2023 - Q1

Friends,

This newsletter is from Joe Mitchell of the Idaho Falls Bridge Builders, and is an update on refugees in Idaho Falls.

On their way!

Through the Uniting for Ukraine program, we have formed a new Sponsor Circle and connected with a family who has been displaced by the war.  There is a mother, father, grandmother, and five-year-old boy. (Names and photos not included to protect their privacy.) The US Dept of Homeland Security has recently completed the required background checks and issued travel authorization for them to come to Idaho Falls.  We expect their arrival by the end of February.

How you can help the Ukrainian family

• The mother and father both have work experience in construction (most recently tiling and painting) and are eager to find jobs.  It will take about two months after their arrival for their Employee Authorization Documents to be in place.  If you have an opportunity they could apply for let me know.  It would be a big plus for the job to be within the range of Greater Idaho Falls Transit or include transportation to the job site.

• It will take about $4000 to pay for travel from Europe to Idaho Falls and to help with groceries until they start earning paychecks. You can donate money through Bridge Builders any time or grocery help  directly to them after their arrival.  We suggest grocery donations as pre-paid Winco cards so they can buy fresh, culturally appropriate food.

• After they arrive and we assess their English level, we will very likely need help with volunteer English language practice.  The adults may attend English classes at CEI and the boy may attend school, but there will still be a need for conversational practice and friendship.

• Housing has already been arranged, and we have everything we have asked for in the Grace House!  Thank you!

Update on the pilots

G, M, and R continue to work full time and are full time students at CEI.  (All in their third or fourth language.)  Their resilience and work ethic is off the charts.  They have all completed asylum interviews in Boise and their immigration attorney expects all to receive a positive ruling. The review takes 5-6 months.

All of us continue to explore every option for ways to allow their wives, still in Afghanistan, to join them in Idaho.  Bridge Builders recently helped one of the wives enroll in an online education opportunity through University of the People.  www.uopeople.edu/  Kim is in regular contact with all three young women using video chat to practice English.  G, M, and R all regularly wire money back to help their extended families with food and heat. 

The Afghan Adjustment Act continues to languish in both houses of Congress; its passage seems unlikely.

In the news and on the schedule

At the recent Martin Luther King banquet the pilots shared their stories in a brief video.  At the conclusion the 400 people attending the banquet gave them a spontaneous standing ovation.  It was a touching moment and represents the generous welcome shown by our community.

We all knew there would be a local media presence at the banquet and were OK with the risks and benefits.

BYU-I radio did an interview with one of the pilots, not using his real name, which you can read here:  https://www.byui.edu/radio/amani

East Idaho News did an interview with Kim and me, combined with an interview with one of the pilots, which you can read here: Local couple rescued 3 Afghan refugees, and how one of them is adapting to life in eastern Idaho

Three notes on this respectful and positive article:

• “Rescue” is not a good description of sponsorship, and we didn’t use that word. “Come alongside” is better. 

•  Kim said, in the context of the generosity of the community “we’ve never asked for anything.” (Clearly we ask for donations routinely, including in this newsletter.) Her intended meaning, in context, was that many supporters have sought us out to make donations, rather than us asking them.

• The article focused on Kim and me, but we have done nothing as individuals, only as members of outstanding teams. The other members of the first Sponsor Circle team were Stephen and Hannah Kleinheider, and Carl Pearson.  The other members of the second Sponsor Circle team are Jake and Cassie Vanesky, and Daniel and Sarah Mueller.  

Kim and I will be presenting a workshop on Sponsor Circles at the State Conference on Refugees in Boise on Feb 22.   www.idahorefugees.org

And we will be giving an update on Refugees in Idaho Falls at the Exchange Club meeting Tuesday Feb 28.  Exchange Club of Idaho Falls

A way to show your support of refugees in Idaho

Many of you receiving this newsletter are in positions of leadership in your community, civic organization, business or faith group.  Quoting from Tara Wolfson, director of the Idaho Office of Refugees:

The Idaho Office for Refugees and Idaho Dairymen’s Association are pleased to host the annual Refugee Appreciation Luncheon at the Idaho State Capitol on Thursday, March 2 from 12-1:30 p.m.  

We are inviting 200 Idaho organizations to come alongside us as event supporters to demonstrate Idaho’s deep appreciation for our refugee neighbors, friends, and colleagues. 

If you agree for your company/organization’s name to be included on our supporter board, please visit www.idahorefugees.org/luncheon.html  to sign up by Sunday, February 19th to add your name. No financial commitment is requested to be a supporter.

Bridge Builders has signed on (shocking, right?) and we hope another ten or so names from Southeast Idaho will be on the board.

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Joe Mitchell, Feb 11 2023,  Idaho Falls Bridge Builders - Our mission is to assist legal refugees who choose to relocate to Idaho Falls, and to assist the community in welcoming them. 

https://sites.google.com/view/idaho-falls-bridge-builders/home

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