This is the Place to Start
Where do I start? How can I help? What should I do?
I found these questions bubbling up in my mind and heart a few months back. Our training session had ended, and as I looked ahead I saw blank space on my calendar. And as I walked and shopped in my neighborhood, my attention was drawn to the many Somali families living here, some of them recent arrivals. I know from experience what it’s like to be a stranger in a foreign land. So many challenges and needs; what part can I play in meeting them? I decided to keep my eyes open.
One afternoon I passed a local elementary school just at dismissal time and noticed parents picking up their children. Almost all the women and girls were wearing head scarves and some of the men were in traditional African robes. I was curious; it seemed to be a charter school. Later I asked a teacher friend of mine, and she told me that 95% of the kids there were refugees and recent immigrants. She put me in contact with a friend who taught there.
Feeling drawn to those little girls in their uniform headscarves, I called the teacher and asked if they needed volunteers. She told me that yes, they could always use help in the classroom. When I went to visit, she talked about how her refugee kids often come from big families where they don’t get much individual attention, and where their parents can’t give them a lot of help with their homework. She asked me to come in once a week to help with reading groups. A good place to start!
So on Wednesdays I show up at her fourth grade classroom, where the kids always seem glad to see me. 
I sit with one or two of the reading groups and listen and help with the difficult words. I’ve already seen improvement; they are bright kids, and eager to learn. Some of them remember what life was like in Africa, in the refugee camp, while others have forgotten and know California as their only home. These children are old enough to be aware of the challenges their parents face as immigrants, challenges in employment and housing as well as the hurdles of cultural differences and prejudice. No matter what difficulties they face, I am glad that inside the walls of their classroom they experience kindness, understanding, and safety. And that I can play a small part in opening the world of books to them, and the joy of sharing stories.
(The book we’re reading is called “Sitti’s Secrets” and is a wonderful story about a Palestinian grandmother.)
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged immigrant kids by Lisa
Their First Christmas
My final holiday story (for now) is about celebrating Christmas with Syrian refugees. Can you imagine never having celebrated Christmas? For many of those who attended the party that night, it was their very first taste of the holiday, among Christians in the USA. We felt so very privileged to be part of it!
This was a big event that took a LOT of planning and hard work… our hats are off to the organizers, who are local friends of ours. Twenty-five Syrian refugee families were invited, and each family was seated at a table along with volunteers like us from area churches. The centerpiece of each table was a small Christmas tree, and there were craft supplies on the table so that we could help the kids decorate their little tree to take home. Of course, the food was the main thing, and there were traditional Syrian dishes along with meat and salads… and of course desserts! Following the meal we all watched a film clip about the birth of Jesus, and sang Christmas carols. Some Syrian musicians were on hand to provide additional entertainment, and the evening closed with everyone up on their feet, holding hands and doing a traditional line dance!
The family we shared a table with had six children, ranging in age from teenagers to a one-year-old. After less than a year’s residence in the US, the parents’ English was still at a beginning level, but the older kids were already well on their way to becoming fluent. The father had been an engineer in Syria; here, he is grateful for a job at a car wash. We took lots of photos together and promised to keep in touch.
For this family and many others, it was the first time they had heard the Gospel Christmas story. While we have many treasured family traditions from holidays past, it’s always a special experience to share the holiday with people who have never before celebrated it, people to whom its profound beauty and meaning are unknown. The refugees we ate and danced with that evening have gone through suffering and trauma of many kinds, most of which they can’t even communicate. We pray that the joy and love we shared that night will be a source of healing to them, and that before this year is over they will have discovered its Source.
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged holidays by Lisa