St. Anthony Park Lutheran Church

Refugee Matters

Refugee Core Committee Update (September 2004)

The Refugee Core Committee will be working with members of the Xiong family who will arrive from Tham Krabok, Thialand no later than December, 2004. The three families consist of six adults, girls aged 10, 6, 4 and 2 and boys aged 12, 3 and 2. They will stay with their sponsor for a month before moving to their own apartment. Their initial needs will be warm blankets and jackets. If you have any of these items to donate, please call Carol Haggerty (644-8995) or Elaine Phillips (646-0253).

Thank you for your support.

Refugee Core Committee Needs Your Help (January 2004)

The Refugee Core Committee is pleased to report that they have been assigned to a new refugee family from Ethiopia. The family consists of a mother, father and nine children - ages 9 to 22. The father has been in this country for two years and is employed as a hotel van driver. The mother and the children have just arrived in St. Paul after living for the past 9 years in a refugee camp in Nairobi. Needless to say, they are excited to be together at last in the United States. All of the children are already attending St. Paul public schools. Although the family is currently living in a small crowded apartment, they will soon move to a 4-bedroom apartment on St. Paul's west side.

Thus far, this congregation's Refugee Committee has provided the family with start up groceries and with warm winter jackets. Other immediate needs include the following items:

Bunk beds, single beds
Sheets, blankets, and pillows
Bath towels
Large cooking pots for rice, pasta, etc.

If you have any of these items to contribute, please call either Carol Haggerty at (651) 644-8995 or Joanne Karvonen at (651) 645-1363. We will be happy to pick up items at your home.

Your response to the needs of this family continues to support the Refugee Core Committee as they work to accomplish the following mission:

The Saint Anthony Park Lutheran Church Refugee Core Committee seeks to express the love of Christ in acts of service by befriending and assisting new refugees, providing financial assistance, helping with resettlement needs such as housing, medical care and public assistance, clothing, education and transportation. The committee maintains a relationship with refugee families as they assimilate into a new culture and become independent and self-sufficent.

Thank you for your valuable support

Since 1997, the Refugee Committee has sponsored 4 groups from Bosnia:

Slava Buric arrived here in January of 1997. Since that time she has worked hard at a number of jobs, and currently she attends St. Paul Technical College where she is studying to be a licensed practical nurse. She also works part time at the college.

Namka, Mirsad, and Adnan Medic arrived here in August of 1998 from Germany where they had lived for five years after being forced from their home in Bosnia. Namka and Mirsad live and work in Minneapolis, while three-year-old Adnan is cared for by his grandmother.

Ramiza, Refik and Harka Alisic (mother, brother, and sister of Namka mentioned above) arrived here in 1999. Refik is employed and Harka attends school.

Refugee Core Committee News (November 2001)

As representatives of this congregation, we are privileged to help people from many different cultures. During the past year we have been very pleased that storage space has become available for us so that we can accept furniture as you donate it. This was especially helpful this past summer when two Somali sisters walked into the church office, saying that they had heard that this church helped refugees. Since we had been able to store furniture and kitchen equipment we could help them immediately. We wish you could have seen their joyful faces when we gave them beds and other furniture for their bare apartment. Since they had been sleeping on the floor for several months, they were very appreciative of our help.

Slava Buric works as a nursing assistant and is working toward her LPB degree, which she hopes to acquire by next fall. Although we have no definite arrival date, we hope to welcome a new refugee family either this fall or winter. Thank you for remembering the refugee fund in your donations of money and household goods.

News from SAPLC's first refugee family...

(August 20, 2000)


	Mary and Yer Kong		Left to right Sao's wife, Ana; Sao and son; Yer Kong; Mary; Ar; Rebecca and Jennings Mergenthal.

Some members will remember Yer Kong, the Hmong woman with seven children who was our first refugee sponsorship.

Initially, the family lived in our church until rental housing could be found. They spoke no English and had no familiarity with electricity, appliances, street lights, and all that we find second-nature. Many members of the congregation gave generously of time, money, and possessions to help the family become acclimated. They moved to California in 1982, and it was a sad leave-taking at the airport for all of us.

Much to our surprise, Yer Kong and some of her children appeared here in St. Paul in early August for the week-long convention celebrating the first presentation of the Good News to Hmong people 50 years ago. All family members are very active in the Hmong Christian Missionary Alliance Church.

Yer Kong and her son Sao and daughter Ar expressed their gratitude over and over for all that this congregation did to get them started. Five of the seven children have graduated from college and two graduate next year. One is a chef, two are in electronics, one works in the post office, one is a teacher, and one is training to be a youth pastor.

We give thanks for the family's continued faithfulness to the Gospel, for the missionaries and pastors who have preached to the Hmong people for fifty years, for the new Hmong translation Bible stories that has recently appeared, and for this congregation's continued support of refugees. Doua Kong, a relative of this family, has given us a book of the history of Christianity in the Hmong culture as a token of his gratitude. It will be in our church library when it reopens.

Mary Mergenthal

News From SAPLC's Newest Refugee Family

(January 22, 2001)

Since their arrival in St. Paul from Sierre Leone on April 19, 2000, Lennards and Aie Kargbo and eight children have had many new experiences.

They settled into living in a home owned by their eldest son and sponsor, Eli, on St. Paul's east side. As English is the official language in Sierre Leone, the Kargbos assimilated quickly into the U. S. culture. During the summer the three school-age children attended classes to improve their English, and the four young men worked.
In October Ibrahim (age 22) entered a nursing home assistant program at the International Institute. He completed his studies in December and is now employed at Southview Acres Health Care Center in West St. Paul.
Hassan (age 22), Lennards, Jr. (age 21) and John (age 20) began studying at the Job Corps where they are learning about computers, experiencing campus life and singing in the Job Corps choir. In addition, Hassan received his G.E.D. diploma in December after four months of study!
Nelson (age 15) is a student at Humboldt High School. He has participated in running track and is playing on the soccer team. Grace (age 14) attends Cleveland Middle School and is doing well in her studies. Zainabu (age 11) is at Benjamin Mays School and is working on improving her English. Samuel (age 4) is at home with his grandparents and enjoys his time at nursery school twice a week. Aie is busy caring for her large family and is doing some babysitting. She is learning English and tutors with two of the Refugee Core Committee members once a week.

For many years Lennards, Sr. was a principal and teacher at a Bible school in Benduma, Sierre Leone. Most recently he was a pastor in his home city of Makeni. Lennards has shared his experiences with the congregation on Thanksgiving Day and has spoken at a men's prayer breakfast and at the women's Epiphany breakfast. On each occasion he has expressed his gratitude to God for delivering his family safely and to the congregation for their continued support. They consider themselves fortunate to be living in a free country. Last fall the Kargbo family joined St. Anthony Park Lutheran Church, and they attend services regularly. Nelson, Grace, Zainabu and Sammy attend Sunday school also.

The Refugee Core Committee's decision to assist such a large family was made easier by the generous response of the congregation with gifts of both money and possessions. Without this support our work cannot continue. The committee consists of nine active members, many of whom have given freely of their time and talents to assist the Kargbos in their resettlement. The committee's commitment to sponsor homeless refugees is ongoing and is dependent upon the generosity of St. Anthony Park Lutheran Church members.

Refugee Core Committee Update (November 2002)

The Refugee Core Committee is currently assisting two newly arrived Liberian refugee families.

The Ferguson family consists of five members, namely, the mother, 20 year old twin boys (one of whom is blind), 19 year old daughter and one grandchild. They live in Brooklyn Park with a daughter who is their sponsor.

The Aryee family also lives in Brooklyn Park with a sponsoring grandmother. The refugees are the husband, son and two grandchildren.

Winter clothing, furniture and financial assistance will be provided to them as they begin the resettlement process. The committee is also providing assistance to both families, including training for the blind son. Your support is essential to continue this mission. If you wish to make a cash contribution, please designate it for the Refugee Core Committee in your weekly offering. Please remember these families in your prayers and giving in the coming year.

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