ESL for Refugees

In July 2008, thirty people were trained in Memphis using the Community Transformation curriculum. Following the training, teams of two were sent into the city to engage communities and to discern the needs of various neighborhoods and affinity groups.

One of these teams decided to work with refugees that had resettled to Memphis. After spending several weeks in prayer, the team entered into a local apartment complex seeking out the refugees who lived there. They approached a couple of refugees, and asked to speak with the leader of the their community. The people responded that while there used to be a leader in the community, he had left for another city. They volunteered to introduce the team to the refugee families living in the apartment complex. The team gathered the families together to assess the needs and concerns of the community. Most of the families wanted to learn English. "Without English," they said (through a translator), "it is difficult to find good jobs."

The original team of two has expanded. Several teams are now working with families to tutor them in English and to engage in cultural conversations.

If you would like to help tutor a family, please contact Steve Moses, steve@ministri.es