Numb. That is the only word I am able to come up with to describe how I am feeling lately. Even “numb” does not accurately describe it. What is wrong with me? Asha’s Refuge is a local nonprofit that seeks to serve disadvantaged refugees by first just loving them just as we believe Jesus would do.  I fell into this. I did not “ask” for it, it “asked for me”. How can we accomplish the big goals that we have to reach the nations by loving them unto Christ while they are in such a crisis situation? Our time is spent bandaiding their needs when my prayer has been that we can move beyond the bandaids and really help local refugees help themselves which will intern help our community.

The more and more refugees that come into our city makes it even more difficult to spend quality time building lasting relationships.  The newest clients we are seeing have been in our country from 1 week to 3 months and are confused about the system that they are trying to start their lives anew under.  The resettlement agency does not seem to have enough people and resources to manage the influx of people they are receiving.  Since I started Asha’s Refuge in 2010, my questions have always been, “Why do we bring more refugees into our city when we have not been able to adequately assist those we have already brought in” and “Why is there no real plan for helping these families beyond about 90 days”?  

Despite what so many think, one cannot live on the governments welfare system.  It is my understanding that a person can only have cash assistance for no more than five years of their life.  Assistance with food is in another department and is available it seems forever if the financial need is proven with records updated routinely.  Housing assistance is sometimes available to the poor, but the waiting list can take several months to a year to get in to and is usually found in high crime areas that most of us would rather not have to raise our children if given a choice.  Toiletries, cleaning supplies and paper products are not covered under any program that we can find.  The system is complicated for our American poor, much less the poor non English speaking and non educated refugees that we serve.

This past several days and weekends, I have spent a lot of time visiting refugee families from Syria and also Sudan.  Asha’s Refuge wants very much to be able to assist clients first by just loving them which might mean help feed an cloth them.  We requested children’s clothing for these new families and were blessed with a van load to take to them.  As the people were going through the clothes, they would also pull myself and our other volunteers aside to request that we help them in with additional needs they had such as: 

1. needing transportation to the grocery store
2. needing a job
3. needing help with disabled children
4. needing English tutoring help
5. needing someone to take them to the doctor
6. needing someone to help them see why they did not receive some of their important American documentation
7.  needing someone to help them study for and take them to get their drivers license 
8. needing their children to be registered in school
9. need for a friend to sit and have a meal with them
10. need for help with understanding bills and getting them paid
11. need for school supplies and uniforms
12. need for toys for their children

This list goes on.  Asha’s Refuge has made a huge impact over the years at helping disadvantaged refugees to meet the immediate needs that they have.  We have also been able to spend countless hours with newcomers letting them know the hope and love message of Jesus trusting Him for their every need.  We are unable to accomplish the great task of satisfying all of the needs that our clients have.   It is so good that we have had church supporters connect to our organization to serve and help us to provide us with “stuff” that will help our clients know that we are thinking about them.  We seek to be the hands and feet of Jesus but not just to hand them things and go on our way to the next person that has need.  We want to be able to slow down and sit with newcomers making friendships and crossing cultural and religious barriers as unto Jesus.  How can we accomplish our greater goal of sharing the gospel boldly if the chaos of refugee immediate needs overwhelm us as we serve? Is this call in my life to serve refugees and be an example of Jesus to them too much for me?  It might be, but I don’t believe it is too much for God.  In my impossibles, God makes possibles!

And how can I as a a leader at Asha’s Refuge make more of an impact for Christ to those we serve if there is no Operational and Organizational financial support?  We want the number of people of love and follow Jesus to outnumber those refugees entering in to our city.  The Spiritual warfare we face is real and it is right here in Memphis, TN.  We need more men involved to help shepherd and mentor other men.  We want family advocates that are true friends of our clients not having to worry with the series of complications that arise as they visit but to be able to freely help as they can but to lean on our organization when things get to be too much.  Our American nature is to go in to help a family and try to solve all their problems.  We have learned that one problem leads to another and the problems work to pull people apart from one another rather than helping to build a strong relationship.  Asha’s Refuge is dependent upon God and His believers to sustain itself.  God has shown us time and time again that He can provide a lot of “stuff” through his people, but will He also show us that He can provide the funding the organization needs to function?  

Our organization currently needs $5,000 per month to function.  As we grow and offer more classes and serve more clients we will need more funding.  We need those who are gifted at fundraising, marketing and event planning to come on board and volunteer their time.  We need monthly contributions to go into unrestricted funds to help us meet our monthly budget.  Liability insurance, insurance for driving our van and gas for transportation services is an important and bigger expense we have.  We will one day need to have building space of our own to pull our office and classes together allowing us to have an obvious fingerprint in the refugee community where they can come to us as their needs arise.  We need to have paid staff to help us move forward.  Will you consider a donation today?  Giving Tuesday… will you give $50, $100, $200 towards our monthly operation and organizational needs of $5000 per month?  

Press the home page of this website.  Go to the bottom and click on the heart do donate today!  Your donations matter.