Creative Connections

I have found that getting involved with refugee outreach is so much more than just teaching English or having fun with kids. It's about connecting with people, hearing their stories, and becoming part of each others' lives. And it is amazing to watch how God can direct women from totally different backgrounds to cross paths and find that we actually have so much in common!

Having prayed for a creative way to advance my language learning, I first met Rafia after asking a friend if she knew someone with whom I could practice speaking Arabic in an informal sort of English/Arabic language exchange. She then introduced me to Rafia, a young woman from East Africa who speaks fluent Arabic (among other languages) but very little English. She was delighted to meet someone who attempted to speak/understand her language, and I was delighted (and a little overwhelmed) to practice my very rusty and limited Arabic! She immediately recognized my colloquial dialect, and that's when we discovered our "Egyptian connection." She had spent nearly three years in Egypt prior to gaining refugee status in the U.S.

As we reminisced about the charms and the woes of life in Cairo, I realized in a new way how God never wastes anything that happens in our past, and He has a way of answering our prayers in creative and unexpected ways! But it also reminded me how sovereign God is and how small this world is. As a kid, I had carelessly observed countless refugees attempting to pass through Egypt from oppressive and war-torn countries and hoping toward an eventual better life in the West. Now I was chatting in the home of one of them, welcoming her on the other end of her journey to "my country, America." Realizing this was incredibly humbling; we had literally walked the same streets, yet we come from vastly different walks of life. I don't know why God has allowed me the blessings of being a citizen of a free country and living in safety with my Christian family, or why He would allow another girl in her 20's to arrive in America only after a possibly permanent separation from her home and family and nearly losing her life. But God knows His purposes, and He has given His followers the opportunity to be a part of that purpose as channels of His love. "For the love of Christ compels us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf" (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).

*Names changed for privacy reasons. To respect the privacy of individuals mentioned in this post, please do not share this information in a public setting or on social media.*

Introduction

Welcome friends! This blog is intended to be a way of making myself accountable to record what I learn through my experiences working with refugees in the Dallas area, so that I can look back on what God has taught me and how He worked in people's lives. It's meant to be personal, and I most certainly won't be offended if you don't read it. But if you do, I hope the stories, pictures, and articles will encourage you to pray for God's work among international refugees and inspire you to seize opportunities for joining Him in that work in your neighborhoods. I'd really love to hear your stories, as well as any comments, questions, or ideas you may have!

*To respect the privacy of individuals mentioned in posts, please do not share this information in a public setting or on social media.*

"For the Nations" - Some Background Info

Dallas has the second largest refugee population in the U.S. with over 200,000 refugees in the greater Dallas area. For the Nations Refugee Outreach serves about 1,550 legal & permanent refugees annually, coming from over 20 countries including Burma, Thailand, D.R. Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, and Iraq. They include men, women & children of all ages, speaking over 50 different languages, and coming from a variety of religious backgrounds. All have persevered though incredible challenges and dangers, interviews and screenings before becoming among the privileged few to arrive here in the U.S. These people are desperate to learn English and the basics of navigating life here in America, are eager and grateful to anyone willing to help them, and in most cases have incredibly open hearts and minds. What an amazing opportunity to share the love of Jesus!

For the Nations seeks to serve refugees in the Dallas area through education, acculturation, and sharing with them the good news of Jesus Christ. Primarily we do this through ESL, literacy and citizenship classes and GED prep for adults. There is a preschool class while parents are in ESL class, and after-school homework help & English practice for pre-K through 8th graders. All classes are free of charge and offered to anyone, but attendance is required to stay in the program. There are also occasional classes on cooking, computer literacy, job skills, etc., as well as an intensive summer reading/ESL program for recent arrivals to the U.S. The organization has seen many of their students successfully integrate into their jobs and communities.

Most importantly, every class/event includes a Scripture passage and presentation of the Gospel, strategically placed in the middle of the class time as a required part of the curriculum. Throughout the course of the year, this presentation begins with the Creation account and ends with the Resurrection. The outreach has seen several believe as a result of these teaching times and the relationships that have developed.

I first learned about FTNRO last summer through someone my mom met, after I had been praying towards possibly working with refugees in some way. I’m so thankful God enabled me to get involved already this January, and that my other part-time jobs allow me to spend all day on Thursdays with the outreach. I volunteer as a pre-K assistant, ESL teacher’s assistant, and a Kids' Club tutor, and although it has stretched me in various ways, I am thoroughly loving it!

(statistics and information gathered from For the Nations literature)


*To respect the privacy of individuals mentioned in this post, please do not share this information in a public setting or on social media.*