“There were so
many people in
our community
that needed help.
People were having
difficulty with the
forms, not knowing
where to go,
not knowing the
language.”
— Linda Rigby
October 2020 — pg. 27
Immigration Miracles
By Emily Fontenot
My work with the Immigration Alliance recently
connected me with Linda Rigby from Cape Coral
Community Church, a Free Methodist congregation
in Florida. Linda and her husband, David, the church’s
lead pastor, emigrated from Canada in 1995 along with
their three daughters. In 2017 the church opened the
Community Bridge, an approved and certified Immigrant
Legal Clinic that offers assistance to low-income families
and/or individuals eligible for an immigration benefit.
Read on for Linda’s miraculous immigration interview
testimony. Learn why her church opened a legal clinic
and what has helped her connect with immigrants. My
conversation with Linda brought to light many practical
ways to support immigrants, even during COVID-19.
Emily: As an immigrant and a Christian seeking to
share God’s love with other immigrants, could you share an
inspiring story?
Linda: The story is my own immigration interview story
from July 2019. This is a story that I often share with others
preparing for the interview to emphasize how important it
is to pray and ask for prayer when in this process.
I had been a “permanent resident” for about 24 years and
decided to become an American citizen. I received notice
for my interview. However, leading up to the interview,
I became very sick and weak. I was so worried about the
civics test especially because I was certainly off my
game.
We arrived early (as is recommended).
However, we were told that we were
too early and had to wait. All this time
I was feeling just horrible. There were
television screens all around the room
with the civics test questions and answers
being shown continually, and, as I watched
them, I began to get confused on what I
had studied and fear began to take over. I
started to pray, and the lines of the popular
+ Photo courtesy of Linda Rigby