Are the Rasos Arriving Soon?

This money will fund a recovery program for participants seeking healing from childhood trauma. It would pay for program development, facilitation, admin, materials, and incentives.

This well-established organization has multiple sites throughout Toronto, including Willowtree. They offer preventative programs for children, youth and families living in poverty. In addition to educational and leadership programs, they encourage strong relationships with Christ and with others. There are many opportunities for SGC to partner with them, particularly through prayer, mission teams and volunteer tutors, program leaders and workshop facilitators.

This funding will go towards after school programs, tutoring, leadership skill building, youth groups, family ministries and day camps.

We are very excited about how the Kingdom of God can move through these particular ministries and change lives with the help of His Spirit. Please join us in praying for these ministries.

by Jen Chrystman

The last time that Tarik saw his brother Soleman, they hugged. Neither of them said, “See you again”. Perhaps it was too much to hope for. Perhaps it was best left unsaid after fleeing the violence in Syria and years of trauma, scraping together life in Lebanon. Tarik and Hanaa, with Rahaf and Tarik’s brother Ahmed arrived in Canada in 2016 after months in Turkey. With the support of SGC for their first year, they are now flourishing in Scarborough. Baby Ayman arrived soon after their arrival and baby Mira was born this past summer.5

Now, Spring Garden Church, in association with the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec, has begun the process of sponsoring Tarik’s brother Soleman, his wife Nesren and their three children, David (14), Abd (12) and Rama (11). Paperwork for this sponsorship has arrived in Lebanon already and the process is underway! We’re excited to be reuniting family. The timing of the Raso family’s arrival in Canada is expected to be 6-36 months away, but much needs to be done in the meantime. Since the Raso family was introduced in Delve (May 2021) A Refugee Action Group (RAG), composed of SGC members and friends of Tarik and Hanaa has been formed. More paperwork was completed for their acceptance application. Spring Garden Church (SGC) has set up a special donation account to receive funds for their future needs (roughly $60,000). Donations can be made to Spring Garden Church Refugee Fund. Some furniture has even been donated already and is in storage. Please pray with us for the approval to be expedited, donations to provide for their housing and integration into Canadian life for God to give them perseverance in the face of daily trials while they wait. Ways you can give: • Give via e-transfer to offering@ springgardenchurch.ca. Use the comment line to specify that the donation should be directed to the Syrian

Refugee Fund. • Indicate on your Spring Garden Church envelope that the donation is for the Syrian Refugee Fund. • Donate at tithe.ly This is not the preferable method as there are extra fees attached to this.

If you would like to learn more, be involved, or ask questions, please contact Jeff or Phyllis McGee, who are chairing the Refugee Action Committee (RAG) at jeff.mcgee@sympatico.ca.