Posts Tagged ‘Chicagoland’
5 Times in U.S. History When Christians Advocated for Refugees and Immigrants
This year, the number of displaced people reached 100 million. That includes refugees, asylum seekers, and 53.2 million people displaced within their home country by conflict. And it’s a higher number than ever recorded in history. In light of this, World Relief and other organizations have called for action – by the U.S. Government, community…
Read MoreBecoming a US Citizen Removes a Barrier to Justice.
Celebrating the 4th of July for a naturalized citizen can have a different flavor. It is an indescribable feeling of pride, freedom, and belonging. A naturalized citizen is a person with legal permanent resident status, who has made the choice to become a US citizen. Specifically, he or she has fulfilled the requirements established by…
Read MoreYour Family is Coming: A Refugee Family’s Long Road to Reunion
Every day, people leave their homes due to persecution, violence, conflict, and climate-related factors. Their journeys to safety are often marked by loss, separation, and worry for those left behind. For ten years, Ibrahim was separated from his family. This is their story of enduring hope. It’s a beautiful example of one refugee family reunited…
Read MoreA Refugee Family’s Long Resettlement Journey
For refugees seeking to rebuild their lives, their journey to the United States can be long and fraught with challenges. While the average time it takes for a refugee to be vetted and screened to come to the U.S. is about two years, many people leave their homes long before. UNHCR reports that some refugees…
Read MoreBuilding a Community of Safety and Belonging
A reflection from World Relief Chicagoland Executive Director Susan Sperry. June is World Refugee Awareness Month. And on June 20th, we celebrate World Refugee Day. This year, the theme of World Refugee Day is focused on the human right to seek safety. Whoever they are, people forced to flee should be treated with dignity. Anyone can…
Read More20 Ways to Learn More About Refugees
Around the world, 103 million people have been forcibly displaced from their homes — the highest number in recorded history. Of those, 32.5 million are considered refugees, having fled across an international border due to war, violence, conflict or persecution. That’s millions of mothers and fathers, daughters and sons, teachers, doctors and friends — each…
Read MoreAli’s Story: A Refugee Pharmacist Using His Career to Give Back to Others
In 2010, a man named Ali AlQaisi arrived to the U.S. as a refugee from Iraq. At home in Baghdad, he had worked as a pharmacist. But when he and his family arrived to the United States, he faced the challenge of starting over entirely. He had to rebuild his life. He had to restart…
Read More5 Ways You Can Lead in Your Community
Creating communities of love and welcome requires all of us. We believe that we each have a part to play and as Susan Sperry reflects in last week’s blog, we all can lead from where we are. For many of us, leading from where we are can feel intimidating and sometimes, we get stuck. If…
Read MoreHow You Can Lead from Where You Are
Leadership reflection from World Relief Chicagoland Executive Director Susan Sperry. At World Relief, we regularly say that we want to create communities of love and welcome. I believe that this is an important vision. In fact, it’s a guiding idea that has motivated much of my own decision-making and sense of calling in my life…
Read MoreA Reflection During Volunteer Appreciation Month
Along with the coming of spring and the celebration of Easter, April is when World Relief celebrates National Volunteer Appreciation week. A week when we recognize the profound impact of volunteers and the lasting change they bring to our communities.
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