An Easy Way to Help!

Spero:Voice is so excited to share an easy way to help support our work with International Refugees in the Oklahoma City area.   A great organization, www.givecards.org , has offered to help us with a fundraiser that costs you NOTHING out of pocket!  

If you have gift cards that you won’t use or that have a low remaining balance, we invite you to send them in to us and we’ll partner with Give Cards to receive cash for most of the value of the cards. So, the last $3.72 on your Chili’s Gift Card can make a real difference to us and doesn’t cost you any green bills from your wallet! 

Just mail us the gift cards by May 15th and we’ll do the rest.

Mail to:

The Spero Project

1515 NW 43rd

OKC, OK     73118

If you want to get real crazy, set up a donation spot for people at school, in your office, or at church and send us all the cards on May 15th. However you participate, we want to THANK YOU for your help!!!

A Place for Everything and Everything In Its Place!

We had a visit from an amazing youth group from Arkansas last week, and we are so, so grateful for the work they did!  This group gladly sorted and boxed our very UNorganized storage space into a wonderfully-manageable room with a place for everything!  This is a tremendous blessing because we have a better understanding of our needs and we use far less time sorting through boxes to find items needed for families.  But, beyond the tangible help, this group really brought another level of help to the families in the refugee community.  There was an excitement and a hope that came with such a young and energetic group that started a buzz among the complex.  Many families came to visit us during the project and several of the volunteers were invited into homes, given tea and snacks, and made some life-long friends!  

We’re so appreciative of their efforts and wish them the best!!!

5 Languages. One Dream.

Have I mentioned how in love I am with the newly-forming MicroLending Program at Spero:Voice?  I’m sure I have a time or two.  Here’s an example of why.  Monday night was a class mean to help finalize a few ideas for some of the ladies who have been working towards a specific crafting project for a while. But, as always, things were just a little different than I planned!  Two ladies who were new to the MicroLending Program came–two ladies who are also quite new to the English language!

SOOO, we tweaked a bit and the “veterans” helped teach the new ladies about embroidery.  Here’s the kicker:  I was there–I speak English.  Manzura was there–she speaks Russian.  Lah Nu was there–Chin is her language (from Burma).  Fatima was there–speaking Arabic.  And, Anna was there–Swahili is her mode of communication.  You can imagine how easily we were able to teach each other!  

But, it turned into the most fun I’ve had in Spero:Voice in a very long time.  We were laughing with each other, sometimes laughing AT each other, and mostly laughing at the fact that we had no idea what anyone else in the room was saying.  We did get a little language lesson in.  We all learned that I thought Lah Nu and Anna were the “sassy” ones of the bunch and then took turns walking “sassy”-like to demonstrate what I meant.  You would have thought we were a room full of 5-year-old girls they way we were laughing!  

And it just made me remember again that we all just want to live well and love others, whatever language we speak and whatever we’ve been through in life.  What fun to get to be one of their new friends when they arrive so we can work together towards living our dreams!

Home Sweet Home

A wonderful Life Group jumped in to serve in a huge way last week and we are most appreciative!  A new family with a 10 month old son came in on Thursday, and when they came in they were greeted with a fully-furnished apartment!  The Litz Life Group worked together to gather donations, bring items from home, and then came to put everything in its place.  Supplemented by a TON of soaps, detergents, etc. by the Donaldson family, this apartment was ready to go!

After a long stay at a refugee camp, a plane ride with a 10-month-old (whew!), and a car trip to some place in Oklahoma they’ve never heard of (!), can you imagine the relief of walking into a place that has place settings prepared at the table, a closet full of clothes, and a kitchen full of food.  We’re so thankful for groups like this who give of their time and money to make a new life possible for others.  

If you’re interested in helping as a group with Apartment Set-Up, let us know!  kim@thesperoproject.com

Oh, Baby!

Well, it’s been embarrassingly long since we’ve updated Spero:Voice!  Apologies!  But, it’s been a busy few weeks for us.  We’ve seen great strides in employment of many men and women who are now able to sleep a little easier at night.  We’ve held the first ever Ethnic Cooking Class, and I just can’t tell you how proud we are of Manzura and her teaching ability!  And, we’ve celebrated the coming arrival of a new member of the Burmese community with a Baby Shower for Mai Wai and her little girl due in March.  Special, special thanks to the wonderful ladies of First Baptist Oklahoma City for making that day as special as it was. 

But, that’s not all the excitement!  We’ve added so much to the Learning Center schedule, and are eagerly anticipating adding more.  We’re now offering homework assistance to school-aged children every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday and have begun a Women’s-Only Conversational English Program on Monday evenings.  Last night, we welcomed Fatima to the class who is by far the most shy women I’ve ever met!  We’ve seen her around many times and would love to talk to her, but she’s not too quick to speak.  So, it was a great joy to have her feel comfortable enough to join us and made me very sure that blocking out some time for women only was the best move for our schedule.  I know there will be more women who will attend only because they will not be learning with men.  

So, you can see that the break from blogging was well worth it!  Check back soon for more updates and for pictures from all the events I’ve just mentioned!

What A Night!

We are more than blown away at the support we received at Wide Open Corners!  And, we know the women who prepared art for this event were excited, too.  Talking to them after the event was such a blessing, as they began to see the support they had, feel the empowerment they were bestowed, and dream for the future.  We can’t thank everyone enough for coming, for purchasing, and for making a statement with your presence. 

Special thanks to those who chose to sponsor a woman with a microloan!  We received sponsorships for 7 women to begin their own small business.  That’s a lot of lives impacted in one night!!

Stamps of Approval

Two Creative Mentors volunteered today to help some Burmese women learn a rubber-stamp technique for picture frames and the first steps of embroidery.  The ladies picked up VERY quickly and they were so excited to have a creative outlet, a chance to talk to us and to each other, and a means to make a little money.  The picture frames are going to hold their favorite Scriptures, written in Burmese!  And the embroidery projects will all include phrases in Burmese, as well.  Be sure to come to Wide Open Corners to purchase these items and more!

Thanks so much to all of our Creative Mentors.  You have really been making a difference, one lady at a time.  You definitely receive a stamp of approval from us!

Wide Open Corners

Be sure to check out the Wide Open Corners Blog to find out about this event to kick off the microlending program of Spero:Voice.  Don’t miss the sampler platters of ethnic food, hand-made items from women in the refugee community, gourmet coffee from Cafe Evoke, live music and more!

And, after you check it out, let us know if you would like to volunteer to make the event a success!  Email kim@thesperoproject.com if you’re interested in helping with the check-out counter, food sales, the kids area, set-up, or tear-down.   We’d love some help to make this even the most effective it can possibly be.

It’s Finally Here!

We’ve been so looking forward to a common space to teach English, job training skills, and to tutor students.  It’s going to make Spero:Voice SO much more functional.  Well, because of the unbelievable generosity of the apartment complex in which many of the refugee families live, the project is almost complete.  They have done their part of renovating by installing heating and air, cable capabilities for internet use, and purchasing the paint and flooring.  Now, it’s our turn! We are responsible for some dry-wall repair, painting, laying the flooring, and furnishing the space.  

Work will be done all day and evening this Wednesday–Friday, the 7th, 8th, and 9th.  If you’re interested in helping, please call Brad at 812-5595.  We can’t wait to update you on all the exciting events occurring in the new space!

Happy New Year!

Our friend, Bea, at City Church Pastors and amazing African community at City Church.  This group is hosting a New Year’s Eve party tonight and we’re so thankful!  We’re thankful because we are taking a group of Congolese refugees who will get to speak to people in their native language, talk to people from their home country, and just get the chance to feel a little more “at home.”  It’s going to be a fun night!!