This week we visited Asha and her family. It was better than good to get to see her, the girls (Nemo and Hodo) and her brother Abdulahi’s three children and wife, Nemo. Asha cooked a wonderful lunch for us: Sambusa, Somali Rice, Chicken, Salad with Watermelon. We celebrated with the girls regarding their High School graduation. We missed Abdulahi who was working, still driving his big truck. Deborah and I were so so proud of this family’s hard work. Abdulahi has provided for them all so well through his truck driving entrepreneurial adventures. He saved up and purchased his own truck!!! I mean big freight truck with the bed and all inside the cab. Nemo says he has a microwave and fridge in the truck too. He is saving for a big trailer and has contracted with companies to drive for them. He drives from Nashville to Texas still mostly but also drives to Memphis and Florida often and some other places.

It is just wonderful to see this family grow and live life doing so well. Asha and I can pretty much have a full conversation now. That was a real treat. We learned so much more about one another. She and the girls really embrace the time they spend with Abdulahi and his wife’s children. Asha teaches them good manners and loves on them a lot. She can sing to the littlest one, rock him in her lap and have him to sleep in no time at all. The kids are fun, cute as ever and made all of us laugh and smile. Big Nemo (we have to clarify which Nemo is which… Abdulahi’s wife’s name is also Nemo) is precious. We got to know her a little more during this visit. She was really appreciative and kind to us.

Little Nemo (Asha’s) is now driving! She is volunteering with a group that serves at many places around the Nashville community including a local homeless shelter. She volunteers a lot of her time and enjoys it. She plans to go to college to earn a business degree but wants to use it to help people. She also has ideas of designing her own clothes line and starting her own business. Nemo wants to come see Asha’s Refuge in Memphis in action and has some ideas of maybe volunteering with us some time to see what it is like. Nemo enjoys translating, has a tender heart and loves to find ways to help others.

Hodo wants to go to engineering school. She is observant, always contemplating ideas and likes to do things quietly on her own. She helps take care of her cousins (Abdulahi’s children) and is proud to be able to help. She is looking forward to going to college soon and learning more about the engineering field and all it has to offer.

Asha still feels a need to practice her driving. The lessons for her are expensive. She can get herself to the bus stop and enjoys the independence the bus offers her to move around the city of Nashville. She continues to take care of the home and all the children in the family. Asha wants to find another job at some point but is at peace with a focus on her English and, yes, math classes right now.

While we were visiting Asha, we also got to see Khadra’s family! Little Sala and Ifra are doing so well. We were ecstatic to get to see them. We think they are taller but still look the same. Sala was a ball of energy and laughs. Ifra was her same sweet self and even though she was only five when we last saw her, she remembered us well. Khadra is driving and speaks good English. It is so great to get to talk and finally converse easily with everyone.

Asha ended our evening together by preparing a delicious Somali tea. The smell of the tea was great. The tea had a mixture of clove, cardamon and other spices. We really enjoyed this warm treat with all the girls (and a couple of little boys too).

God has used us to continue to encourage Asha, but she also encourages us. Her family helps her community in many ways . They work hard to support themselves and have kept a hope that inspires us. We see them continuing to press forward in achieving their personal and family goals. We are thankful for the blessing we have been given with a friendship to Asha, Nemo, Hodo, Abdullahi and the rest of their precious family. The cultural differences are fun to learn and talk about but overall just do not matter when it comes to choosing friends.