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  presbyterian.ca
SUMMER 2018
Refugee Corner: Being a Refugee is Not a Choice
 Boghos, a student at Knox College,
was sponsored by a Presbyterian congregation through The Presbyterian Church in Canada’s sponsorship agreement with the Government of Canada. He tells his story below.
Being a refugee is not a choice. Refu- gees are vulnerable people who have been forced to leave their homeland to seek safety, protection and dignity.
I did not flee Syria because of the war; I fled because of religious per- secution. I found asylum in Lebanon and had a chance to study theology and widen my Christian knowledge at the Presbyterian seminary. However, I was stuck. I didn’t have legal status in Lebanon and feared I was going to be sent to Syria for military service.
My principal from the Near East School of Theology was invited to The Presbyterian Church in Canada’s General Assembly, which is where he connected with the Rev. Dr. Emily Bisset, the minister at Calvin Pres- byterian Church in Toronto. Through this connection, Calvin Presbyterian Church and Deer Park United Church agreed to sponsor me through The Presbyterian Church in Canada’s
sponsorship agreement.
I was put in touch with Rob Shrop-
shire and Michelle Ball and we start- ed working on my application. Grow- ing up in a less bureaucratic country, I found the government forms very challenging. As we worked on the forms, the hopeless situation for refugees in Lebanon made me won- der, “Is this sponsorship thing going to work?”
Through regular contact with the Rev. Bisset, Rob and Michelle, I be- came more assured as they walked me through the steps of filling out the paperwork. Their meticulousness gave me assurance that there was hope the sponsorship could work out.
One of the biggest challenges for me in this period was the feeling of uncertainty. I did not know for sure that I was going to Canada until a week prior to the travelling day. I got the call in the middle of my Greek exam. I was finally going to Canada.
I landed in Toronto on January 23, 2016, and the cold was unbelievable. It was -17 C. When the air hit my face... wow.
The next morning, I went to Cal-
vin to participate in Sunday worship and got to meet the whole congrega- tion. That first morning, I was totally stunned. The congregation had not met me before that day and yet they had invested a lot of effort, energy and money to help me. In this mo- ment, I learned that it is possible to witness unconditional Christian love in action.
The congregation had prepared everything before my arrival. I loved the fact that they were very organized. There was a furnished apartment, a full fridge and a planned program for my first week. There were a lot of things to be explained—a new social code and lots of little details that they took their time to share with me. Over time, they helped me to continue my theological education and supported me without any sense of inequality or imbalanced power dynamics.
Throughout the 12 months of the sponsorship, my friendships and closeness with the congrega- tion deepened and strengthened. I found that our relationship was not just one of refugee sponsorship, but one of a family and a sense of home for me. They made a space for
me and we learned together how to overcome our cultural differences. I was a member of Calvin Presbyterian Church and they were my commu- nity of faith here in Canada.
I want to share from my heart my gratitude to Calvin Presbyterian Church and Deer Park United Church who gave me a chance at a new life—allowing me to preserve my dignity as a human being. My thanks also to Rob, Michelle and everyone involved in the welcoming of refu- gees to Canada.
I can see the work of God through
the refugee sponsorship program. It is a whisper of God to vulnerable and broken people all over the world. It is a whisper not only of hope, but of a real chance for refugees—who are simply surviving—to have an oppor- tunity to live.
Connection
REFUGEE SPONSORSHIP
PRESBYTERIAN
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       Sharing knowledge to help those in need
 Continued from page 18
fertile soil, grow more food and im- prove nutrition.
“Before the project, Pressings’ family was always shor t of food and they only ate leafy vegetables like cabbage and pumpkin leaves. He had no energy to work,” explains Henry.
Through the project, Pressings learned sustainable soil manage- ment techniques that helped him grow more and better food. “Since receiving the training, Pressings and his family moved from being hungry to having extra food to sell in eight short years,” says Henry. It was encouraging for all of the tour par- ticipants to see the impact these dif- ferent farming techniques are having on the lives of Malawian farmers.
Stan and Noah Law, a father and son involved in a growing project
in Eckville, Alta., also attended the learning tour. The growing project, which receives generous suppor t from St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church, has been suppor ting PWS&D’s work through the Foodgrains Bank for 25 years. Through the tour, they wit- nessed the huge difference their suppor t has made.
“My homestay family star ted off with a 10-by-10-metre plot of land and five different seeds, but after five years of project knowledge and help, they now own four acres and grow over 15 different types of crops,” shares Stan, seeing how the project is working to achieve long- term food security.
Ultimately, the experience offered par ticipants the oppor tunity to re- flect—both on what they have in common with the people they met
and the impact of their efforts over the years.
“As a farmer, because I’m so di- rectly tied to food production and I see what the land means to other farmers, I think it’s important that we share what we know to help those who are less for tunate,” Hen- ry says. “It gives me great hope that we can help many more farmers— many more people—in countries like Malawi become self-sufficient and food secure.”
Visit WeRespond.ca/cfgb for more information on the work PWS&D does in collaboration with Canadian Foodgrains Bank.
  Father, Stan (far left) and and son Noah Law (far right) met and learned from farmers in Malawi. PHOTO CREDIT: CANADIAN FOODGRAINS BANK
 

























































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