Ammons Rescue

Meet Laurent, his wife Kabange and their 6 children (5 boys and 1 girl, ages 15 down to 3). They are citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo, but were forced to leave after war broke out and their country erupted in violence. For the past 6 years they have been living in the Malawi Dzaleka Refugee Camp. Conditions in the refugee camp are beyond anything we have ever experienced in the U.S. Refugees live on the edge of starvation, clean water is in short supply and there is terrible violence within the camp.

Laurent and his family were taught by the LDS missionaries while living in the Congo and were baptized back in 2019. A senior missionary couple serving in Malawi learned that there were 10 LDS families living in the Dzaleka Refugee Camp. After returning to the U.S. they began working tirelessly to find a way to rescue these families. They learned that there is a government sponsored program in the U.S. called Welcome Corp that allows American citizens to put together “Welcome Groups” and request refugees who have been granted World Refugee Status. Laurent and his family have recently been granted world refugee status, which allows them to immigrate to the U.S., work legally, get a driver's license and receive many free resources for immigrating reguees.

In order to put together a Welcome Group and request this family, a group of 5 families or more must agree to fundraise a total of $2,500 per refugee (for Laurent’s family a total of $20,000), in addition to providing all of the needed support to the refugee family once they arrive in the U.S.. Support will include finding them a place to live, helping them find employment, enrolling the children in school, helping them with their English, etc. The $20,000 goes into a bank account that they will use for food, rent and all other expenses until they can get on their feet.

Several families from the Highland Utah area have come together to form a Welcome Group. It is our hope that members of our community will open their hearts and donate what you can to help this good family come to Utah where we can wrap our arms around them and help them to rebuild in a place of safety and opportunity.

Meet some of my friends from the Dzaleka Refugee Camp whom we are supporting and hope to bring here to the United States. Arsen and Rachel are married and both originally from the Congo where they fled due to violence and unrest. Both have tragic stories of loss but have done much to help others in the refugee camp in their volunteer capacities and in their Christian faith. They are both highly educated (Arsen with 14 years of education and Rachel with 13 years), each speak four languages (French, English, Swahili, and Lingala). They have a two-year-old son, Musengo, and are teaching him English and French. Instead of a picture for his profile on WhatsApp, Arsen has a meme that says, “God has something better for me, I just have to wait.” We are working on finding a sponsor group for Arsen, Rachel, and Musengo but in the meantime are supporting them as we work and wait for their opportunity.

We are also helping two sisters, Jessica, age 19, and Jacky, age 23, who fled South Africa after xenophobic attacks which eventually took the life of their father. They are wonderful people and deeply rooted in their Christian faith. Jessica is married and has a child. Jacky is also married and has a child. Just recently, (Aug 2024) Jessica and Jacky have been connected with a welcome group that includes their immediate family and will immigrate through the US Welcome Corp to the United States along with their babies, their mother Esther, and their two brothers. We have the funds needed for Esther, and the brothers of Jacky and Jessica, but funds are still needed to immigrate Jessica, Jacky, and their babies.

Any donated funds will go directly to the non-profit group, Ammon’s Rescue where the proceeds will help with the support and immigration process for Arsen, Rachel, Musengo, Jessica, Jacky, and their babies. I know great things are in store for all of them. Thank you sincerely for helping me to help them!