Still Good: Reflections on Good Friday in a Pandemic

By: worldreliefspokane
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by Mark Finney, director Two years ago I was visiting a refugee camp on Good Friday.  It was my fourth and final day hiking the trails that connected dusty ridges and sandy ravines. The way was lined with unending rows of square bamboo and tarp huts.  I had asked questions, listened to stories, taken photos,…

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#LookForTheHelpers: Rebecca

By: worldreliefspokane
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On Monday, Rebecca* got a call from Pingala, one of our Employment Specialists. They talked about the challenges we are all facing as a result of COVID-19, and Rebecca was able to share some of her own concerns and fears. Pingala came as a refugee, too, and was able to connect With Rebecca about missing…

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‘God is a God of Mercy’

By: worldreliefspokane
Success storiesLeave a Comment on ‘God is a God of Mercy’

How Justin Kalumuna survived a military attack, brought his family to safety and rebuilt his life in the U.S. FEBRUARY 2020By Katherine Bell Part I: Escaping Violence in the DRC When Justin Kalumuna left for work one morning in 2011, he wasn’t expecting that day to be the first in his 7-year journey as a…

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Spokane dance teacher discovers family photos in small-town Slovenia

By: worldreliefspokane
ExperienceLeave a Comment on Spokane dance teacher discovers family photos in small-town Slovenia

By Katherine BellCommunications Coordinator The stories of our forefathers can be powerful, identity-shaping narratives—especially as Americans. It’s the reason why more than 26 million people mail cotton swabs full of DNA to commercial databases, join heritage societies and pass down family recipes. For local dance teacher Judy Mandeville, a recent trip to Europe brought her lineage to life in an extraordinary…

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Love Your Neighbor

By: worldreliefspokane
ExperienceLeave a Comment on Love Your Neighbor

I crossed the southern border into Mexico last month and I met Jesus. Here was the surprise: he wasn’t anything like I expected. He had brown skin, sad eyes, a lanky build, and he spoke softly a language I didn’t understand. He even pronounced his name differently than I’ve been saying it all my life: “Yesus.”

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Who is my neighbor? Reflections from the U.S.-Mexico border

By: worldreliefspokane
ExperienceLeave a Comment on Who is my neighbor? Reflections from the U.S.-Mexico border

by Terry McGonigal This reflection was originally posted on ‘Third Way’ from the Whitworth Office of Church Engagement. The debate about federal immigration goes on endlessly. These discussions are laced with feverish passion and tend to focus on public policy and politics, as if the only options are an “open border” vs. “build the wall.” These…

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Faith leaders from Spokane speak with U.S. Border Patrol officers about the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Faith leaders from Spokane speak with U.S. Border Patrol officers about the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The group of faith leaders stands at the border, listening to the story of a mother and her two children who are trying to flee violence in Mexico. It became too dangerous for her to send her youngest son to school, so he has not been in class for almost a year.
The group of faith leaders stands at the border, listening to the story of a mother and her two children who are trying to flee violence in Mexico. It became too dangerous for her to send her youngest son to school, so he has not been in class for almost a year.
Hundreds of mattresses fill a church building in Tijuana, Mexico, that has been turned into a shelter for migrants. The churches houses migrants on site and also distributes mattresses and other supplies to those who seek asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Hundreds of mattresses fill a church building in Tijuana, Mexico, that has been turned into a shelter for migrants. The churches houses migrants on site and also distributes mattresses and other supplies to those who seek asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border.
A man sits in a decorated alleyway in Tijuana near the U.S.-Mexico border.
A man sits in a decorated alleyway in Tijuana near the U.S.-Mexico border.
Standing on a bridge in Tijuana, Mexico, near the US/ Mexico border crossing, World Relief Southern California's lead immigration law practitioner, Jose Serrano, educates a dozen faith leaders about the complexity of life as an immigrant and the current US immigration system.
Standing on a bridge in Tijuana, Mexico, near the US/ Mexico border crossing, World Relief Southern California’s lead immigration law practitioner, Jose Serrano, educates a dozen faith leaders about the complexity of life as an immigrant and the current US immigration system.
Many volunteers have invested time and money into emergency shelters to provide respite for asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. This woman (second from right) purchased a storefront and has filled it with mattresses, toys for children, and other basic needs items for those waiting (sometimes for several months) for their opportunity to request asylum just a few blocks away at the US border.
Many volunteers have invested time and money into emergency shelters to provide respite for asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. This woman (second from right) purchased a storefront and has filled it with mattresses, toys for children, and other basic needs items for those waiting (sometimes for several months) for their opportunity to request asylum just a few blocks away at the US border.
Recent US policy changes no longer allow immigrants to apply for asylum the day they arrive at the border crossing. Asylum-seekers created their own system, writing numbers in a common spiral-bound notebook, to record the order new asylum-seekers arrive and therefore who gets to approach the border to apply for the handful of interviews that US Customs agents allow each day. The "now serving" number each day is packing-taped to the fence near the border crossing. The man we talked with here waited 4 months for his number to be called. This metering system is temporarily in place while US federal courts review the legally questionable policies that have made it necessary.
Recent US policy changes no longer allow immigrants to apply for asylum the day they arrive at the border crossing. Asylum-seekers created their own system, writing numbers in a common spiral-bound notebook, to record the order new asylum-seekers arrive and therefore who gets to approach the border to apply for the handful of interviews that US Customs agents allow each day. The “now serving” number each day is packing-taped to the fence near the border crossing. The man we talked with here waited 4 months for his number to be called. This metering system is temporarily in place while US federal courts review the legally questionable policies that have made it necessary.

Snapshots from the Border

By: worldreliefspokane
ExperienceLeave a Comment on Snapshots from the Border

Click on the photo caption to launch a full-screen gallery.

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Cedar Coffee owner, Ukrainian refugee celebrates 4th anniversary in U.S.

By: worldreliefspokane
Success stories, , Leave a Comment on Cedar Coffee owner, Ukrainian refugee celebrates 4th anniversary in U.S.

How a Ukrainian refugee’s tenacious love for coffee carried him to small-business success

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Against All Odds: Hamsa’s Journey

By: worldreliefspokane
Success storiesLeave a Comment on Against All Odds: Hamsa’s Journey

By Meghan Long Communications Fellow Hamsa redefines the meaning of hard work, perseverance, and independence. When she first arrived in Spokane in January of 2013, she was highly qualified in many areas; she possessed a degree in English from the University of Baghdad, had a thriving marriage, and had just had her first daughter, Lina.…

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