Refresh, Recalibrate, Renew

Each August, IAFR staff and leadership gather for our annual conference. It is a time for retreat and restorative rest, and a time to share and refine ideas. Together, we lament, we worship, we share challenges, and we celebrate stories of what we are seeing God doing in our various locations.

This year’s conference was a particularly bittersweet time of fellowship. We have much to grieve and lament as we have watched the world become an increasingly difficult place for our friends who have been forcibly displaced. That is why the theme for our conference this year was Stand Firm. Together, we looked to God’s Word and encouraged one another to stand firm despite innumerable situations where it feels like hope and justice are hard to find.

We also took some time to celebrate Tom Albinson, the president and founder of IAFR who will soon step out of that role. We had time to share how he had made an impact on each of our lives. We acknowledged that we may never know the extent of his influence in the lives of those who have experienced forced displacement and those who care about them.

We covet your prayers as we return home and resume our work in each of IAFR’s ministry locations. Pray that God would provide for the needs of those we love and come alongside. Pray that God would give us wisdom and discernment as we try to help people survive and recover from forced displacement. Pray for strength to stand firm and not lose hope.