In January, 2017, Michael Swan of the Catholic Register published a great “Good News” story of the Khalil family from Iraq who came to Canada and seem to be thriving here. The family consists of two parents and two children – boy and a girl. Parents are working and children are in school. Ayad  Khalil (father) is a hard-working warehouse manager and driver at Ararat International Foods in Toronto. Both Sahr and Ayad (parents) have worked day and evening jobs for most of their time in Canada. Sahr worked in a restaurant during the day and cleaned offices at night. Saher and his nine-year-old sister Naden are students at St. Aidan’s, just a short walk from their new townhouse.

There wasn’t much question about the necessity of moving the family out of Iraq. Ayad had been kidnapped for three days — an episode that cost Ayad and Sahrs families $20,000 (U.S.). The Khalil family’s slim hope had rested on a meeting with Office of Refugees, Archdiocese of Toronto director Martin Mark at the Syriac Orthodox church in Damascus in 2010. ORAT teamed up with Ayads cousin, Talal Allo, in Richmond Hill, Ont., to sponsor the family, with help from St. Barsaumos Syriac Orthodox Church in Markham.

The Khalils say there is nothing they would rather be than Canadians.

Please read the entire article here: Kahlil Family