Browsing Archive: September, 2015

When Children are Being Harmed, We Must Respond

Posted by Kaylee K on Friday, September 18, 2015, In : Response 
My heart is breaking. I just watched a video newscast on what equates to child slavery and trafficking in Italy, which is being fueled by the migrant crisis and the EU’s inability to decide on how to respond. As a human, I cannot tolerate this. As a Christian, I am called to respond.

 
But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the k...

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Six Biblically-Based Steps Churches Can Take to Respond to the Refugee Crisis

Posted by Kaylee K on Thursday, September 17, 2015, In : Response 
(edited version of post from IAFR site: http://bit.ly/1KTOlNu)

1. Get informed/Stay informed: Here are some helpful resources:

o   Twitter: https://twitter.com/Refugees, https://twitter.com/WEAnews, https://twitter.com/WEA_UN, https://twitter.com/RefugeesMedia, https://twitter.com/IAFRhttps://twitter.com/RefuGmin 

o   Facebook: www.facebook.com/refu...


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Confronting Misconceptions

Posted by John K on Wednesday, September 2, 2015, In : Refugee Stories 

A lot has been said about the migrant crisis in Europe, and much more has not been said. The Guardian ran an article recently to clarify some common misconceptions. Immigration has been a sensitive topic in the U.S. as well as Europe in the past few years. It takes some work to get information of who is crossing borders and why. There is a difference in perceived impacts too. Migrants are considered a threat when crossing the U.S. border with Mexico and also at border crossings throughout Eur...


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Blog Authors


John and Kaylee Kolditz Kaylee founded Refugee Connect in 2008. John joined the work in 2011 as we investigated the refugee situation in Europe. But our faith and cross-cultural journeys have been a work-in-progress for many years. Much of this blog reflects that. ************************************************ We met in Austin, TX, while volunteering at a serving event at Gateway Church and have been married since 2002. Marriage, parenting and ministry all require a great deal of intentionality, humility and true reliance on God for strength, wisdom, and grace. It is a journey we are grateful to be on together. Ultimately, what matters to us is building into meaningful relationships in ways that, to the best of our ability and by God's grace, demonstrate the love and hope Jesus freely offers to us all. ************************************************ We bring both business and ministry backgrounds into our current work. John started a business in his 20's and helped build several other businesses. He has also served with churches in a variety of roles including as an assistant pastor, director of community development, and missions board member. Kaylee left her marketing career to become the global missions director for our home church in Austin, TX, then founded a local refugee ministry, and became TEFL certified (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) in order to prepare for our work overseas. We have led short-term teams domestically and internationally, and served with a variety of cross-cultural ministries. In 2008, we sensed a call to build into the church in Europe, which was also around the time when God broke Kaylee’s heart for refugees. Since then, God has continued to weave together this heart for refugees, desire to serve alongside the church, and focus on His call to Europe.

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