Celebrate the success of our refugee support team

Refugee Support Team is happy to update the congregation on the many successes of the refugee families whom we have been assisting (a total of five families!). We are grateful for the continued generous practical and financial support of our congregation with all of the below families!

— Anneli and Greg AndreBarrett on behalf of the MLC Refugee Support Team

Congratulations to Mary Rosto, Ritta Resto and family! Both Mary Rosto and Ritta Resto, her cousin, have graduated from community college. Several members of their two families have become Canadian citizens. Mary is successfully employed as a Customer Experience Associate at the Toronto Dominion Bank. We congratulate Mary Rosto and Victor Tamras on the occasion of their wedding on November 12, 2021!

A new home for the Barsoum family
After arriving in Canada in August 2020, Ritta Nissan’s parents Lahdo and Nayl and brother Fadi Barsoum have moved into their own apartment near their daughter’s family.

The Younes Family’s Progress
The six-member Younes family celebrated their one-year anniversary in Canada on October 28. Ibrahim, the father, is teaching Arabic to children online and hopes to get a job very soon. He has gotten his Driver’s License and bought a car. His wife Deena is enrolled at Sheridan College in the Early Childhood Education program. Their oldest son is attending Guelph University in microbiology, and Omar is in Grade 12 and will be going to university next year . The two younger ones are loving school and are already very fluent in English. They are all extremely grateful to be in Canada.

The Kifles are here!
At long last, the Kifle family of six arrived safely in Canada on November 18, 2021 from conflict-torn Ethiopia. Although they will now be settling in KitchenerWaterloo near their brother Tewelde, the joint Refugee Support Teams of Martin Luther Church and Christ Church St. James Anglican will continue to provide settlement and financial assistance as we are able. We are also delighted with the promise of local assistance and liaison from Pastor Heike Toeller, St. Luke’s Evangelical Church in Kitchener. The family continues to be grateful for the significant funds generated by Martin Luther Church back in 2019. These funds have been held for them, and the family will be relying on them during this first year in Canada.

Refugee Applications in Progress
Along with Canadian Lutheran World Relief, we are also helping the following three private sponsors prepare and submit refugee applications for their relatives. We are not responsible for providing twelve-month financial support to them, however, when they arrive we look forward to providing non-financial practical resettlement support (with education and ESL, clothing and furniture donations, finding work, etc).

1.Luwam Kiflom Gebremichael
Eritrean refugee now in Ethiopia. Sponsors are Million Tesfay and Hanna Tesfay. The application has been approved.

2. Gebrekidan family of five
Eritrean refugees now in Sudan. The Sponsor is Melat Beyene. The application is in progress.

3. Harmoush family of four
Syrian refugees now in Kuwait. Sponsors are Riyad Younis and Ibrahim Younes. The application is in progress.