The Refugee Project: Walk in my Shoes

It is that time! It is time to start thinking about how we can mobilize our resources to provide support, care and relationship to refugees who are relocating to the greater Seattle area. This is something we've been committed to for years and we feel deeply convicted to follow the call that God has placed on our hearts to be His hands, feet and face to men, women and children who are finding a new home in the states because of their need to flee their home due to persecution, oppression, torture and death.

Maybe part of the gap in hearing the need and responding to that need comes from a lack of understanding or awareness of the barriers and challenges refugees face in relocating to the states. Perhaps we don't really understand the difficulties of that relocation process? It is easy in our relatively comfortable context to not connect with what that picture of fleeing prosecution and coming to a new place looks like in the refugee experience. The refugee plight is one of leaving all that is familiar, comfortable and known out of the necessity to survive. We have not had to face what that looks and feels like-- therein lies the gap.

Lucky for us, we've been able to partner with a wonderful organization called World Relief to help us bridge that gap and grow deeper in our awareness and more importantly our compassion and desire to seek justice. On June 14th from 9 am to noon we'll be gathering at the World Relief office for a training session. This particular training program is called The Refugee Project: Walk in my Shoes. It is a simulation training which means that participants will be led through the experience of the refugee journey and then learn what it looks like to assist in that process of re-location and transition.

We will follow up with that training on June 14th with a more in depth training on June 16th (at our regular QJC meeting) from 7 pm to 9 pm at the Q Cafe. On the 16th we will look at what the Bible says our call to be in the relationship with the refugee, we will learn practical ways that we can be involved and we will prepare together for the families we will host in the latter part of the summer.

I hope you will come, learn, grow and be challenged. Please RSVP for trainings at deanza[at]seattlequest.org

Treading on grace,

Pastor DeAnza