Hi everyone, 

Some good news to start this week: a court stayed the execution of Melissa Lucio that Sy wrote about last week. She remains on death row, but has a new opportunity to present evidence of her innocence. Thanks to those of you who signed the petition or wrote something on social media! Please continue to pray. And now, here are this week’s highlights. 

Suzie’s recommendations: 

• We have talked a fair bit at KTF Press about the US’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan and some of the tragic fallout, including the horrific treatment of Afghan minors in the US. One encouraging development, however, has been the emergence of sponsor circles to aid in welcoming Afghan refugees in America. The Sponsor Circle Program allows ordinary citizens to supplement the work of resettlement agencies gutted under the previous administration. The US State Department launched the initiative, and a number of faith-based and other community groups chose to participate. In this article, The New Yorker’s Eliza Griswold shares about her experience as a sponsor, as well as the story of two young Afghan women who found aid through the program. In the long run, the best outcome would be the rehabilitation and expansion of the US refugee resettlement architecture, but this is a helpful stopgap to support Afghans who have already suffered so much.