Massanetta Springs Goes Above and Beyond to Welcome the Stranger
Photographs by Shane Nelson of some of the refugees Massanetta Springs has sheltered while CWS finds a permanent new home for them.
Massanetta Springs Goes Above And Beyond to Welcome the Stranger
Take a moment and imagine home. Imagine your friends, your family, your house. Imagine where you worship. Imagine familiar places, the rhythms of daily life, the traditions that mark the passing of the year. Imagine all that lets you know you belong.
Now imagine leaving. Forever.
Maybe you leave because of violence or war. Maybe it’s because of famine or drought. There could be a thousand reasons, but just imagine realizing that your home has become so unsafe that your only option is to seek refuge far away.
Can you imagine it? I can’t either. Who would be there to help? Who would you turn to?
When you give to Massanetta Springs, the answer quite simply is you.
For several years, Massanetta Springs has been blessed to partner with Church World Service’s (CWS) Refugee Resettlement Program. When families arrive, CWS provides a wide variety of services, but as Emily Bender, Development and Communication Cooridnator for CWS says, “it is a very special gift to be able to provide hospitality to folks who arrive in the United States exhausted, worried about the path ahead of them, and in need of rest and a place to lay their head. When CWS receives word that a new family or individual is scheduled to arrive, the caseworkers work around the clock to have everything ready for the family. Unfortunately, there is not always permanent housing available right away. This is where Massanetta Springs has gone above and beyond in a number of cases to save the day.”
I want you to imagine a bit more. Imagine after years of waiting, praying and hoping, you might be accepted into a safe but strange land, where would you want to spend your first days? Where would you want to be welcomed?
Can you imagine a better place than Massanetta Springs? I can’t either.
“Massanetta Springs has been an incredibly gracious partner to CWS in providing temporary housing to refugees upon arrival. This gift of hospitality allows new arrivals to rest and recover from some of the stresses they have encountered along the way to safety. It also provides a sense of welcome and safety, which is a relief for those who are fleeing persecution,” says Bender before going on to tell the story of one of the refugees that has been welcomed to Massanetta Springs.
“One woman from Iraq was placed in a hotel for a week or two immediately upon arrival, but she was able to move to Massanetta Springs while CWS searched for an affordable, permanent housing situation. She was so happy to be in such a beautiful environment that she asked if she could live at Massanetta Springs instead of moving to an apartment in Harrisonburg. She said that she felt safe, secure, and peaceful.
It’s hard to put into words exactly what this sense of security and peace means to someone who has fled their homeland because it isn’t safe for them anymore. When refugees arrive in the Shenandoah valley, they may have overcome unimaginable circumstances in order to survive. Massanetta Springs has stepped in to provide housing at crucial moments, but it is truly going above and beyond the call of duty to host new arrivals with such care, hospitality, and warmth.”
So far in 2020, because of you, 123 nights of shelter have been provided for refugees arriving in the United States. In the midst of a pandemic that has altered so many of the ways we strive toward our mission, you are still welcoming the stranger through your generosity. When you support Massanetta Springs with your year end gift, you’re doing so much more than helping a place. You are doing Christ’s work.
I want you to imagine, just one more time. Imagine going above and beyond in these difficult times to extend the welcome of Jesus to those who need it most. Imagine even from afar, making a difference in being, “a place for all people to experience God through renewal, discover, and hospitality.” Can you imagine that? I can. It’s exactly what you’ll be doing by giving to Massanetta before the end of 2020. Thank you in advance for your prayerful consideration of a first or additional gift this year.