The Fernandez family from our church was sent out of Canada on February 5, 2011. Their refugee claim was turned down, and in their removal the family was separated to the parents’ different birth countries. Early that Saturday morning, John said goodbye to his wife and daughters not knowing when he would see them again.

One year later we are still trying to get their family established together permanently. In the past year they have travelled between two countries to spend time together. They have dealt with illness, fear and depression and battled extreme poverty. They wander through foreign countries seeking a home for their family.

The most difficult part for John was the separation, and seeing his daughters cry so much was heartbreaking. “I can’t express how hard it felt to leave my family ALONE in an unknown country”. Magaly remembers when they didn’t have a house and the family was forced to sleep in a nearby park, “Seeing my little one sleep on a hard concrete chair was very hard for me.”

Despite these struggles they know God is with them. “We thank God for having a nice group of people that has been praying for us. There were many times that our family didn’t have anything to eat or to drink. Somehow, our God was touching other people and they blessed us financially and my family was able to have a warm meal. Reading the scriptures brought us hope, and not letting our miracle go is keeping us alive. We’ve heard a lot of testimonies through friends; we serve a living GOD and there’s nothing impossible for Him”.

Today, some prayers still remain unanswered: their immigration status, financial breakthrough, and the strength and courage to keep fighting.

Yet John and Magaly continue to press forward, “Our family decided to believe and live the Word of GOD. It’s easy to hear the Word of God but it’s hard to believe it when every door is shut down and you are in darkness. In the scriptures we see how many people were able to reach their dreams. We made a list of needs, and on each need we identified a living miracle testimony from the Bible; miracles that were hard and impossible for a human eye, such as Sarah and Abraham’s son in Genesis 21:2.”

Their daughter adds, “Dear WMB, I’m so happy for your Christmas gift, my sister and I were able to have some real toys, you have no idea how happy we are to have these toys with us. Thank you WMB church for praying for us, my daddy, mommy, sister and I are praying every night for our papers to be able to get back to Canada. We take turns to lead the prayer every night, I led the prayer yesterday and today’s is daddy’s turn. I really miss Canada and so is my sister, I wish that I could be playing and drawing some Sunday School stories and listening to the music in the church.  I love Canada and thank you so much for helping us”.

Together with John and Magaly we hope for a redemptive future for the Fernandez family.  In the midst of brokenness and injustice, God encourages us from Psalm 27, “Yet I am confident I will see the LORD’s goodness  while I am here in the land of the living”.

For more information about this family and ways you can support them, please contact Michelle Knowles.