, buy groceries, and take care of basic medical needs with no family or friends, no English, no money, no car, and no basic understanding of the culture or of how systems and services work? It sounds near impossible.
And then I think about people who don’t ever become refugees, but who live in poverty in difficult parts of the world, who don’t have access to the sorts of education, health care, housing, and jobs that we do in Raleigh. I think of treasures like those in Guatemala who live in and around the Guatemala City dump, eking out a living and trying desperately to build a better future for their children.
It can all seem overwhelming, and it’s sometimes hard to know where even to start to help. Over the next few weeks, though, we’ll have opportunities to engage in very direct and practical ways to help people in these hard situations and to share the gospel with them.
For several years, Apostles has partnered with Refugee Hope Partners (RHP),
a local non-profit that supports refugees as they build new lives in America. They assist with housing, job training, access to healthcare, tutoring for kids, ESL for adults, and cultural education. RHP has seen lives transformed as refugees get and sustain jobs, graduate from high school, buy cars and eventually homes, and build better futures for their families.
On Sunday, October 17th, RHP will be at Apostles with opportunities for you to get involved – everything from a one-time gift of a winter coat, to year-long commitments to teach English. If you’re looking for a way that you and your family can help refugees newly arrived in Raleigh, stop by their table.
And the following week, on October 24th, there will be an interest meeting for our Guatemala Mission Trip at 12:30pm (after the second service) for anyone thinking about joining our team in June 2022. This trip is open to individuals or families, rising 7th graders to adult. You don’t need Spanish, and you don’t need any special skills. You just need a desire to serve the treasures in Guatemala City.
If those dates don’t work, email me and I’ll get you connected. These are both excellent opportunities to make a real impact, to help people in unbelievably difficult situations, and to share the love of Jesus. I hope you’ll find a way to get involved.
Julie Tisdale
Missions Coordinator
