Imagine living a life where your freedom and sense of security is taken away from you. There are many refugee families that have experienced much suffering and turmoil because of the wars that have been happening in The Democratic Republic of Congo. Due to the violence, many were forced to leave and relocate to refugee camps in Uganda.
Finding better opportunities in Canada
Many of those refugee families were fortunate enough to move to Canada to find better opportunities and a safe haven from struggles they experienced back in their home country. However, with this sudden transition come many challenges, such as learning new languages, adjusting to the climate, and dealing with culture shock. Indeed, it is very difficult to establish a new life but some took the risk for the sake of the future of their family.
Upon learning this, INCGiving volunteers decided to make this transition a little easier for these families by holding an INCGiving Outreach Program.
Creating a new community
INCGiving Volunteers, Fey and Dan Aviles, who have a friendly relationship with one of the families from Congo, stated that, “As I got to know her, and their family, I found them as religious people. That’s when we started to invite them to attend our bible studies. They are very involved during the preaching of the words of God.”
Much to their surprise, they consistently showed their interest in the words of God and continued to bring their whole household to hear the doctrines of the Church of Christ.
Realizing that many more refugees have recently arrived in Canada, this sparked an idea by the members in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, to conduct an Outreach Program.
Weeks before the Outreach event, the INCGiving volunteers gathered donations given by the brethren of the Local Congregation of Winnipeg South and Central Canada Region. They prepared relief bags; which contained non-perishable foods, such as canned foods and personal hygiene items. The volunteers also prepared clothes; especially ones that were suitable for the extreme weather conditions in Canada.
Faida Mbwiriza, who has been attending Bible studies invited many of her fellow countrymen was happy to see how welcoming all the volunteers were. When asked about those who she invited, Faida stated, “They liked the people here. And said they liked being here and really liked the people. I was happy to hear that too!”
Due to the current affairs happening throughout the globe, the members of the Church Of Christ have displayed an immense amount of effort in giving back to their community through the INC Giving Project. The INC Giving Outreach Program will continue to provide a lending hand to those in dire need.
In such a diverse community such as Canada’s, members of the Church of Christ stand as a whole in helping others despite cultural barriers.
Contributed by: Denisse Roque, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
