This is a rather shocking sight, isn’t it? A baby sitting on a cushionless sofa with a gaping hole exposing the springs inside. Recently I’ve been visiting and getting to know a Somali family, with six children, ages range from this adorable one year old girl to age 15. They have several needs we are helping with. One obvious one is this sofa. When I asked if I could snap a picture of the sofa, the dad told his son to put the baby there for the photo. 

They usually cover the hole with thin pads to prevent sitting directly on the springs, and so the baby won’t get hurt. The pads certainly aren’t up to that job. We are not sure how they got it – was it given to them? Did it come like this or did something happen to the cushions and the seat? Or did they find it in the dumpster in this condition when someone else moved away? 
We don’t really know how the sofa got here or in this condition, but we do know we have lots of generous friends. We have told this family that we only have what our church friends give us, so we will ask and pray if someone has a nice sofa in good condition you’d like to rehome, and a truck to deliver it with us. If you can help with this request, please drop us a comment or give us a call. Thanks for all you do to help us serve refugee families in need. You bless us so much. 

Our summer computer classes have been going well.  We certainly thank Cornerstone Systems for allowing us to use their computer training center to work with our clients.  The majority of the students who attend the class have not used a computer before.  There are a couple of students that seem more advanced. They are all learning surprisingly quick. We are currently using the Paint Software to allow for a lot of practice time using a mouse.  The clicking and dragging, selecting, copying and pasting has been something many of them have had to get familiar with.  The keyboard letters are different as the letters are English letters which helps the students with their English skills as well.  We have incorporated material that helps to teach about American History, Citizenship and some of our cultural values. Everything is centered on our heart to love ALL people – welcoming our students to talk about what they are typing (such as the Pledge of Allegieance) or drawing (such as the American Flag.). It has been fun to watch the students try to count and place 50 white stars on their flag. 🇺🇸 

We appreciate JoAnn who has taken lead in teaching this class.  She has expressed a heart to continue having these classes for the students because they are enjoying it and learning so much.  Our hopes are to have 6-8 week sessions of computer classes going forward with some weeks of breaks in between.  Students will sign up to attend this class since computers and space is limited.  It is good that we keep the classes smaller and manageable since we have so many that are very new to using a computer.  As the students progress and their English also progresses from all their ESL and language classs, we hope to move the students into computer classes that will teach them basic internet reaearching so that they can complete online job applications or do other types of educational research.  

If you would like to volunteer to help with this computer class going forward, please let us know. We are requesting volunteers to sign up for 6-8 week intervals for the one day a week class. 

Visit our Asha’s Refuge Facebook page where we have attached a link to a little video clip we made this past Saturday’s computer class.  This might give you an idea of what our classes are like.   

We have been meeting with a sweet single mom from Congo for several months. Vumilia has a beautiful smile that lights up the room, and a heart that loves and trusts Jesus, but she is often sad and scared too. She asks God to bless us and expresses her appreciation for every little thing we do for her. Vumilia comes to our Basic American Life and Language class and works hard to learn English. In addition to the challenges all refugees face in their journey to escape war, terror and persecution, this lady has raised a son with a severe disability during all those struggles. Now that she is resettled in Memphis, her struggles continue because she  needs to learn so much to be successful here, as well as continue to care for her son who is now 19 years old. Her stress level has been pretty high as she deals with things here that she does not understand and tries her best to figure out. Now she has transitioned to being responsible for her own rent, which adds more scary challenges for her, so Asha’s Refuge has stepped in the gap by paying her rent for July. The cost is $550, and it would be so helpful if you could contribute toward this unexpected expense. As a growing nonprofit, we are doing our best to stretch everything God provides to do the most good with our resources. While we serve refugees in many ways and situations, we have a special heart for those who are additionally challenged by disabilities. If you can help us make up this expense, we would be so grateful. You can use our PayPal button or mail a check to us at 1035 Winchester, Suite A216, Collierville TN 38017. Anything you can give will help. 

I will never forget these sweet words.  Happy Small, Small.  Think on these words a minute while you read…

Kroger looks so different when I am there shopping with newcomers.  Today, Annie (our Rhodes College intern), and I took Ruth and her mother Rachel to the grocery store.  As usual, it was a great learning experience for them.  We initially went to grab some bug spray to help out with a little bug problem at their apartment.  I think every American has a can of bug spray around the house.  Ruth wanted to get out of her apartment and so did her mother so they were happy to go to the grocery store. 

An American man in the parking lot told Ruth and Rachel he loved their colorful African Dresses.  They were unsure what the man said and ignored him looking a little unsure if they were safe.  I acknowledged the gentleman and told Ruth and Rachel what the man said.  They could understand if I played a little charades and spoke slowly.  They laughed and told the man thank you.  He smiled and said, “Yes, I like them. Have a good day”.

The grocery store was busy. The produce area was crowded and the fruits and veggies colorful.  Watermelons were stacked up to the cealing it seemed.  Rachel smiled and Ruth pointed at them telling me her mother, Rachel loves them!  Of course we picked one out thumping it and laughing.  I don’t think they were as picky as we Americans.  We passed by the cucumbers because I had already brought plenty of those to share with them from my garden.  God is so good!  We hit the rest of the produce pretty wildly getting a sack of potatoes, bananas, apples, oranges, cabbage, tomatoes… And then Ruth stopped me.  She put her hand on mine and looked me in the eyes.  With broken English and such a sweet caring heart she said, “tell me when finished, money”.  She was expressing that she didnt want to add groceries in her basket if money was an issue.  I told her we were fine, that I would tell her when we needed to be done and thanked her for caring to be careful with how much she spent.  I told her we could thank God for helping to provide food for their family of five adults.  Soon there would be two babies in the family. Ruth is pregnant with twins!

Ruth wanted chicken.  She studied all the chicken for a while.  She went back and forth picking different cuts and packages up and talking to her mom.  She seemed to recognize the whole chicken but not all the cut pieces.  Finally, she brought a package of cut whole thighs/legs and asked me, “Is this chicken?”  I assured her it was chicken.

Ruth continued to shop for a few more items.  She was precious and so was her mother.  We talked about expiration dates, the difference in orange punch and orange juice, coupons, deoderant, zip lock bags for storing food safe from bugs and then checked out.  But, today, I wanted to show Ruth and her mother how to check out at the self-checkout.  

Once I showed them what a UPC code was and how to weigh items and look for produce pictures, Ruth seemed to enjoy the challenge.  Her mother and her were smiling and giggling at themselves.  The grocery clerk was very nice to assist us a couple of times and it was good to point him out so in the future they understood that he was there to help.  

We unloaded the groceries at their apartment.  We talked about the bug spray and being safe with it.  I showed Ruth how to unlock her window so it would slide open.  We talked about the danger of food kept in aluminum in the fridge.  We talked about the cleaning chemicals she had and which one did what.  No, that is detergent for washing clothes not soap for cleaning the floors and counters.  No, that is vinegar spray for windows and mirrors and stove top not bleach for clothes.  It does not have bleach in it.  

The grocery store is always a fun trip to take with newcomers.  

Before we went to the store, Annie and I practiced with Ruth and Rachel and interviewed them with their permission on video.  The video didn’t tape well, but the interview was a success.  We learned that Ruth was born in the Congo and traveled to Rwanda.  She lived in a Rwandan refugee camp for 18 years with no job, some school and little food.  She is only 24. When we asked Ruth if she was happy to be in America she said, “Happy Small Small.”  Can you guess what she was trying to say?  I think she did very well trying hard to communicate and practice her English with us today.  She was saying, “I am happy a little.”  You see, her husband was not able to come with her to America.  I didn’t figure out why yet, but she hopes he will come soon.  He is the father of her children.  She recently found out from her doctor that she was having two babies, one girl and one boy.  She said the doctor said he would have to cut her to get the babies out. Obviously she is trying to understand a Cesarean birth.  I reassured her telling her my best friend had this happen to her and she was scared at first but it was a good thing and she and her baby are doing very good.  I told her it was common and reassured her, but Ruth wants her husband here with her.  And that is why she is happy, small, small.  

Www.GoFundMe.com/ashasrefuge

We have recently been blessed with a bus to help transport our clients to and from classes, take them on educational field trips, job fairs, etc.  The students are so excited for us to have this bus as it will really help them!  It will also make it a bit easier for us as we transport the students.  The bus has a wide isle that allows our clients to get on and off the bus with ease.  It’s roomy inside and that is very nice when it’s hot outside. It’s no fun to be squished on top of other people when it’s cold much less when temperatures in Memphis are humid and hot.  
The bus blessing comes with some additional expenses.  These are expected as with any vehicle.  The year 2016 we had not anticipated this blessing and have gone over budget near $5,000 towards the costs of transporting the bus to us from out of state, getting it checked mechanically and doing a few repairs, getting it insured, registered, licensed and tagged, adding our logo to it and just filling it up with gas.  We have set up a GoFundMe page to try to raise the funds necessary to cover this added expense. 

As with any nonprofit, we will probably fundraise and write grants trying to satisfy our financial needs.  We have always trusted God to help us reach our goals through the like minded hearts of His people and we know He won’t stop short of what He started.  Would you consider helping offset our bus transportation costs by donating through our donate button in this website or go through the GoFundMe link?  You can also mail us a tax deductible check to help at:

Asha’s Refuge, 1035 Winchester Blvd., Suite A216, Collierville, TN. 38017
And, THANK YOU!

The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. (Matthew 9:35-38) 
I am again reminded of a message I believe God spoke to me. In a dream this scripture came to me in 2011. It was about a year after I started Asha’s Refuge and a year before we received our 501(c)3. In short, in the dream there were all these plants my mother gave me that she wanted me to take care of while she was moving. She loves her plants. It was a responsibility I was a little anxious about taking. A few weeks of her being gone I suddenly remembered about the plants I was supposed to be taking care of. I ran to the house with the sun room and wooden floor to check on them. They had all over grown and toppled over causing the water to spill onto the wooden floor and roots to come out of the pots. The plants were all dying and the wooden floors were bubbled up and damaged.  
The message from God: The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few! Seeds have for years been planted but there are few harvesters. Who will be bold enough to grab hold of those hearts who are ready to take a leap of faith to walk with Jesus? So many have a ripe and ready heart from previously planted seeds but if Gods people do not go back to them and get them they may not mature and die. They could dry out if not watered. If they don’t see the sun (son) in us they may die. (Discipleship.)
People are ready, but are we?! People everywhere are looking for love but the path to Him is hard to find. (Seek and you shall find.) Love is God. Love is in us… Will we let them see love?
At any given moment, I am faced with people who are in desperate situations. People who share stories and their difficulties in life who express a lack of hope. These people are everywhere. They are from every tongue and nation. America included! There is much work to do, but few harvesters. Even Jesus said this. One reason people cannot see Him because of the overgrowth around them that is choking them (confusing weeds/confusion of life’s hardships, Satan and the selfish world).

Okay friends…out of over 450 likes on FB and lots of supporters, we have only 11 people of all our supporters who have taken a quick moment to add us as their organization of choice on their Kroger card. This is an easy thing to do and allows Asha’s Refuge to receive a quarterly check from Kroger. It doesn’t take a dime extra from you, just a second of your time to add us as your organization of choice. This is an easy way to fundraise for us. Please will you help?!  
We just received notice of our coming check from Kroger for about $138 that is an accumulated percentage of what only 11 of our supporters have helped to donate to us! Imagine what 100 could do? 400? 600? Thank you so much for your help if you have already done this. If you have not taken the time to add us, please, please- will you today? Visit the website below…log in to your Kroger account and add us. You must do this annually as it drops off each year and you have to re-add your organization of choice. Every little bit truly helps. https://www.kroger.com/account/enrollCommunityRewardsNow 

Summer Schedule: 6 weeks of the following Classes
Classes begin the week of June 5 until July 16.
Basic Computer/Job Skills – Saturday’s 9:30-12
American History/Citizenship – Tuesdays – 9:30-12
Art (This one depends on the number of students we have signed up and if we can get volunteer teachers.) – 9:30/10 – 12
If you would like to help, let us know! We need one lead teacher for Art and an assistant. We need an assistant to help our lead teacher with American History. We may need an assistant for the basic computer skills Saturday mornings.  

 We need volunteers who are interested in teaching or helping adult refugees with short summer session classes in the following areas: Art; music/choir; basic computer skills; American History focusing on citizenship in the US; conversational English

We will also need volunteers to help us with educational field trips periodically throughout the summer. We hope to go to places like: The Memphis Zoo, Museums, the grocery store, and parks. College students are encouraged to apply for these opportunities. It is a great way to expand your cultural understanding and make a new friend.

If you want to help, contact jamie@ashasrefuge.org.

Asha’s Refuge works to teach a variety of American Life skills to local adult refugees. These skills might include lessons centered around understanding mail, learning about exploration dates and couponing at grocery stores, good apartment living habits, English conversation and more confident communication, how to ride the local bus, how to check out a library book, counting money, etc.  The lack of understanding these skills can cause newcomers to struggle even more with a task that is already a challenging process…achieving a  successful resettlement here in America.  

Knowing how to count American money for those who live in America is pretty important.  Refugees can feel vulnerable to being cheated.  Without this knowledge, they have an added difficulty to managing their already tight family budgets.   

We enjoy teaching these kinds of skills in our weekly American Life and Language classes and would love to host more of a variety of these classes. If you would like to help, please check out our volunteer pages on the website or contact Deborah Eaton, our VolunteerCoordinator, at  deborah@ashasrefuge.org.  

(Click the link below to view a short video clip of what some of our classes are like.)