A world within another world

This week marked the official beginning of our internships with World Relief. World Relief is a multifaceted refugee resettlement agency that helps refugees with everything from setting up their apartment before they arrive in the United States to enrolling them in insurance programs to providing them with employment services. Once refugees arrive in the United States they work tireless to help these refugees become self-sufficient as quickly as possible. We will each spend four days a week interning with World Relief in our respective departments. Here is a little about what each of us will be doing:

Grace is primarily working in the resettlement department of World Relief. She will be helping a caseworker make home visits to clients, deliver important mail to refugees (insurance cards, social security cards, etc.), and take clients to doctor’s appointments. In just a couple of days, Grace has already seen the heartache and struggle that comes with being a refugee as spends time with her clients and lends her ear to their stories. Please pray that God would use Grace to show the hope and love of Christ to her clients as she helps with their physical and practical needs.

Noah is interning with the Journey program of World Relief. Journey is a daily program for refugee and immigrant high school students. During the school year, the program is more academically focused, but now that it’s summer time, the program is more relaxed and the students get to play sports, attend breakout sessions to learn creative skills like woodworking, painting, or even rapping, and have lunch together. Each morning, Noah will pick up a bus load of students, spend the day hanging out and getting to know them, and lead them in a Bible study every afternoon. Please pray that God would guide Noah and give him favor with these students as he seeks to build relationships and share the truth of Christ with them.

Courtney is working most closely with the administrative assistant. Before a refugee comes to the United States, there is a pile of paperwork that must be processed and prepared for their arrival. She has been learning about these processes, helping to put together case files, and preparing paperwork for when newly arrived refugees attend their first appointment at World Relief. Every Wednesday and Thursday is ‘intake day’ at World Relief, and this is when newly arrived refugees come in for their first appointment where they receive cultural orientation, get enrolled in insurance, sign up for a cash assistance program and more. On these days, Courtney will be spending time with the children of these refugee families while their parents fill out paperwork. Please pray that Courtney would demonstrate Christ’s love in word and deed through her work at the office.

-Courtney