Video credit to Reponse
Part One:
There is one family in our congregation that is celebrating a very special anniversary this summer. Mukashyaka and her children have been in the United States for ten years!
Many of you might not know or remember how Mukashyaka’s family came to be with us. During 2015 there were many, many migrants attempting to flee by land and boat to developed countries in Europe, particularly in the Mediterranean area. Migrants risked their lives in the search of better living conditions. Many of these attempts were not successful, with heartbreaking results. We remember the photo of a toddler washed up on the beach; he died along with his mother and brother. First Presbyterians were moved by these tragedies and committed to sponsoring a refugee family who could then immigrate legally to the U.S.
Rev. Ernie Thompson and Bruce Gibson formed a team to pray and learn what sponsorship would entail. The team included doctors, nurses, teachers, a retired federal employee and other church leaders. We hooked up with the local refugee resettlement agency, Interfaith Refugee Ministry (IRM). After determining what resources we could offer, we requested a family and expected it to come from the Middle East.
To our surprise and elation, we were informed that we would be sponsoring a large family from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The family of seven, consisting of a single mom and six children ages 1-15, would be arriving in June, 2016. We were told that since FPC was a large congregation, we were perhaps more equipped to take a large family than some of the smaller churches in town.
Now that we knew our assignment, we set about furnishing the apartment that IRM had provided for the first few months. We purchased car safety seats, basic clothing and diapers. We researched the schools that the children would be attending and got ready to enroll them. We found out about Medicaid and food stamps. We were ready, and just waiting for the family.
On June 22nd, the family flew into New York and were admitted into the United States. They were due in Wilmington on June 23, so our team gathered at the airport with welcome signs, big smiles, and a lot of enthusiasm. Finally, a mom carrying an infant with five children trailing her arrived in the waiting area. Our family was here!