Our Refugee Family Arrives

And Another Thing . . . Refugee Family

This week, much of my time was spent in preparing for the arrival of our Refugee family, and so this morning I thought I would send out an abbreviated blog.

The Gathering Community rallied this week to furnish an apartment with beds, dressers, table and chairs, couch and recliners, food, clothes and much more. On Friday the stuff we collected and the people we were giving them to all came together. Lots of smiles and nods, faces straining to understand, the joy of watching a baby play in her new home all coalesced as we listened to the interpreter and tried to make new friends. It is awkward to sit in a room where the differences between us are so large. There is a language barrier and a huge cultural barrier. The interpreter is himself a refugee who came to Indy three years ago. Today he has learned English, works as a nursing assistant and volunteers for Exodus Refugee Immigration. He is excited about his new life and is already trying to pay it forward. He believes that he is the only one who speaks this language in the city. 

I know very few of the particulars about these young ladies. I may never know much of their story. My assumption is that there were some very hard things that spurred this dramatic move. They stepped out in faith with the hope of finding a better life. Our gathering in their new apartment on Friday was an important step in this new adventure. As we were trying to get to know them, we asked if there was anything they would like to do in their new town. They answered, “We would like to worship.” 

So, it turns out that in spite of all of the barriers, we have much in common. We love our children. We hope for better days. We laugh and cry, and we worship Jesus. 

When we signed up to help a Refugee family relocate I believed there was a good chance we would be called to serve people who were from a different faith. My prayer was that we would faithfully serve whoever He brought us as an expression of his love and ours. And so he brought us sisters.

Our new sisters will be joining us at The Gathering this week. Come meet them and let’s join with them in worshiping the God who does such great things.

And that is all I have to say about that . . . for now.