Finding Joy Amidst Tragedy & Sorrow
Her granddaughter died from complications of a brain bleed. Just days later, Helen was at her volunteer post for Radical Love. July 7, 2021: Natalie was 25 years old and full of life, love, and hope for a bright future. Just recently engaged, she and her fiancé had just put a deposit down on a wedding […]
A Journey of 3,000 Miles
When you know someone by name, everything changes. Meet Etni & Reinaldo and their three daughters The economic collapse of Venezuela made it too difficult to stay – with violence, it wasn’t safe to go to the market or to school. The family of 5 had to leave their beloved homeland. With small children in […]
Encountering Faith
A single mom from Ecuador recently arrived and was struggling. We wanted to meet her and share about our programs, and with only an address, showing up was the best option. So that’s what I did. It was a warm morning last Spring, and I stood at the entrance of Bilar’s apartment building, ringing the […]
Born in refugee camps and winning the title: CHAMPIONS!
Boys’ volleyball became an official school sport at 6 middle schools in the Fox Valley this spring. Games began in mid-April, and it quickly became apparent the Jayhawks were the team to beat. The Jayhawks possess amazing athletic ability – enough to win it all in the end. But there was something beyond their leaping […]
The Impossible Is Possible
This is our neighbor Ler Htoo. She grew up in a refugee camp in Thailand; she is of the Karen ethnic group – persecuted by the Burmese and driven out of Burma. She came to the United States as a young woman and married a Karen man. For over six years – doctors told her, […]
A Guitar for Janna
Janna was just 10 years old when war broke out in Ukraine. Her school closed, bomb sirens went off constantly, and ultimately her family fled her country. Janna’s mother had one hour to pack, which meant most of Janna’s worldly possessions were left behind. Janna arrived in Illinois in June and began 6th grade in August. […]
From Ukraine to Illinois
The bomb alarms were going off several times a night in February. Natalie and her husband Alex quickly dressed their 5 children in their warmest clothes and walked the 8 flights of stairs down to the basement shelter. There they huddled and prayed. The Russians quickly overtook their city of Kharkiv, and after a week […]
A Tale of Two Nurses
Roma (left) grew up in a refugee camp in Nepal, persecuted for being Christian. She dreamed of becoming a nurse her whole childhood, but after so much time spent in the camp, she gave up on that dream. In 2010, Roma came to the United States as a legal refugee. When she arrived in the […]
Operation Pedro Pan
Operation Pedro Pan In 1961, two boys in Cuba – ages 8 and 6 – packed a small bag and boarded a plane bound for the United States. They had no parents with them and spoke no English. The boys, Jose (age 8) and his brother Will (age 6) – pictured above – were part […]
The Story of the Bus Driver
Meet Elizabeth. She joined Radical Love this Summer by bus; Elizabeth was the bus driver. Radical Love raised enough funds to charter a bus this summer for our English-learning program. It brought neighbors of all ages who otherwise could not attend. On the first Friday, the bus pulled in, the riders unloaded, the driver parked […]
