Spokane Blog
The Villanueva Family: What’s It Like to Be a New Arrival?
It was a challenge from the beginning. Moving to a new country is never easy – much less so as a refugee family with only three bags of possessions and limited English. But the Villanueva family stayed open to the experience and embraced life in a new city.
Read MoreIntern First Impressions: You cannot be an expert here.
Spokane is filled with people to learn about and be inspired by. Those chances are only heightened when interacting with people who come from different backgrounds.
Read MoreSeparated by War, United by Grace
Naomi’s family was separated from before she was aware of her own age, from before she could understand why there was war in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Read MoreStronger Together: Olympian Susie Luby
Susie Luby, who won the bronze medal in Alpine downhill skiing in 1972, started volunteering for World Relief Spokane in February of this year. Before that, she said the refugee situation wasn’t really on her radar. “Not at all.”
Read MoreFaster, Higher Stronger – Together
What does being a world-class athlete have to do with volunteering at World Relief? As it turns out, way more than we expected.
Read MoreRefugee Mother Works Hard to Inspire Others
Surrounded by the Spokane community, she stood bravely before the council saying, “We are in a country where everything is possible, and I know that from experience.”
Read MoreLet Freedom Ring
The United States has long been a beacon of hope for refugees and other immigrants. It is a land where one can leave behind famine, war, persecution and hardship – to start a new life full of opportunity and freedom.
Read MoreAbdulazak’s Story: The Long Journey of a Refugee from Sudan
The trip was extremely long. Sometimes, Abdulazak’s father would sleep out in the rain after finding a place to shelter the family. It seemed to Abdulazak they could have traveled anywhere in the world by the time the family reached the camp. When he saw the rows of tents, he asked his father, “Is this the United States?”
Read MoreZia’s Story: I Was Born In War
As a government official, Zia knew that he was being hunted. Quickly he gathered his wife and two children, and rushed them to the airport. Somehow, they made it inside. They should have been safe.
Read More5 MORE Ways To Learn About Refugees
Last year when I wrote my blog, “Five Ways to Learn More About Refugees”, there were 103 million displaced people in the world; 32 million were refugees.
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