The Syrian family who we are co-sponsoring with a Group of Five arrived safely last night from Lebanon via Istanbul. Rashid and Amal and children Haya (6 year old girl) and Sam (one year old boy) were greeted by some of the Group and by Amal's sister Taghrid who is a settlement worker with the Arab Community Centre of Toronto, They are in good hands!

Most Syrian refugees have experienced trauma which manifests itself in different ways in different people. For those who might come into contact and work with Syrian refugees - and indeed with non-Syrian refugees who may also have experienced trauma - the following resource is a very helpful guide. http://trauma-informed.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Trauma-informed_Toolkit.pdf

For background information on Syria and Syrian refugees please go to http://lifelinesyria.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/EN-Syrian-Population-Profile.pdf

We are preparing to sponsor another refugee family, this time from Syria. Barbara Wood, Arvo Alfred and I met yesterday afternoon with a Syrian couple who have 3 children here - the family was brought here about a year ago under the Government Assisted Refugee (GAR) program. The family has an adult son and an adult daughter in Lebanon and they are under threat of being deported back to Syria where the men would almost certainly be forced into military service - both son and daughter are married with a 1 year old each. The family here is desperately seeing a sponsor so that the families can be re-united and so that the families still in Lebanon can be brought to safety.

World Renew (the Relief and Development arm of the Christian Reform Church in Canada) has agreed to be the Sponsorship Agreement Holder for the families. There is a mass of paperwork to be prepared and we need a volunteer translator to help with that work, starting immediately. If you can suggest anyone, please let me know as soon as possible.

Great news: I have just heard that the Syrian family which YPBC is co-sponsoring with a Group of Five, will be arriving from Lebanon on December 28. To protect their privacy I will not give their names, but the family consists of a mother, father, 6-year old daughter and 1-year old son. The wife has two sisters already in Canada.This has been a long and uncertain process for everyone involved and YPBC is very pleased to be associated with the wonderful Group that has made this possible, along with the United Church (as the Sponsorship Agreement Holder) and Lifeline Syria.

The Board of Missions has approved the sponsorship of a young family (a couple and a four-year old daughter - see picture above) from Pakistan, persecuted because of their faith and now in Bangkok, Thailand. World Renew (the Relief and Development arm of the Christian Reform Church in Canada) has agreed to be the Sponsorship Agreement Holder in support of this sponsorship. We will start working on the necessary paper-work shortly, but the timetable - and indeed the prospects of being approved to come to Canada - are completely unknown at this stage. Please keep the family in your prayers.

The Refugee Sponsorship Committee (RSC) has recommended that the Church extend our existing sponsorship for a second year (that is, starting December 10, 2016) subject to there being sufficient funds (which there are not currently). We have also recommended that we sponsor another family.

At an informal meeting of the congregation on June 12, 2016 there was support for these recommendations and accordingly the RSC will work with the incoming Board of Missions to put these recommendations into effect. The congregation was also updated on our Co-Sponsorship (with a Group of Five) of a Syrian family: a family has been selected but not every member of the family has yet had their interview.

I will not be posting more information to this blog on our existing sponsorship unless there are significant decisions or notices to be communicated.  I will however use this space to update you on the Co-Sponsorship and on the new sponsorship which we hope to initiate late summer or early fall.

Yesterday was a big day for Chancella - her first day in school in Toronto!

Tomorrow is another big day for the sisters, as they will move into their apartment. Anna and I shall miss them!
 If you would like to know their new address please let me know (I'd rather not publish it here). It has been a very intense time for the sisters since they arrived on December 10, with so much love extended to them, along with so much help. The Refugee Committee will meet monthly with them to make sure that they have the opportunity to share any trials and tribulations and so that we can be available for guidance and support. But I would encourage you to keep in touch with them and to continue to extend the friendship that you have shown them. I hope that we can organize a house-warming for them soon, and you may wish to honour Chancella's birthday which is January 10. Thank you for making this such a positive experience for them!