Lowen Family Fund

Dear Friends,

I am writing you to tell you about our daughter Elsie and her husband Eddy Loewen. Eddy and their 6 older children are Canadian citizens. In obedience to what they believe to be the Lord’s leading they left comfortable Manitoba, Canada and legally crossed the border into Alaska, showing their started immigrant visa paperwork in November 2019. COVID quickly set in, and they were unable to fly back to Montreal, Canada when it was time for their immigration interviews. It was during the worst of the COVID lockdown. Since then, they have tried unsuccessfully to ‘jump through all the hoops’ of US immigration laws.

Their three younger children are US citizens because they were born in Alaska. Eddy, Elsie and their children love Alaska and have no desire to move, but they are trapped and can’t even travel since they haven’t been able to generate the funds necessary to apply for Permanent Residence. Life has been hard because Eddy hasn’t been able to get a ‘green card’ and worker permit. He works where he can. He can legally be a self-employed boat builder and also works some with small engine repair on the side.
We visited them this past summer and experienced life with their family for 3 weeks. We value our relationship with them so much. We were able to go to church with them and see some of Alaska. We loved learning to know their children. As the children grow older each of them chooses the musical instrument that they want to learn to play. Worship times with them were a delight.

Doesn’t this photo tell you a lot about them? This river of clear, glacial water is just 30 minutes from their home. There are mountains to climb, salmon to fish, hiking and exploring! No wonder they love and enjoy beautiful Alaska! But they didn’t move to Alaska for adventure; they moved because they believed that God clearly led them there on this faith journey.

They have been crying out to God for help. A basic principle of their lives is to never ask for financial aid, but trust God to lay it on people’s hearts when they have a need. At our urging and sponsoring they scheduled a very helpful one-hour telephone call with an online lawyer that they trust (because he helped friends of theirs get their green card after a failed attempt with another lawyer).

I, Arthur, feel the urgency to appeal to you on their behalf.

This lawyer is a family man from Michigan (with 6 children 10 and under) who wants to help them! He answered their many questions. He discounted his normal prices and is charging them one third of what the lawyer in Anchorage said he would charge! Based on current immigration laws it seems wise and urgent to apply soon before Jerrell becomes 18 years old in April 2026. Acquiring citizenship after that time will be much more rigorous for him and any of siblings if they are already 18 years old.

This is the breakdown of the expenses that the lawyer told them about and that we believe to be correct:

Total funds needed for Eddy and 6 older children’s US citizenship paperwork
$9,200 Lawyer fees
$15,730 Immigration Fees
$ 3,150 Medical exams = 7 x $450 approximate
$ 105.00 Photos = 7 x $15 approximate
= = = = =
$28,185.00 (last two expenses are approximate)

So… I am asking you to consider helping Eddy and Elsie Loewen with the cost of them getting legal citizenship status in Alaska. I am confident that this ‘community initiative’ to help them get all their paperwork done will not be an ongoing need year after year! When their immigration and citizenship status issues are resolved, they should be able to live much more comfortably and not need any ongoing financial aid.

The very fact that they have been able to live in Alaska with their family of 9 children on very limited funds and with the high cost of living is evidence enough that they know how to economize and is a tribute to God’s goodness and faithfulness where it would humanly speaking be impossible!

You are our friends or their friends, and we appeal to you. Would you consider contributing to this need that will enable them to thrive in Alaska? All donations that come in will be kept in a special bank account set up specifically for this purpose. All those who contribute towards meeting this need will receive a report of all donated funds. Careful record and receipts will be kept of all these immigration-related expenses. If there is money left over after successfully completing the Immigration process this money will be released to be used ‘Where most needed’.

Sponsor needs:

In addition to the financial need, they also need a Sponsor whose income is between $50,000 and $60,000 above 125% of the federal poverty guideline for the Sponsor’s household. This sponsorship need can be divided between two or more sponsors and is a mere formality and not a need of actual financial aid for the Loewens.  I understand that the payment for the lawyer, the immigration fees, and the sponsorship all needs to be in place to be presented at the same time to start the process. The lawyer recommends that the medical exams be done right away as well. If God inspires you to be a sponsor, or to at least learn about whether you can be a sponsor or partial sponsor please contact them directly at
eddyellie@gmail.com, or call or text Eddy (907-671-3957) or Elsie (907-671-1785). Thank you so much for considering helping them out of this financial ‘stranglehold’!

Give Online

To Give By Check

Write the check to Dwelling Place and on a seperate note tell us who you would like funds to help.

Mail to:
Dwelling Place
PO BOX 871580
Wasilla, AK 99687

Eddy and Elsie have already seen this letter and checked it for accuracy. They gave me their permission to send this letter to you as their friends or our friends – or both!

Lil and I have already helped them with funds for this purpose and we would love to give more, but our 30 years of ministry in El Salvador make so that we can’t make this happen alone. Would you please consider helping us and them by contributing to their ministry in Alaska? Thank you in advance!

Sincerely,
Arthur and Lil Nisly
Elsie’s mother father and mother