World Relief

Welcoming the Stranger
In 23 cities across the United States, World Relief and the local church are welcoming newcomers to the country, easing their transition and developing new support networks to replace those left behind.

"Soldiers came into our house and looted it. They killed our neighbor’s three-year-old son and burned down their house. For two months, we didn't dare to go out of the house," Ziza Uka, an Albanian refugee from Serbia recalls. "We were afraid to sleep."

Every year, World Relief and our network of church-based volunteers helps up to 10,000 refugees fleeing persecution and war in their homelands. Gradually, we help refugees make the transition to American life, so that one day they will call America home. Since 1979, World Relief has embraced over 200,000 refugees, welcoming them at the airport, helping them find jobs, and extending the hands of friendship.

Mary, a Sudanese refugee, says, "When I got off the plane, I was afraid. I did not know anyone. But then I saw many people holding balloons and banners. World Relief workers introduced themselves to me. I was startled by the kind people who greeted me. I knew at that moment that my Christian brothers and sisters would help me start again."

For some refugees, even everyday activities in the United States can be bewildering—car seats, gas stoves and the English language may all be new.

World Relief staff and volunteers adapt to varied needs, offering English classes, helping refugees understand the American culture, and going on field trips to mall, shopping centers and baseball games.

Volunteers serve as the hands and feet of Christ and find the lives of the refugees, as well as their own, transformed in the process.