SIM SERVES REFUGEES

SHARING LOVE OF CHRIST WITH UKRAINE REFUGEES

For Freedom and Trauma Healing ministries help those fleeing war

BY ZOE CROMWELL, SIM NEW ZEALAND

THE Ukraine refugee crisis goes on. Refugees are still escaping the war-ravaged country, but the millions who have already crossed the border have now spread throughout Europe, with enormous challenges still in front of them.

Sarah Scott Webb, from Christchurch, New Zealand, is one example of God’s provision for the refugees as he brings together people with the right skills and contacts. Sarah says, “This is the first refugee crisis response that has been led by members of the public. It took nine to 10 days before EU governments started doing something, but it was within hours that ordinary people, many of them from churches, were turning up at borders to help. Now it’s a matter of how we resource those ordinary people on the front lines.”

For the rest of us, it’s also a matter of not giving in to ‘Ukraine fatigue’, so over-exposed to the crisis that we say “enough” . Equipping churches and partners in Europe as they respond to the refugee crisis is a long haul and our support is needed.

Along with Karine Woldhuis of SIM Australia, Sarah co-leads For Freedom, SIM’s anti-trafficking ministry. She liaised quickly with her contacts in the European Freedom Network (EFN) and has now been appointed Trauma Response lead for this coalition of evangelical antitrafficking NGOs and churches.

In March, when EFN released We Stand With You – a basic safety flier for refugees – Sarah found translators within 12 hours. She discovered a professional Russian translator in her own church. Hundreds of thousands of these fliers have now been distributed in several languages.

Since then, Sarah has been in working groups developing resources, including trauma response training, for the churches which opened their doors to the refugees. It quickly became clear that the volunteers needed self-care seminars, to avoid burnout when the load became overwhelming.