This month for our Relief Society activity we walked in to this lovely scene. During dinner we listened to a guest speaker, the executive director of a community refugee organization. She dispelled some myths about refugees, educated us about their needs and challenges, and gave us some guidance in finding opportunities to help. We had a man from our congregation run the equipment for her presentation and he joined us for dinner and listened to her presentation and my remarks, too. I was tickled to see his facial expressions throughout the evening. He told me how impressed he was with the evening and the next day he was on social media talking about refugees.
If you are in the area and are wondering what is needed, install the Serve Refugees app. This is a great place to start. You can follow them on Instagram and like them on Facebook, too. This app lists specific needs in the area. I loved how the guest speaker quoted from our Church leaders to express that the most important first step is to get on our knees and pray. With prayer, an honest assessment of our resources, and the information online, we can make inspired decisions about how to help. Possibly more important than a service project or donations, these refugees need friends and mentors. Utah is unique in the high ratio of single mothers it accepts. It also accepts unaccompanied minors. As neighbors to these refugees, we have unique demands on our time as well as unique talents. There is something for everyone to do, always keeping in mind that refugees are very vulnerable sons and daughters of God.
