We started a basic computer class for refugees and Spanish men and women who were interested. My friends Chris and Leah have been teaching the class on Saturday mornings at 10AM for most of the summer months. They are newlyweds that really have had a heart to find ways to help others in our Memphis community together during this season in their life. Chris and Leah are moving, however, next weekend. We are sad to loose their help with the computer class and will miss being able to connect with them locally. I just know that wherever the Lord leads the two of them that they will put their heart out with all they have to love and serve their community.

The free computer classes we have offered to the refugee community has been very helpful to them. We will have to stop the classes for now until we have a new teacher. Most refugees do not have easy access to a computer and most of them are unfamiliar with how to use them.

The American society does almost everything via computer these days. Computers are helpful to refugees for finding and applying for jobs, searching for local information, finding and printing important immigration documents, reading and studying GED and driver’s licensure documents, practicing English skills, preparing for or taking basic education or college online classes and more. Many refugees need to understand how to move around and search on the Internet, they need basic typing skills, and beginner Microsoft Office help in order to push themselves into better job or education opportunities. Our students love to work with computers.

We have a couple of lap top computers that were donated so that Chris and Leah could begin teaching the class. There were more students interested than we had computers. The D2 apartment where the computer class was held wasn’t set up with internet access. Chris and Leah and the students felt Internet access was something we needed to work towards to better help them. Asha’s Refuge would love to have a room where there were several computers with internet access set up for refugees to be able to learn on and to use. With Chris and Leah gone, we will need new committed volunteer computer teachers to help. The weekend class for computers seems to be the best time for our friends from other countries. Perhaps for now we should keep at least one computer with Internet access available at our apartment that’s in the refugee community.

Patience…I have a feeling this will be something Asha’s Refuge will eventually be able to help with. For now, we will have to take several trips to the local library where they have free computers we can use. We’ll just have to arrange times when we are able to transport and sit beside our friends to offer them library computer assistance and have mini-lessons.