How One Local Chapter Became the Hands and Feet of Christ
It Started With a Book Study
Robin didn’t expect to become a local leader in a national movement. But when she heard Bri Stensrud on The Holy Post podcast talking about the grief of missed opportunities and the power of proximity, she knew she couldn’t stay on the sidelines.
She started with a Start with Welcome book study at her local church. That quickly turned into leading the Knoxville, Tennessee, Local Chapter of Women of Welcome, a growing community of more than 30 women committed to showing up for their immigrant neighbors with compassion and creativity.
The Blessing of a Local Chapter
Robin shares how the group has opened their eyes, challenged them, and encouraged them. “It’s helped a lot of us understand who is getting deported,” she shared. “When we hear these first-hand stories, a lot of times it doesn’t fit the stories we’re being told.”
When one woman has a hard day, she shares it in the group chat. The women pray together and offer words of encouragement. The reminder that they are not alone helps them keep the faith.
Robin says her local group is made up of two kinds of women. Some already have proximity to local immigrant communities. Others deeply want it. Together, they are able to meet real needs in real time.
From ESL teachers to young moms, the group functions like a living body. Some members see needs firsthand and share them. Others step in to meet them. Whether it is help with rent, childcare, groceries, or prayer, Robin describes it simply. “Our only rule is: when God compels you, act.”
They have paid a local immigrant’s power bill. They have taken children to Dollywood after their dad was deported. And then came Alba.*
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When the Need Became Urgent
A member of the chapter reached out with a need to support Alba, a woman whose husband had been deported despite having documentation, a driver’s license, a work permit, and an asylum claim in process. Alba was recovering from giving birth at just 25 weeks. Her baby was fighting for life in the NICU.
She had immediate needs, including transportation to the hospital twice a week and groceries. She also had bigger needs. She needed to travel to the embassy to secure a passport for herself and her older daughter. The trip would require an overnight stay, eight hours away.
Robin heard the story and knew she could do something, but not everything. She reached out to her local chapter and the private Women of Welcome Facebook group, explained Alba’s situation, and asked for help.
The response was immediate.
Within 24 hours, they raised $1,000 for groceries. Someone volunteered to drive Alba to and from Raleigh. A full month of twice-weekly hospital visits was covered.
Robin and her family also delivered Christmas gifts to children who had just lost their dad to deportation. Even Alba’s friends, some of whom were wrestling with doubt, saw this unexpected compassion as divine intervention.
“I’ve been angry with God,” one woman said. “But now I have faith again.”
God Sees Our Immigrant Neighbors
Robin says she had unknowingly been preparing for this moment for days. Before Alba’s need even came to light, a single word had been placed on her heart: rescue. That word led her to the song “Rescue” by Lauren Daigle, a song she recorded herself just days before Alba’s story unfolded.
The lyrics speak to the reality that God sees our need and responds through others. “I will send out an army to find you,” the song says.
Robin sees it clearly now. “He mobilized an army of women from Women of Welcome to go rescue her,” she says through tears. For Robin, it was undeniable that God had not forgotten Alba or other immigrants who are suffering.
“This solidified our mission for me,” Robin shares.
Any One of Us Can Be Used
This story is not about one woman doing everything. It is about everyday women doing something. We are encouraged by the story of 30 women in Tennessee willing to show up and say yes.
They are allowing their lives to become part of God’s rescue plan.
And Robin’s advice to anyone new to this work is simple.
“There are some things people are well suited for, and some things we aren’t able to do,” she shares. “We each have our own role to play.” You do not need to know the language. Her group connected with an interpreter. This is the power of being part of a body. Each person brings their own gifts.
“Don’t get hung up on what you can’t do,” she encourages. Instead, look at what you do have to offer and trust that God will use you.
For those who think there are no immigrants in their community, Robin offers a gentle challenge. Rethink that. No matter where you are, there is a place for you to learn and serve.
*Name changed
