On 17th September Emma and I will be running the belfast half marathon to raise money for GiM(Gioventù in Missione) and OM (Operation mobilisation) Italia. As some of you know, last summer we travelled to Sicily, Italy as part of an international team with OM to serve & gain an appreciation for the refugee crisis happening in Europe.

GiM is an international missionary organisation who in Sicily work to provide food, shelter and emotional support to the refugees arriving on their shores everyday.

Over 80,000 refugees have arrived in Italy this year (a 20% increase from 2016) with 2000 estimated to have died at sea. In July 2017 the Italian government threatened to block ships due to the unsustainable flows of people. Therefore many of these refugees arriving are immediately homeless and rely on organisations like GiM for survival. Last year we met many refugees of whom had been students, teachers, mechanics etc all displaced by war and hoping for some sort of life.

Half the money we raise will go directly to GiM to help them provide crucial aid to these people and in doing so show them the love of Christ.

The other half will go to OM Italia who work within anti-trafficking by supporting individuals trapped in modern day slavery.Through street outreaches and one on one meetings, the team offers spiritual, psychological and physical help to victims of sexual exploitation with the goal of enabling starting of a new life .In addition, the team raises awareness about human trafficking and how to get involved.

This is just a small amount of info about two groups working extremely hard to serve and reach out to the marginalised and often forgotten societies. We would be v grateful for even the smallest amount of money❤️️equally, if you would like any more info on either organisation or our team last year please feel free to drop us a message! Apologies for long text lol. Also pls share xxx

C&E xxxxxxxxx