By the Way: Making an impact

By REV. JEFF DECELLE on July 23, 2021.

It has been a great privilege of mine to work on refugee sponsorship as part of the Medicine Hat Area Refugee Team. Our work began in 2015 when the conflict in Syria was at its crisis point. We gathered first as pastors and then as churches and asked: “What can we do?”

Because of the generosity of Hatters, we were able to raise $70,000 within weeks to sponsor a Syrian family – and now five years after they stepped off the plane, we celebrate that they have passed their citizenship exams.

Sponsorship begins with financial commitment – but that’s only the beginning: navigating school registrations, doctor’s appointments, looking for work, practicing English and being there for questions about cultural celebrations or even how the furnace works.

Refugees carry the trauma of the life that they fled, but also bring many gifts. In my experience this includes sharing their rich cultural and religious traditions with us; a warm sense of hospitality; wanting to contribute to our community; and their hope to provide a better future for their children. We see in them what we share as human beings.

MHART is currently fundraising to sponsor six refugees who escaped war in South Sudan, and have spent years in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. The Kenyan government is planning to close this camp of 200,00 people in 2022, creating even more uncertainty for those who have been traumatized many times over.

Compassion starts by being moved by the suffering of another, and is expressed in doing what we can to alleviate that suffering. We don’t always know what we can do to help – but refugee sponsorship connects our compassion with something that makes a real difference in the lives of others.

If you are interested in learning more about this appeal, you can contact office@stjohnsmedicinehat.ca. Donations can be sent to St. John’s Presbyterian Church, clearly marked for MHART.

Rev. Jeff Decelle is Pastor at Unity Lutheran Church

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