I've often wondered what I would do if I were a refugee... How would I survive? How would I provide for my family? Would my faith in God grow or shrivel? What would I do with gifts given to me? 

This month a refugee who received a gift via another believer in the Body of Christ sent the most wonderful story of what happened as a result of that gift. A gift that was received with thanks, and then used to provide more for others. It is a classic God story!

Sister, you might remember that you sent me some money for my family's food. 

Sister when you sent me that money we had nothing to eat. Our baby son had been out of milk for many months and he was slowly starving, so we bought milk for our son and with the rest of the money we bought food. But we didn't eat that food. We sold it to get some profit. Our first day was not so good to earn from the food, but the next day more customers bought our food, and the next day even more customers came.

This is not an AGC story, but it is a Canadian story. 

In the summer of 2017, Natasha Carew and Sean Ritchie got married and decided to forgo wedding gifts and instead encouraged their guests to help raise $26,000 to sponsor a refugee family through the BVOR program, and give them a new life in Canada.

Their story was written up in The Star after the Sudanese family they were matched with had arrived and settled in Toronto.

Looking back on their experience, Natasha and Sean wish others their age were doing more to bring forcibly displaced families to Canada. They understand that it could just as easily be us looking for a new home to resettle in. They both work full-time, and found the time commitments to be very manageable as they worked with their team.

The newspaper article link above and the YouTube video below are worth the watch, and worth sharing. Enjoy, and be inspired!

Guest post by Dolores M. from Westside Bible Church in Victoria, BC.

I am an elderly believer who has served my Lord in various ways for many, many years. With increasing limitations on my physical and mental abilities, there is still an important area of ministry the Lord has for me: prayer.

From the comfort of my Canadian Christianity, God called me to pray for the persecuted church. Many of the persecuted church have had to flee for their lives from their home countries, becoming refugees.

For quite a number of years I have been part of a weekly Bible study with a treasured group of women. When it comes to application of Biblical truths, we are often challenged to obey in new areas of life.

Australian Diaspora Steps Up

Ads-Up Canada is a group of Australians and Canadians working to sponsor Manus and Nauru refugees who have been detained indefinitely by the Australian government.  They are looking for partners in Canada after refugee resettlement was cut so drastically by the USA.

I first heard about Manus Island after receiving an email several months ago from a refugee who had been stranded there. It was a disturbing note as he described living conditions on what was essentially a prison island. I had never heard of such a place, and it didn't sound like something the Australian government would allow, so I went looking to see what I could learn. The facts are more painful than I could have imagined.

Arley has lived, worked and taught in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan with Operation Mobilization for over 40 years. He specializes in Persian culture and studies. Today, he and his wife are watching in dismay as many of the people they know and love have been forced to flee the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The Loewen's passion is to empower Afghan followers of Jesus so they can flourish in their lives in God's Kingdom. As husband and wife, Arley and Janice do discipleship training among Afghan believers around the world, as well as run Family Life seminars for first generation followers of Jesus from Muslim backgrounds.

The BVOR Program is designed to resettle refugees identified by the UNHCR and submitted to Canadian Visa Offices abroad. It is only the families or individuals who are most in need of resettlement that are referred under this program. Click the image to the right to watch "Four Steps to BVOR Sponsorship" now.

We know Jeremiah told the exiles to "seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." Paul too, urged Timothy "that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions..."  and that "this is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior..." 

We can have an informed voice at the table of our municipal councils if we are so inclined. If that is you, I am happy to tell you today about a recently developed Toolkit put together by Cities of Migration.

"Many small to medium cities across Canada face population declines and an uncertain future. Cities of Migration launches the Immigrant Futures Toolkit to help Canada's smaller cities, towns and regions address population declines through immigrant attraction and retention strategies."

Mehmood and one of his sons ran a successful tailor business in a predominantly Muslim area in Lahore, Pakistan. An escalating series of physical attacks and threats on their lives by local Muslims forced the whole family to flee their home in 2013, leaving behind all their precious possessions and finances. With the help of others they managed to arrive in Malaysia where they are seeking asylum and praying for sponsorship to Canada.

Profile: An extended Pakistani family of 8 
Risk: Death or imprisonment if they return to Pakistan
Advantages: Relatives in Kitchener, Ontario willing to help with some funds and
some settlement support; adults have transferable skills 
Seeking: A church willing to sponsor this family, providing the needed financial and settlement support 

Formerly called, "Preparing For and Transitioning to Month 13," this monthly webinar is required training by your SAH. Every member of the Core Team must take this webinar.

To register for this webinar click here.

If this timing is not convenient, check back here at the end of the month for the date and time it will be offered again next month.

In our world today (2019), Pakistan is ranked by World Watch List at #5 of the top 50 nations where "it is most dangerous to follow Jesus," ahead of Sudan (#6), Eritrea (#7), and Yemen (#8).

The AGC is partnering with Tearfund to help bring emergency relief to Ukrainians today.

Thousands of Ukrainian women and children have abandoned their homes. They are terrified that if they stay, their lives will be threatened. They are fleeing to the borders, praying their neighbours will let them in.

Their husbands, fathers and sons cannot go with them. The Ukrainian government has held them back to fight.

As the situation changes hour by hour, we want you to know that our partners on the ground are springing into action, especially those situated in border countries, preparing to welcome and support those in most need.

Click on "Events" above to see events currently available in our communities or on-line.

This is a new webinar offered by RSTP, and is required training by your SAH. The Team Lead and finance person from the Core Team must take this webinar.

Date: Tuesday, May 23, 2023
Time: 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm EDT

This interactive webinar allows sponsors to connect with a case study group about a woman named Aliya to learn how to keep sponsorship records and respond to IRCC's requests for information.

Attendees will also learn about the purpose and process of the Assurance framework that all sponsors work with.

To register click here.

Register to access the recording of a previous presentation of this webinar here. Attending the webinar in person provides opportunity to ask questions of the facilitator.

There are currently 70.8 million forcibly displaced people worldwide of which 25.9 million are refugees and 3.5 million are asylum seekers (February 2020). Unfortunately, as more countries experience unrest, those numbers continue to rise as seen from recent events in Venezuela. Some of these "millions" are single adults or children, many are parents with young families, several have fled with older parents. Each one is looking for a place to call home. Any place to call home.

As the refugee crisis continues, we can expect these numbers to rise. The Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative and the Global Compact on Refugees are working with global partners looking for ways to ease the pressure on host countries and beyond traditional means of finding a place for those have been forcibly displaced. 

"Not Abandoned"

In some parts of the world, choosing to follow Christ can be dangerous, and even life-threatening. Carrying the name "Christian" can lead to physical harm, loss of livelihood, arrest or even death.

Persecuted believers who have been forcibly displaced from their homes live with the added burden of being isolated and cut off from friends and family. 

Today, more than 260 million Christians are suffering and persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ. 

Our different circumstances and our geographical location can leave us feeling separated and unsure of how to help. The Canadian International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) provides a practical way stand with those who have lost so much.

Sunday, November 6 has been identified as "IDOP Sunday" this year. A video, suggested scriptures, children's material and other resourcesare available to help congregations, groups, and individuals pray effectively for our persecuted brothers and sisters.

What is the Refugee Highway? Where is it? Who travels this Highway?

This 40 second video will give you a sense of who the refugee highway partnership is. The church around the world is particularly equipped to respond with the compassion, grace and love of Jesus to those who find themselves on it. 

We encourage every congregation to watch and then pray to understand how they should respond to the ongoing global crisis.

RSTP offers an online training course called Introduction to the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program two to three times a year.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Calgary, AB
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Iraq
FAMILY SIZE: One

The 37 year old newcomer arrived in Canada in March 2018 with her mother, sister-in-law and two nephews (JAS profile #19-0081).

The newcomer is a survivor of trauma and torture and has suffered from tremendous psychological stress and mental health issues.

She is responsible for taking care of her elderly mother, who also suffers from mental health issues and has physical health problems, along with her two younger nephews and shares the responsibility of running the household with her sister-in-law.

A sponsor would be able to provide the necessary emotional and social support to reduce the newcomer’s feelings of isolation and help her access community resources, increasing her confidence and independence which could relieve some of the pressure of caring for her mother.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Winnipeg, MB
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Syria
FAMILY SIZE: Nine

A Syrian man, aged 42, accompanied by his spouse and their seven children, has completed six years of education and has worked as a plumber and pipe fitter. He is fluent in Arabic and has some English language training.

His spouse is a homemaker. The family has received settlement support. Six of the couple’s children are registered for school, and one is fully dependent on his parents.

Medical needs: The father has withdrawn from English language training due to the ongoing medical needs of their youngest child. This has prevented the family from engaging in other settlement services and accessing various community resources.

Sponsor assistance: A sponsor could: give the family a support system to help with their daily challenges; allow them to dedicate the time necessary to develop their English language skills; help them to fully connect and integrate within their local community; provide informal English practice; and, assist with managing the child’s ongoing medical appointments.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Toronto, ON
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Iraq
FAMILY SIZE: Two

The family consists of a 20 year old sister and her 7 year old sister. The eldest sister is raising her younger sister and is the primary caregiver of her elderly grandmother and her brother (JAS profile #19-0346). The brother has impaired cognitive disabilities.

The eldest sister would like to attend English language classes but is unable to do so as she is responsible for her younger sister, grandmother and brother. A sponsor would be able to assist the eldest sister with practicing English, developing her computer skills, connecting her with the local community and providing social and informal emotional support to the family.