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connect / l o c a l p r o f i l e we are living in a time of
refugee
crisis.
refugee
s
are people fleeing conflict or persecution. ?ey are defined and protected in international law, and must not be expelled or returned to situations where their lives and freedom are at risk. in 2015, the number of
refugee
s was recorded at 21.5 million according to the un
refugee
agency. according to pew research, ?of the more than 70,000
refugee
s who have been admitted to the u.s. so far in 2016, the largest numbers have come from the democratic republic of the congo, burma, and syria.? ?ese families arrive in baton rouge with financial stress, possible emotional trauma, language barriers, and cultural shock. dwayne pitre, the missions pastor at
istrouma
, was approached six years ago about helping out the internationals at the apartments. he points out, ?most of the larger cities have their own communities. here in baton rouge, those communities aren?t established yet, so they are in need of assistance and hope.? ?ey are in a foreign land, separated from all they know. catholic charities places them in apartments and works to help them get on their feet.
istrouma
picks up there and extends friendship. ?e relationship between
istrouma
baptist church and
refugee
s in these apartments may have begun with a phone call, but it has developed into a multi-faceted outreach program. when dwayne encountered the
refugee
population, he didn?t know really where to begin. ?how can we love them? let?s just start with love,? he shares. ??at?s what i tell other churches when they ask how to start a
refugee
ministry.? ?ey started by bringing them food, rice, and bibles. ?en, they decided to go big with an outreach. by joy holden imagine a sudanese family sharing a kitchen and living room with a burmese family and an iraqi family. this is the reality for many internationals that share an apartment complex near baton rouge community college that was originally designed as a dormitory. these families have language and cultural differences, but they have one similarity: they cannot currently return to their countries. the needs are great, and
istrouma
baptist church has stepped in to fill the gaps. for the
istrouma
church volunteers, ?
refugee
? isn?t a word of fear or suspicion, but one that means hope and friendship. reaching out to
refugee
s 46 brparents.com | january 2017
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