Refugee Outreach

That project was the 16-member Akhtari family who fled Afghanistan in 2021 due to persecution of Christians, and the Taliban taking power.

This large family is now in Tajikistan, where they have been under threat of deportation, and have little future. The Akhtari family is related to our first sponsorship family – Farhad, Homa and their two children. With God’s help, we were able to find a way to apply to Canadian Immigration to bring all 16 as part of the government’s Afghan refugee commitment. This is a large commitment, and we thank the Trustees for approving the proposal. The sponsorship quickly received first stage approval, and the family has been contacted for an interview in early February. We continue to pray that final approvals will be expedited, which would mean a likely arrival in just a few months.

We are also very thankful that one of our earlier sponsorship projects is imminently moving forward - the Alshamsi family who fled Syria due to violent persecution, and is now in Lebanon. This is the family of a UBC student Shaza, who discovered our refugee outreach program on the Church’s website, and appealed to us for support. Recently, the family was contacted for an interview and medical appointments. We expect that we will welcome them in Vancouver in the first half of 2023.

We will be inviting support of various kinds for these refugee projects in 2023.