I attended a meeting yesterday with a local organization called Build A Village. The charity was originally set-up 10 years ago to help the victims of El Salvador who had just survived a devastating earthquake - very literally, it was to rebuild their homes and villages. I was in my first year of teaching then and I remember doing some fundraising to help in their efforts.
Somewhere over the past decade, while still raising funds for El Salvador, another focus emerged - one much closer to home. Build A Village started working with MCC in sponsoring refugees to our community and helping them settle in and adjust to Canada. In April, a family of 18 (a grandmother, her 4 married children and 9 grandchildren) will be making Altona their home.
The meeting was designed to help community members plug in to volunteer as this family makes the transition. Part of the evening was spent over some table discussion questions. So many different emotions flooded back over me and my heart ached for all those - refugees and others - that I left behind in my travels of '09.
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