One of the ways that I am always so happy to see the positive culture of abundance so clearly demonstrated is when there are invitations to donate for people in need: when major storms hit an area, when the pandemic left people in great need, and most recently as the Utah cottages and friends from outside of the area responded with love and donations of clothing, specifically winter clothing, and gift cards to buy essentials that these people who were fleeing from Afghanistan and being resettled in Salt Lake City needed. Our 7 Utah cottages and friends filled leaders’ garages, have delivered truckloads of clothing to the International Rescue Committee and Lifting Hands International, and collected over one thousand dollars in gift cards and monetary donations. Isn’t it wonderful what good we can do when we pull together to help people?!
Now, as we enter some of the coldest and darkest times of the year, we also enter the season that is decorated with twinkling lights and filled with hopes, gifts, and a greater desire to fill the world with love. We are also at a time when these refugee families need to be moved into fully furnished apartments.
According to Lifting Hands International, a long-time partner of Big Ocean Women, “US Federal law requires refugee apartments to be fully furnished before families move in. However, unless the long list of housing items are donated, the cost of furniture and household supplies comes out of the family’s already humble stipend.”
Lifting Hands International is partnering with the International Rescue Committee to do housing setups for the refugees. If you want to help in these efforts you can visit their website: https://www.liftinghandsinternational.org/welcome/#01 for more information. What better way to make people feel welcome into their new country, their new community, and provide a refuge as they adjust and heal from the travesties that made them flee their country than to help them create their new homes?
