Refugee Housing Work Day
April 30, 2022
One of our local ministry partners, Friendship House Roanoke, serves the needs of the Southwest Roanoke community. They are actively working to meet the needs and present the Gospel to the large refugee population in the area.
Refugees are an especially vulnerable people group. They are coming from dire situations, away from family and friends, into a strange culture, and with limited government assistance. Many of the refugees in Southwest Roanoke are from Afghanistan, Nepal, and other central Asian countries.
Back in April, our church was able to come alongside Friendship House and be a part of God’s work among the refugees of Roanoke, many of whom who are not Christian, by participating in two work projects.
The first project was at one of two houses that Friendship House purchased with the goal of housing refugees in transition until they can find more permanent living spaces. The houses were in extreme disrepair and need a lot of work to become livable. We worked in the upper level of one of the houses. This level will be an apartment that can house a family. Our team of adults and youth was tasked with clearing out debris, caulking holes, knocking down rotting walls, removing old appliances, and taking up carpeting within the apartment. We removed enough debris to completely fill an 18-foot trailer. Now that it is cleared out, Friendship House can begin building back into the space so that it can be ready to house a family.
The second project involved transporting donated furniture to refugees already living in Roanoke. Friendship House is connected to and supporting many refugee families in the area. Part of our team was tasked with taking donated furniture and delivering it. The families that our team interacted with were extremely grateful for the furniture and the love that they were being shown by our community and church family.
Aaron Dowdy, the director of Friendship House, appreciated the effectiveness and efficiency of our team.
In Leviticus 19, God instructs his people not to ‘mistreat any foreigners who live in your land. Instead, treat them as well as you treat citizens and love them as much as you love yourself.’ Jesus says in Matthew 25, ‘I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.’ As we strive to “Know, Grow, and Go”, being the hands and feet of Christ, we encourage you to join us on future service days or find a ministry to get plugged into. This can greatly impact the lives of people in the community as well and your personal life and faith.
If you would like to learn more about the Friendship House, their refugee housing program, their other ministries, or you would like to volunteer with them, visit friendshiphouseroanoke.org
