Friends,
As we approach Easter, I am reflecting on the life of Jesus. His time of ministry has had the greatest resounding impact ever known, changing this world over the past 2000 years. I am grateful for the obedience of Jesus to the will of the Father and I am struck by how much God was willing to give of Himself so that we can have a forever home with Him.
During the ministry of Jesus, we read that he and his disciples had no place to call home. As they went throughout the region, they would search for a “person of peace” to welcome them and create a space they could feel at home. As I have reflected on this passage, I find myself pulled toward the term “person of peace”. Who are “people of peace” in our day? What does it look like to embody this in the world around us?
It doesn’t take long for me to think about God’s call to welcome the stranger. The person who welcomes the stranger is a person of peace. Today, there are over 100 million people who are displaced from their homes, some of whom have found themselves arriving here in Chicagoland as a stranger in need of welcome.
Friends, we have the opportunity to be “people of peace” in our present-day world. We can be people who show welcome to our new refugee and immigrant neighbors. Though we are not coordinating housing refugees in volunteer homes at this time, we are working to ensure that every family that needs a place to stay finds one. We have staff committed to networking with property owners and finding long-term residences for those in need. We are coordinating rental support and training for new renters and landlords.
By partnering with World Relief financially through sacrificial giving or a special offering, together we can help find housing for our new neighbors. Together, we can embody what it means to be “people of peace”. Send me an email to talk more.
Grace and Peace,
Rev. Keith Draper
Regional Director of Church Relations
World Relief Chicagoland
630.824.8498 | kdraper@wr.org
Stories of Impact
Farzana is an Afghan Paralympian who was forced to flee Kabul in August of 2021.
As a leader and advocate for women in her country, she was no longer safe. She found herself living in temporary quarters at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin. After several months, she was sent to Chicagoland for a better living situation.
Because of partners like you, World Relief was able to find a place for her to live that accommodates her mobility devices.
Jerome lived in a refugee camp for 19 years.
Can you imagine that? During his time in the camp, Jerome was already working to make a difference and that made him a target.
Thankfully, he was selected to be resettled and came to the United States.
When he arrived at his first apartment, he was finally able to live in a secure and safe place. He was able to find peace again thanks to people of peace who supported the finding and filling of his new apartment.
Yomardy left her home in Venezuela to come to the United States on a Fulbright scholarship.
Fully intending to return to Venezuela and use her status as National Teacher of the Year, she soon discovered that she was declared an enemy of the state in Venezuela.
Her honesty about the conditions in her country meant that she could no longer return to her home. Thanks to partners like you, Yomardy was able to find the support she needed here in Chicagoland.
Her new dream is to buy a house to be able to welcome others like her who need a place to call home.
Download their stories as a pdf.
The Impact of Your Giving
$15,000
A gift of $15,000 can provide 1 month of housing assistance to 10 families in need of short-term assistance. This kind of gift provides stability that is vital to the successful launch of a new life here in Chicagoland.
$10,000
A $10,000 gift can provide the support and coordination needed to ensure that housing is available when refugees arrive. This gift can cover coordination for over 80 newly arrived families in need of a home.
$5,000
A gift of $5,000 can provide vital case management service to ensure that newly arrived families learn everything they need to know about their rights and responsibilities as first-time tenants in the United States.
$1,500
A $1,500 gift can prepare two new apartments with the essentials needed for everyday life. For those who had to leave everything behind, this gift becomes some of the first items owned by newly arriving families.