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This Christmas, we celebrate the greatest love story ever told. The deep, enveloping, extravagant love of God — a love that prompted him to give his only son, clothed in flesh, born in a manger, to save humanity.
At the core of this story is movement — and presence. It is the story of a purposefully displaced Savior who enters humanity’s exile to lead us home. A Savior who exchanged the heavenly realms for a lowly manger and fled to Egypt in search of refuge. It is the story of an intimate God who does not remain distant, but who steps into our world, engaging our struggles and our journeys. It is the story of the one who walks alongside us.
Today, we celebrate Immanuel, God with us. He stepped into our darkness. He felt our pain. He wept. He comforted and he saved. His promise stands true yesterday, today and forever — he will never leave us nor forsake us.
As we approach the Christmas season, people of faith all across the globe are called and inspired to reflect Jesus’ light and demonstrate his love. We are invited to walk alongside families forced to flee, just like Jesus’ family was, as conflict, violence and persecution drive vulnerable families from their homes in search of refuge.
The needs are staggering — and urgent. Over 117 million have been forced to flee, searching for safety, food, shelter, medicine. All while federal funding and infrastructure to support humanitarian work around the world has been decimated. For too many families around the world, survival has become a daily battle.
And yet, there’s hope, because we’ve seen God’s church step into this darkness.
The people of God have shown up for families like that of Florence and Pascal. Pascal fled the Democratic Republic of the Congo after his father and uncle were killed in a violent dispute and his own life was threatened. Florence’s family escaped Rwanda after enduring the trauma of her parents’ abduction. The couple met and married at a refugee camp in Malawi while experiencing years of displacement, living under a tarp roof, on dirt floors, surrounded by hunger and suffering. They carried the constant weight of fear and uncertainty.
They were resettled in the U.S. in December, 2024 — just weeks before initial funding was cut for newly-arrived refugees. But when a local church wrapped around them with friendship and care, survival gave way to new beginnings. Pascal found work. Their children flourished in school. And their family discovered they weren’t alone as they tried to rebuild their lives. The church was with them. People like you were with them. “God is big and always good. He uses his people to help us,” said Pascal.
The people of God have also shown up for families fleeing war and violence in countries like Sudan. Over a million people have crossed from Sudan into the neighboring country of Chad in just two years. Mothers carry children on their backs under the cover of night, arriving in a new country with nothing but the clothes they wear. Far too often, they’ve lost a child or family member to violence along the journey. Hunger and exhaustion mark every step of their journey and each day in the refugee camps they enter. There is little water, food or healthcare. Mothers fast so their children can eat the little food they have.
And yet, even here, Immanuel is with them. His love shines through his people. Alongside you, World Relief has provided emergency food, safe water, medical care, nutritional support and more at border entry points and in camps. Families who thought they were forgotten have discovered they are not alone. “The services you provide saved our lives,” one leader told us.
The road ahead is uncertain and resources are running thin but God’s people continue to walk with displaced families, reflecting his presence in their darkest hour.
As Advent begins and we prepare our hearts to welcome Jesus, we can also prepare to welcome the stranger, just as our Lord and Savior was a stranger in an unfamiliar land. We can feed the hungry, give a drink to the thirsty, care for the sick and comfort those who are suffering. Because there is power in presence, in service, in walking alongside our neighbors, near and far.
At World Relief, we want to help you do this. Because faith in action is contagious. For more than 80 years, across 100 countries, we have partnered with the church to engage the world’s greatest crises. We’ve walked alongside people in their hardest moments, millions of whom have been forced to flee their homes.
Together with compassionate people/partners like you, we:
- Respond: When disaster strikes — from a devastating earthquake in Myanmar to war in Sudan — we provide emergency aid: food, water, shelter and medical care. You stand with people like Ma Zar Chi Thient, who dug through rubble for hours to find her 3-year-old daughter, and helped cover her medical care when she struggled to pay. When you give, you come alongside families in their darkest hour of need.
- Strengthen: We work hand-in-hand with local churches to build resilient communities — through programs in savings, agriculture, health and more (alternative, to be used as needed: livelihoods, nutrition, health and more) — so families don’t have to leave their homes to survive. Together, we’ve helped families like that of Rose not just survive but also thrive amidst the arid landscape of Turkana, Kenya. When you give, you help families stand strong, preventing displacement before it begins.
- Rebuild: Here in the U.S., we create communities of belonging for refugees and other immigrants, helping them adapt, rebuild and thrive. From English literacy and job training to legal support and advocacy, we walk alongside our newest neighbors so they can rebuild their lives with dignity. When you give, you create a future of hope.
Together, we can reflect God’s love through our presence and generosity. Like Advent candles lit one by one, each act of generosity can drive back the night. Your gift can fan the flicker of hope in families who feel forgotten.
Hope isn’t finished. Neither are we. As God is with you, will you be with them?
This Christmas, join the journey. Walk alongside families in crisis now.
Shreya Shukla Thornton is the Senior Content Manager at World Relief. With over 15 years of experience in communication and a Ph.D. in the field, she enjoys forging a connection through storytelling.
