Friday was a really busy day for Asha’s Refuge, filled with joy mixed with sadness.  In the morning we hosted our ESL ladies and their preschoolers for some learning time.  Thanks to all the volunteer ladies and youth who came to spend time with our ESL friends.  The afternoon was devoted to getting children on track for the new school year.  We were delighted to enroll 2 more children in The Neighborhood School, and are hoping at least one more child will be accepted Monday.  If you do not know this great school, please check out their website www.tnsmemphis.org  They have been providing quality Christian education to children in the Binghampton neighborhood since 1993, and they are doing wonderful work in our community.  Class size is very small and the staff is experienced with the needs of refugee children.  We now have three mothers who are so excited about their children receiving a wonderful Christian education.  We even have several children on the waiting list.  We are so thankful for our new friends in The Neighborhood School who faithfully love and help refugee children and their families so well.

Late Friday afternoon we visited Lester School to help other friends complete school registrations for their children.  By the end of the day, we were very proficient at explaining and completing school forms. A special thanks to Mrs. Rogers, the ESL teacher at Lester and our partners at Catholic Charities and Christ Community who worked together to organize a special registration for our refugee friends.

As we asked the questions necessary to complete forms, we learned more about the experiences of the children during their time in refugee camps.  Some questions concerned health and dietary issues.   One particularly poignant moment occurred when we asked a question regarding strange eating habits which could indicate serious medical issues.   This included eating paint chips, crayons or dirt.  Our hearts sank as Nadeen and Laya described eating dirt and erasers in Africa because they were so hungry and had nothing else to eat.  I remember watching a documentary that said children would eat dried mud cakes just to make their tummies to feel full, even though there was no nutritional value.  But nothing prepared us for hearing the children sitting in front of us describe their own experience with that type of hunger.  The experience of Nadeen and Laya is too awful to imagine.  We are so blessed with plentiful food in our nation, and it is heartbreaking to know children are so desperately hungry anywhere.  I pray that these precious girls will never again know such hunger.  Please join us in praying for other children caught up in famine and war in Africa right now that they will be protected from this horror of hunger.  We are more inspired than ever to love and encourage the refugee children and their families of our community.

As we prepare refugee children for a new school year, I also want to thank our donors who are providing backpacks, school supplies and uniforms.  Your contributions make a huge difference to these families.  We look forward to a successful school year for all the refugee children as they continue to learn and grow in their new American life.