Two men who have helped bring refugees into southeasten Manitoba the last twelve months say the experiences have been very positive.

Eric Rempel of Steinbach Mennonite Church says originally they were anticipating a family of nine from Congo. But, due to some complications, only three members of that family have so far arrived. The rest, they are still waiting for.

Rempel says the three have found entry level jobs and have made very good progress in learning English. And in fact, this family is no longer needing the financial support from the Church. Not only that, but Rempel says people from the Church have gone out of their way to make this a good experience for their refugee family.

In Kleefeld, Gary Martens has been part of a committee responsible for bringing a family of five from Syria. The family arrived on December 28, 2015 and by the six-month point, Martens says it was already determined this was as good an experience as they could have asked for.

"It was a real bonding, bringing together of people," notes Martens. "We've had a very good experience and people have been very accepting of the family in Kleefeld. I have not heard of one instance of bad talk or bullying or slandering or anything like that."

When the group from Kleefeld first agreed to support the Syrian family, it was for a 12-month commitment. But Martens says they have come to realize that 12 months will not be long enough. In fact, he says the mother of the family has already expressed concern that they will be left on their own as of December 28, 2016.

"We assured them that they are part of our family," says Martens. "They are part of our community, we will continue to support them."

Martens says the father of the family still doesn't have his driver's license, which should happen in spring. Martens adds the plan is to continue to support this family until that time.

According to Martens, residents of Kleefeld have relied heavily on technology to communicate with their refugee family. With the use of translation programs on their smart phones, Martens says they are able to communicate. He suggests in Canada you probably need Level 4 English in order to have a job that requires communication. Martens notes their family is right now at about Level 2, but he expects, similar to a young child, one day it will just happen and they will begin talking English.

For the family from Congo, Rempel says they have indicated that because there aren't many others speaking Swahili in the area, they are actually picking up on the English language more quickly.

"One of them was comparing her situation in Steinbach with the situation with some people they know in Winnipeg," he says. "She says in Winnipeg the community is so large and they get together and they just speak Swahili to each other and they are not learning English."

Martens notes when their family first arrived, they were immediately introduced to residents of Kleefeld. But, now ten months later, they are making their own friends and in fact, have found other Syrians to connect with in Manitoba.

According to Rempel, two of the greatest challenges they have faced are transportation and coping with the medical system. Rempel says because their refugees have jobs but no driver's license, it means they are needing rides to work. However, he says their co-workers have been very helpful in offering rides. And as for the medical system, he notes it has been extremely frustrating to find a family doctor for the three.

"We have been utterly frustrated in that regard," notes Rempel. "It was only after we pulled a lot of strings here and there we now have a doctor who has committed sort of as a family doctor to one of the three."

Rempel says two of them have not yet had a physical exam. Both families had full medical coverage as soon as they landed in Canada. In fact, coverage by the federal government for the first year means they also have dental, vision and hearing coverage.

As for the greatest reward in sponsoring refugees, Rempel says it has been the relationships that have formed as a result. He notes it is very rewarding to be known as 'Dad' to these three. But he says this family went through trauma before arriving in Canada, and that is something they have yet to talk about.

Martens says sponsoring refugees is something Kleefeld will probably do again in the future. Having sponsored refugees from both Vietnam and Ethiopia in years past, this is nothing new. And he says financially it is playing out almost exactly as expected. The group had anticipated spending about $2,500 per month for 12 months and Martens says they are very much tracking towards that. Though he says the decision to extend their financial commitment means they will probably have to go into the community and ask for more money.