In 1989, Rev. Francisco Feliberto Pereira founded the Southwest Good Samaritan Ministries with the purpose of helping refugees fleeing from many atrocities in their homelands. A refugee is defined as a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster. Rev. Pereira, former Cuban refugee in the 1960’s, suffered horrific persecution and was sentenced to 1,431 days of forced labor for being a follower of Christ.