Spokane Blog
Good Neighbor Teams: walking together in welcome
Good Neighbor Teams (GNT) are a group of individuals who are trained to walk alongside a family for six months as they adjust to life in Spokane. Such a partnership takes responsibility for much of the resettlement process including: acquiring housing, registering for schools and government agencies, locating jobs, etc.
Read MoreSouzan’s Story: fleeing religious persecution
Souzan held a Bible study in her home. A seemingly benign, everyday activity. Except… Souzan lived in Iran. She had been secretly teaching the Bible in her home for years when one of her friends brought two new friends. Souzan didn’t know these new people, and she wasn’t sure of their motives. Did they want…
Read MoreEleven Years, Seven Countries, One Home
At that moment, Bibi probably didn’t even know Spokane, Washington existed. If someone had told her that her four boys would all be 4.0 students or that she would one day be an American citizen, she might have assumed they were lying, crazy, or both
Read MoreWomen’s Empowerment: What Is It and Why Does It Matter?
Women’s Empowerment seeks to give women agency and decision-making power over their own lives, to instill a sense of intrinsic value that may have been stolen from them, and to ensure their right to influence social change for themselves and others.
Read MoreCelebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
“During National Hispanic Heritage Month, from September 15 – October 15, the U.S. government celebrates the countless contributions of more than 60 million Hispanic Americans, Latinos, Latinas, and Latinx-identifying people to our culture and society” (US State Department website). At World Relief Spokane, this month of celebration gives us the perfect opportunity to highlight two…
Read MoreRefugees: Ready & Willing to Work Hard
Nedal Klaib was a veterinarian in his home country of Syria. He fled to Jordan with his wife and five children due to the civil war in 2012. In Jordan, he was able to continue his work as a veterinarian, but when he came to America, his education and credentials didn’t transfer.
Read MoreThey Can’t Go Home
As we were driving home, I received a text from my daughter. She was clearly unsettled. She wanted to know when I was going to be home because the fires were getting worse, she said. What fires? I thought.
Read MoreChurch Partner Feature: Faith Bible
God calls us to make disciples of every nation, and he is sending the nations here. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son…
Read MoreChanging My Mind: One Year at World Relief
Ethnocentrism: evaluation of other cultures according to preconceptions originating in the standards and customs of one’s own culture. Google Dictionary Evaluating the world through the lens of our own culture and experience. We all do it. The important thing is whether or not we realize we are doing it because, if/when we do, we can…
Read MoreCreative Solutions for Refugees in South America
Since 2017, Venezuelans have been fleeing the country, escaping a combination of hyperinflation, lack of food and water, and government violence. In response to this large influx of over six million refugees all throughout South America, Colombia and Brazil have adopted unique measures. Instead of resisting immigration, they’ve supported refugees and welcomed them with open…
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