Retire-to Volunteering

080 Chris Lovingood—Nations Ministry Center Huge Challenges/Great Opportunities—Nations Ministry Center They have fled persecution, violence, war, hunger, life in makeshift and overcrowded camps. As refugees coming to America, they have been given a chance for a new life. But now they face a new set of ordeals having to navigate the complexities of daily life in a new culture and do so with minimal language skills. Resettlement agencies assist newly arrived refugees for three to four months with many of their firsts, including obtaining housing, registering the children for school, getting the required health screening, figuring out how and where to buy food, and finding a job and the means to get to it. But the needs don't stop at the end of those few months. So the Nations Ministry Center steps up. The Nations Ministry Center is specific to Nashville, Tennessee, which has a surprisingly large refugee population (8,000 to 10,000). Chris Lovingood, the Executive Director, characterizes the efforts of the orga