Sharing Thanksgiving Gratitude with Refugee Families
Thanksgiving is a time when families, relatives, and neighbors come together to share gratitude for the year. GFoundation visited refugee families in Louisville, Kentucky, and Dayton, Ohio, to deliver Thanksgiving gifts.
Cards Filled with Children’s Warm Hearts
During the “Walk with Refugees” fundraising walkathon last October, children wrote heartfelt messages of encouragement to refugees with their small hands. GFoundation made them as small cards and delivered them to the refugees.
City of Compassion, Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky, has become a key destination for refugee resettlement due to supportive government policies. It has welcomed individuals and families from Afghanistan, Syria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, offering housing, community programs, and educational support to help them rebuild their lives.
20 Years of Serving Refugees: Korea Saehan Church of Louisville
Korea Saehan Church of Louisville has supported refugees through partnerships with local NGOs. From airport pickups for new arrivals to running after-school programs for unsupervised children, the church provides vital care and academic support. Each summer, they host a camp with volunteers from across the U.S., offering activities like soccer, crafts, and mentoring to create lasting memories for refugee children.
Praying and Encouraging Through Home Visits
With the introduction of Pastor Sanghun Kim, we had the opportunity to visit several refugee families served by Saehan Church. Coming from various countries, these families represented diverse races, languages, and cultures. Each home contained items that provided a glimpse into their homeland and the journey they had left behind.
Sharing Gifts and Encouragement
We brought gift sets and heartfelt cards with messages of support and encouragement. These families are facing financial, health, and family challenges, and our visit brought them much-needed hope. The children smiled brightly as we prayed and spent time together, sharing moments of joy and comfort.
Refugees in Dayton, Ohio : Struggling in Harsh Living Conditions
Through the local NGO NLS(No Longer Strangers) in Dayton, Ohio, we met with refugee families who mostly live in single houses. However, many areas have abandoned or damaged homes, and poor maintenance has made their living conditions extremely challenging.
No Longer Strangers: Building New Homeland
What started as a neighborhood ministry in 2012, NLS officially launched as a nonprofit in 2018. and has been serving the Dayton refugee community through family visits, providing supplies through donations, and assistance with paperwork. Ann Kim joined the organization in 2019 and has been serving as the Director from 2022.
NLS also runs a tutoring program and summer programs for children. Two years ago, Missionary Cho Kwang Ho and Mrs. Cho Myung Hee, sent by New Jersey Pilgrim Mission Church, joined the team. Mrs. Cho, a former nurse, visits refugee homes to check health conditions, assists with refilling medication, and connects families to medical care.
Sharing Hope and Prayers with Refugee Families
Among the families we visited was a recently arrived family from Rwanda with a sick child. We prayed together with them, and the parents showed their gratitude with bright smiles. At every home we visited, the children welcomed us warmly and acted as interpreters for their parents, helping bridge the language gap. Before leaving, we shared gifts and took time to pray for the families’ health and well-being.
Share the Warmth: Bringing Joy to Refugee Families This Holiday Season
Through this visit, GFoundation was able to deliver gifts to 80 refugee families. We are deeply grateful to our supporters for making this possible, allowing us to share gratitude with these families during this season of thankfulness.
As Christmas and the holiday season approach, GFoundation hopes to bring warmth and joy to even more neighbors. Let’s ensure that our neighbors feel supported and cared for as they close out the year and step into the new one. Your support can make a difference.
