U N I T E D S TAT E S
MISSION TO THE CITIES
Reaching Out to
Atlanta’s Refugees
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magine a place where 110 different languages are spoken by people living within just one square mile of land. That place is real and it has a name—Clarkston, Georgia! Clarkston is located on the outskirts of Atlanta and is home to thousands of refugees who have been resettled from all over the world. It’s an area with huge needs and huge opportunities to make a difference. Among those helping to improve the refugees’ quality of life is Kelli Czaykowski. Until 2010, Kelli had never heard of refugees living in the United States. An occupational therapist, wife, and mother, she was living a quiet suburban life. But all that changed one day when she attended a board meeting at the local Adventist school. The regional superintendent told the board members that he had recently met Adventist refugee children in Clarkston. They had begged him, even holding his leg, asking him to please allow them to attend the Adventist school. He knew that their parents couldn’t afford the tuition and that their requests seemed impossible to fulfill. But he felt a burden on his heart for these children and the need to share their dilemma. His story weighed heavily on Kelli’s mind.
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