July 31, 2009

CHICAGO – A widow, her six children and one grandchild were the first refugees from the Darfur region of western Sudan to be welcomed by a U.S. refugee resettlement agency, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS).

The family arrived in Atlanta, where they were received by Lutheran Services of Georgia, an affiliate of LIRS. LIRS is a cooperative agency of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod, and the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

"The crisis in Darfur has left countless victims in its wake – children orphaned, entire villages destroyed," said Susan Krehbiel, LIRS vice president for protection and programs, in an LIRS news release. "We are honored to be among the first to open our arms to our brothers and sisters from Darfur as they begin their lives anew."

The widow and her family are the first Darfuri refugees to be resettled in the United States, the release said.

According to LIRS, refugees from around the world leave their homelands because of "systemic persecution and prolonged conflict." There are an estimated 13.6 million refugees and asylum seekers worldwide, including as many as 2.7 million displaced from the Darfur region, the release said.

"We stand with Lutherans and other concerned Americans to welcome this family to its new community, and we look forward to lighting the way for others fleeing war and persecution," Krehbiel said.

LIRS began work in 1939 to create "welcoming communities for America's newcomers," the release said.

Information on Lutheran Immigration and Refugee service is at http://www.lirs.org/, on the Web.

ELCA News Service
Carrie L. Draeger is a senior communication major with a concentration in journalism at Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Wash. This summer she is an intern with the ELCA News Service.