BIG news!
I found a home! I signed on this week to work with the International Association for Refugees-Canada, the organization that my Open Homes Hamilton teammate, Alison Witt, is already connected to.
Besides their connection to Alison and the trust already built there, there were a few things about IAFR that drew me to them. The first is this, one of the first things you see when you visit their website:
“THREE REASONS WHY WE REFUSE TO LOSE HOPE
First, God is alive and well along the refugee highway. Second, refugees are more than people in need. They are an important part of the solution. And third, God has begun a worldwide movement of his people to welcome and love refugees. ”
Another big moment of confirmation came during a discussion with one of their lead staff, Rob. Our team was talking about how IAFR would think about the inherent risk of home-based hospitality for people that we don’t know, and the liability connected to that reality.
The risk is small, because refugees are just people who are fleeing for their lives. But the risk is still there…because refugees are just people, and we are too. Rob said, “Well we’re Christians, and this is what we do.” (Three cheers!) And then, “We’re just accepting the same risk institutionally that we are asking hosts to take on individually.” (Five cheers!)
That no-nonsense approach to faithful, courageous Christian living gave me a lot of confidence in these folks. We do our due diligence to make participating in home-based hospitality a safe experience for everyone involved (police checks, insurance, reference checks, safety checklists….), but ultimately we welcome, because that’s what Christians do. And who knows, maybe like Abraham and Sarah, we’ll end up meeting angels and be invited into a bigger story than ourselves (Genesis 18).
“And who knows, maybe like Abraham and Sarah, we’ll end up meeting angels and be invited into a bigger story than ourselves (Genesis 18).”
All this means that I now have a community of support across the country, some of whom came to Canada as refugees themselves.
And it means that those who donate to help me put bread on the table, help refugee claimants out with bus tickets, train volunteers, etc can now receive a charitable tax receipt!
If you give by the end of the week, I’ll receive it this month yet (otherwise, I’ll receive it next month). Just visit IAFR’s Canada Helps page and select “Open Homes Hamilton” from the drop-down menu when you’re asked to choose where your gift will go.