The Afghan families are arriving! In August 2021, 74,000 Afghans came to the US in desperate need of safety, without homes or jobs. Two teams from Summitview are sponsoring refugee families as they resettle in Fort Collins.
The past two weeks have been spent preparing temporary accommodation and gathering everything the families might need. Donations have poured in from many Summitviewers and generous community members. We have rooms full of furniture and household goods for these families! Apartments have been found for the families to rent, at least for the first 5 months.
We prayed for the Lord to personally match families with our teams. After lengthy applications, our first team has been matched with a young family with a 4 year old girl and a 9 month old boy! They arrived this past Monday, Valentines Day. The family was welcomed with great excitement and fondness.
We learned that they have already been unsettled for many months. They spent the last 80 days in a large heated tent along with 120 families on a military base. The husband had a good job in Kabul working for the US military, speaks proficient English, is humble and friendly. The wife is also educated and speaks some English. They are appreciative of what they have received.
The teams have worked really hard and have had a lot of joy watching the Lord pull it together. It has been amazing to see the variety of gifts and talents in each team. New relationships have been formed and strengthened in Summitview. We are excited this has come together so quickly.
Please be praying for these teams and families in their care as they adjust to a very different life. Specific prayer requests include:
- healing for the children who have deep coughs
- smooth applications for government services such as Medicaid
- safe arrival of work permits
- smooth arrival of the second family
- second hand cars
- jobs that can support the families
- provision of translators and counselors
- genuine faith conversations and cross-cultural wisdom
Our two sponsorship teams are doing an amazing job in preparing for these families, but it takes an entire church to pull this off. Thank you for uniting in this effort!
