Reflections of 2021! What a year it has been!
Reflecting back on all that we encountered in 2021, it is evident that God’s hand continues to move through the work of Refugee Resources. While many students during the pandemic have been losing skills and struggling in their academic environments, our students, thanks to our unique one-to-one relational mentoring setting, have been gaining literacy skills in acquisition, fluency and comprehension.
Amid a crazy year of an ongoing pandemic, an outlandish winter storm that locked the power grid, and recently having to vacate our premises, we are not hopeless but hopeful. We are incredibly grateful for a temporary place nearby to continue to run our programs and share the hope of the gospel. Through all of this, the Lord has shown Himself to be faithful through His protection and covering over us. We have seen the resiliency of our students and families, the consistency and humble service of our mentors, and the abundant generosity of you, our donors. We wait in eager anticipation to see how the Lord will continue to make His glory known. It is a joy to serve with you, and humbly lead as the Lord directs our steps.
A goal for us this year was for the students to go deeper in their understanding of the Word and to fall in love with the God of the Bible. Therefore, rather than just reading the Word, we added a segment of Discovery Bible Study questions to our Bible reading time. Students are discovering together what the Bible passage means in groups with their mentors. They are asking questions about, “What does this say about God?” and “What does this say about man?”. They are learning to see how the passage applies to their lives as they each formulate their own, “I will” statements. For example, the students studied the passage of creation. One of the students shared that they have a new appreciation about the creation of the earth and our mandate to care for it. His “I will” statement might be to show His love for God by caring for the earth and to not litter the next week.
Reading Circle –
Total Students Served: 84 (23 were new for 2021!)
Total Mentors Serving: Over 80 mentors served!
Preschool Circle-
Total Students Served: 9
New Arrivals--
Total students served: 6
Assessment Highlights
· 16 students progressed 10 or more levels – Equivalent of 3 or more grade levels in one year!
· Mohammod progressed 21 levels! H to Z2 – Equivalent of 1st to 6th Grade in one year!
Your abundant generosity and support is the key to helping us be empowered to go forth and reach these kids. We are so grateful to the Lord for raising you up for such a time as this! Your gift allows us to be able to turn the lights on, pay salaries, purchase curriculums, and raise funds for our space. We thank you for your partnership in seeing kingdom transformation happen in the lives of children that will impact generations to come.
“Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.” Phil 1: 3 NLT