Children Feeding Children –
Food Drive for Preschoolers!

This is a project for children! (No parents allowed.) Inspired by HighPoint Memphis and HighPoint Collierville Children…we are inviting ALL children to join in and help us feed our little ones.  
-Have your children collect the food items listed on the flyer pictured here all this week April 17-24th, 2016 (NOTICE THEY ARE KID FRIENDLY FOODS).

-Visit one of the two HighPoint Church locations this Sunday, April 24th at: 6000 Briarcrest in Memphis or 1035 Winchester in Collierville and stop by the children’s department to drop off your food items with your children

-or contact us at 901-292-3101.

Check out http://www.highpointmemphis.com more information and service times.  

Pop Quiz! Which Carrabba’s Cares location is the correct location for you to show up to for a yummy dinner in order to support Asha’s Refuge tomorrow, Wednesday and/or Thursday (April 12-14th)?
Answer: 5110 POPLAR AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TN in front of the Clark Tower 
Please do not show up at the Collierville mall at the wrong Carrabba’s… We will miss you and Asha’s Refuge will not benefit from your heart to help us at that location. Come either night any time for dinner. Be sure to tell them we sent you!!! 

    
 

In 2015 the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) reported 1,601 refugees who came into the State of Tennessee. The ORR’s fiscal calendar year is October 2014 through September 2015. Of the 1,601 refugees that came into Tennessee, 186 refugees entered into the city of Memphis to start their lives anew 2015. In 2014, Memphis’s total was 206 refugees. In 2013, Memphis brought in 184 refugees. In 2012, Memphis brought in 128 refugees. In 2011, the year Asha’s Refuge received their business Charter, 149 refugees came into Memphis. Since Asha’s Refuge’s five to six year existence, Memphis has received a total number of 853 refugees hoping to successfully resettle. To date, April 7, 2016, Asha’s Refuge serves between 600 to 700 individual refugees. Our client numbers indicate the need for refugees to have additional help in their resettlement process that extends beyond the amount of current available federal resources. 
Our client’s wishes are to be self-sustaining without the use of government assistance. In order to achieve their goals of obtaining a successful resettlement, Asha’s Refuge seeks to help meet the needs where current resettlement resources have been exhausted by helping refugees to tap into additional private and community resources available to them. Asha’s Refuge works to find a solution when there is otherwise no solution readily available. When refugees are successfully resettled and self-sustaining this frees up not only funding but resources for our local and state government. A collaborative effort by the community to help disadvantaged refugees succeed, also promotes cultural awareness and strengthens the community across cultural boundaries. 

Asha’s Refuge is a faith based Christian organization. We believe that it is our duty to serve the nations as unto Jesus. The nations have literally come to Memphis and we have the privilege and responsibility of helping to bring hope to the hopeless by first, just loving all people as we believe Jesus would do. Love God. Love People. Just LOVE.

“…by this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” -John 13:35

“But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?” –Romans 10:14

The future vision of Asha’s Refuge is broader than many may understand. I believe with all my heart that God gave me a vision in 2010 of just how I was to be involved with helping disadvantaged refugees who were feeling “stuck” in my city to achieve a successful resettlement by first Just Loving them as Jesus would. The vision was clear; it was reaching Nations for Jesus and was to include other believers. Asha’s Refuge is NOT just a weekly language class for local refugees nor is it just a group of caring people running around hoping to help a struggling refugee family for a moment to understand the American culture or manage their difficult situation as they start their life here anew. What you see and hear about with Asha’s Refuge today is just the very beginnings of something much greater. 
Our heart is to impact nation’s for the sake of the Kingdom! Our vision involves obtaining a large piece of land where disadvantaged refugees will be invited to live in college-like dorms for a stretch of about five years while being immersed in the English language, taught job skills, healthy habits, good communication skills, basic computer skills, American life skills, given their basic education, offered counseling, have opportunities to take part in artistic and creative learning activities, gain a driving education, and be surrounded by the encouragement and love of Christ through His unified body at work. This place we will call, “A Place of Hope”. The name “Asha” means “place of hope”.  
The Place of Hope will have urban gardens, a restaurant “Tastes of the Nation’s” where the menu has no set prices and diners pay by donation, a pond to fish in, workshops for training men how to repair small machines, learn the basics of automobile mechanics and learn about the construction world. It will have small cabins for job skills training such as a mock hotel suite to learn housekeeping skills, a grocery store learning facility or a mail processing center. There will be a preschool class to teach refugee preschoolers Kindergarten readiness, a playground, a church and so much more! We want to really involve ourselves in helping the community come together to gain a broader and better understanding of other cultures through our work with local refugees. We will learn as they learn and while we provide basic education, job skills, American life and language help and actual resources it will enable underprivileged refugees to better provide for themselves succeeding leaps and bounds over their current resettlement success rate. Our prayer is that they are gradually introduced into our American society esteemed with positive feelings of confidence, education and the very job and life skills necessary for them to have no need for government assistance programs.
I have been reading the bible as I press towards reaching the goals and visions in my heart for Asha’s Refuge and a single word keeps coming back to me: “Ask”. A few years back as I was planning for the American Life and Language classes, I became a little overwhelmed with the amount of needs we would have to accomplish hosting the classes. We would need classroom supplies. I mean, lots of classroom supplies and this included tables and chairs for students. While I had access to several rectangular folding tables, I was a little worried about where I would find enough chairs for the students. I didn’t stay my mind on this worry but it came up to the forefront of my mind every now and then. One day I was walking up the stairwell at Highland Heights Baptist Church where we have been so blessed to share building space to hold our classes. I came to the top of the stairs and I saw a closed door I thought possibly to a closet or another room. I decided to open the door and peek inside. When I saw what was just behind the door, my heart was overjoyed and seriously in awe. I couldn’t help but to stop a moment and thank God and also apologize for doubting Him to provide the resources we needed at Asha’s Refuge. You want to know what I saw don’t you?! Chairs. I saw chairs! Lots and lots of chairs. From one end of the room to the other end by the window, behind that closed door were chairs stacked from the floor to the ceiling in every which way. All I needed to do was “ask” God. He knew in my heart what I desired and my desires lined up with what I believe was His will. (I later took a picture of those chairs as it will forever be a reminder to me to “ask” because the blessing or answer may already be waiting on the other side of a closed door that simply needs to be opened.) See the picture below.
The Just Love Project 2016 was an effort to just “ask” for your financial support in helping us move stronger towards reaching our vision and goals for Asha’s Refuge. We need just 200 people to commit to $20.16 a month. We aren’t doing a fundraiser this month because fundraisers actually cost us funds we don’t always have and requires energy from a lot of people we sometimes feel we drain. We trust you understand. Of course fundraising has its benefits as it helps us to raise awareness, gets others involved in helping us to reach goals, helps to provide for refugee immediate needs and so we will be doing those at times too.  
We want to thank all of you who have committed to participate in the 2016 giving Just Love project. If you still want to help, it certainly is never too late. One time donations are also certainly appreciated. Thank you for allowing us to feel free to “ask”. We pray you are blessed beyond what you would have imagined by taking part in helping Asha’s Refuge reach the nations for Jesus.     

   

200 Just Lover’s Giving $20.16 P/ Month = Our Need

(Click link here to view this post in our flyer: http://myemail.constantcontact.com/2016-Just-Love-Project.html?soid=1111489023142&aid=L0GpFFWQcXc#fblike)

Each February Asha’s Refuge does a project we call Just Love. The idea behind it is to simply “ask” others to give a love offering to support the organizations operation expenses. 

“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.” Matthew 18:19

—

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7

Did you know that just $20.16 given per month by only 200 people would provide for us the annual operational expenses we currently need to take Asha’s Refuge to the next level? We currently have over 300 friends on our Facebook Page, if just 200 of them committed to participate in this project we would reach our goal. That excites us! We CAN do this. 

So we are asking, this 2016 year and going forward…

“Will you commit to giving $20.16 per month faithfully?” 

***WE ARE AN APPROVED 501(C)3 NONPROFIT MAKING YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TAX-DEDUCTIBLE.***

HERE ARE 2 EASY WAYS WE RECOMMEND TO HELP YOU GIVE BACK (A ONE TIME DONATION IS CERTAINLY APPRECIATED, BUT REMEMBER THAT YOU CAN ALSO SET UP AUTOMATIC MONTHLY PAYMENTS) :

– THROUGH YOUR OWN BANK

–  PAYPAL (Go to our home page on our website. Then click on the Heart towards bottom to be sent to the Paypal Donation Page.)

YOU MAY ALSO MAIL A CHECK TO: 

Asha’s Refuge, 1035 Winchester Blvd., Suite A216, Collierville, TN 38017

Some of you already give monthly, and we cannot thank you enough for your example and lead in helping Asha’s Refuge to have the resources we need to serve local refugees. 

*Reminder: If you want to know more about the heart behind how we started, our greater vision and how you can be involved, please come to our upcoming Orientation February 20 at 1:30 pm, Saturday held at the above address.

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From time to time, we are asked what are our biggest needs.  While Asha’s Refuge is so blessed in many ways to have shared building space for our American Life and Language classes, shared organizational office space, so many in kind tangible donations that help provide for refugee immediate needs, wonderful partnership resources we can tap into in our community and many big hearted willing volunteers that serve in the various needed areas we have, there are still many needs we are trying to meet in order that we push towards our greater vision of offering A Place of Hope for the disadvantaged refugees we serve.  

Here is a list of our  5 MOST PRESSING NEEDS with our best estimate on the costs on some of them. 

1. Operational Financial Support: $35,000 per year – We have a need to bring on our Executive Director full time.  This must happen in order for us to meet the day to day needs of the organization and move towards our greater vision.

2. 15 Passenger Mini-bus: (with middle isle and handicap accessibility); $22,000; This will help to provide transportation for refugee clients to come and go to: American Life and Language Classes, the doctor, the dentist, the grocery store, job skill training, educational field trips, computer skills training, etc.

3. Building Space: Asha’s Refuge has a need for our own building space that would allow us to have our office, American Life and Language classrooms and large group needs all in one place. This space could be donated, but we would need the flexibility to decorate the rooms classroom style posting educational and language learning material on walls. We need to be free to use the space as our own so that incoming clients, volunteers and supporters recognize our location. Ideally, the building would eventually be located on about 20 acres of land so that we have room to grow.

4. Donation Center: Approx. 20’ x 30’ of shelved space to organize and collect immediate donation needs: toiletries, soaps, cleaning products, kitchen utensils, blankets and bedding, long skirts, warm socks, coats, baby needs, school uniforms and food (not furniture, mattresses or large amounts of clothing). Volunteers are also needed to help collect, sort and distribute donations; Space could be donated.  

5. Computer Lab: for Refugees to learn basic computer skills, apply for jobs, complete homework assignments and do research; 6 computers, 3 long tables, 6 chairs, teachers desk and computer, projector, software, 2 printers; paper supply, printing ink; $12,000

Your monthly financial support is what will help us to move closer and closer to meeting the goals we have that will impact not only our local refugee community but also our city as a whole. Thank you for your support. We could not do it without you.  Every minute of your volunteerism and every penny you donate is valuable to us and it very much counts.   

 

You don’t want to miss this if you are interested in learning more about serving refugees in our community in the name of Jesus. Please mark your calendar for Saturday, February 20, 1:30 pm. 

We’d love to tell you the story of Asha’s Refuge, answer your questions, and share ways you can help. The location is Highpoint Church Collierville, 1035 Winchester, Collierville. We will meet upstairs for about an hour and a half. That will leave plenty of time for you to enjoy other Saturday activities before and after. If you are planning to come, or if you need more information about orientation, please drop us a note here or call Jamie at 901-292-3101 or Deborah at 901-218-3276. We hope to see you there. You are welcome to bring friends too.

Here’s everything you need to give to Asha’s Refuge with your Kroger Plus card. It won’t cost you anything or effect your gas points, but it will be a big help to Asha’s Refuge. Just follow these on-line directions to connect your Kroger Plus card with our Asha’s Refuge number. Then your shopping will also make a contribution to help us serve refugees in our community. Thank you so much for helping. 

The NPO number for Asha’s Refuge is 57548.

TO USE THE KROGER COMMUNITY REWARDS PROGRAM:

 Simply register online at krogercommunityrewards.com

Be sure to have your Kroger Plus card handy and register your card with your organization after you sign up.

If you do not yet have a Kroger Plus card, they are available at the customer service desk at any Kroger.

Click on Sign In/Register

Most participants are new online customers, so they must click on SIGN UP TODAY in the ‘New Customer?’ box.

Sign up for a Kroger Rewards Account by entering zip code, clicking on favorite store, entering your email address and creating a password, agreeing to the terms and conditions

You will then get a message to check your email inbox and click on the link within the body of the email.

Click on My Account and use your email address and password to proceed to the next step.

Click on Edit Kroger Community Rewards information and input your Kroger Plus card number.

Update or confirm your information.

Enter NPO number 57548, or Asha’s Refuge. When the list appears, select select Asha’s Refuge from list and click on confirm.

To verify you are enrolled correctly, you will see your organization’s name on the right side of your information page.

REMEMBER, purchases will not count for Asha’s Refuge until after you register their card(s).

Do you use your phone number at the register? Call 800-576-4377, select option 4 to get your Kroger Plus card number.

Members must swipe their registered Kroger Plus card or use the phone number that is related to their registered Kroger Plus card when shopping for each purchase to count for Asha’s Refuge. 

One last thing, it is important to repeat this process every year to so your points continue to earn donations to Asha’s Refuge. 

Thanks to all our supporters. You’re the best! 

I want you to know something…

Asha’s Refuge was able to set up a bed for the couple that we have been searching for a bed for the last several days. Bare with me a moment, I want and need you to know something… 

This kind husband and his sweet pregnant wife were sleeping on a 2″ thick pad directly on top of a cold hard floor under one very thin blanket sharing a small pillow. It has been freezing cold the last few days. While we were delivering the bed we stopped to talk.  We were sadly informed that after a series of the typical blood tests given to incoming refugees, the young husband has been diagnosed with thyroid cancer. He has already had surgery to remove one lobe. He is scheduled the end of January to have the other lobe removed. 

Know that this gentleman already has a full time job and we are certain he will be successful. We sat and discussed some very frustrating health insurance complications that I won’t dare go into right now. The young pregnant mother (due in April and needs a crib) expressed her concerns for her husband and needs our continued prayers.  (*Update 1/19/16 a crib provided!)

We brought in groceries for the couple. And then, once we set up the bed, we saw that they also desperately needed blankets. I chose to ask them if they needed blankets even though their empty room was evidence that they did. The couple looked down and sort of murmured no we are okay. I could tell from their expression that they simply did not have the heart to ask for more. I also noticed that they were without warm socks.  

Jake and I (my husband) went straight to the store and purchased all the bedding, blankets and warm socks for this couple. When we delivered it back to them just moments later…they were sincerely humbled. This was nothing difficult for us to do but oh so needed and helpful to them.  We are thankful to God for helping you (Asha’s Refuge financial supporters) to provide for families in need through your continued financial support. We prayed a healing prayer over this couple and again ask you to join with us to pray for them. Could you imagine what would happen in the refugee community if they saw a healing miracle like this?!!

One more thing, as we were bringing items in to the couple, we also brought grocery items to their neighbor refugee friends who are also Asha’s Refuge clients but speak little to no English. (Unlike the couple who speaks some English.) it saddened me to be passing them by as I handed fluffy pillows, new bedding and socks and soaps to the couple and not being able to also take the time for the other family. I very much acknowledged them and gave them several bags of groceries, but I wondered if they had any big needs. I will be following up with this neighbor and will also take the time to see how they are doing. The couple we helped today promised me to let me know if their neighbors had any immediate needs we could all assist them with.  

When I was getting in and out of the car getting groceries or bedding, I received a text. It was from another refugee family of 11; the one that has adopted the elderly lady a couple of months ago because she was at risk for being homeless. Their refrigerator was smoking and is out!!!  This large family has worked hard to keep groceries stocked in their refrigerator.  This man and woman  has adopted children and has adopted an elderly refugee lady.  When I received this text I wanted to cry. 

Today’s experience reminded me of my earlier days with working with local refugees. There is no way I myself and my husband alone could possibly provide all of the immediate needs in the refugee community.  At this season in our Asha’s Refuge organization, there is no way Asha’s Refuge could even meet all of their immediate needs. But today I was again reminded of what God told me years ago when I was in a similar situation, “Enlist the help of other believers”.  So here I am, sincerely thanking you all for your emotional encouragement, your financial support, your in kind donations,  and your selfless hours of volunteer help.  And here I am again, pleading with Gods people and all Gods churches to come along side of us and help serve the least of the least of these in our city.  What an amazing opportunity we have to reach the nations for Jesus showing them His love through our simple kind actions in their time of need!  What a wonderful blessing it is to be a vessel that God can work through to encourage persecuted Christians!  I dread saying this and even putting it in the table to ask you but Asha’s Refuge very much needs even more monthly financial support to meet the needs of the disadvantaged people  we have a heart to serve and to push even stronger towards our ultimate goals and vision that will impact the refugee community and our city positively in a huge way.  If we had not of had your  financial support in our accounts today we would not have been able to help the people we helped today.  As I have written, there are so many more needs and we are hungry to have the resources to meet these needs.  We do not want to overwhelm the volunteers we currently have as this work can be emotionally and physically draining.  It is hard to hear the war and terror type stories then work through the myriad of challenges which refugees face hoping to start their life over here in our city.  We need many volunteers doing just enough that one can handle.  We need small groups of unified people eager to walk beside a family in need for a committed amount of time. 

Please share our Facebook Page and ask your friends to “like” it; tell your family and friends about us, come to our upcoming Orientation Feb. 20 to learn more about specific ways you can be involved, commit to our  monthly financial support efforts, help us with fundraising, pray for us, encourage your small group to adopt a family, help us with tangible donations (search, sort, deliver), help us set up a computer lab, teach job skills, donate to provide drivers education courses,  mentor and teach in our American Life and Language classes, spend time loving on preschool refugees… There is much you can do to serve and be a vital part in making a difference in the lives of many.  I am responding to Gods clear call over my life, “Enlist the help of other believers!” I am calling you to please help me continue to help them.  Please pray about it. 

 

From time to time people ask me how Asha and her family are doing today. You can read about her by clicking on the About Us Tab and learning about how our organization started.  It’s a sweet story and meeting her inspired our founder, Jamie Jones, to set up this Non-Profit to help other incoming refugees in similar and challenging situations that prevented them from achieving a successful resettlement (life anew in America).  Her name, Asha, means “a place of hope” hence the name of the place of hope we plan to build and pull together as we aim to fulfill the vision we feel God set before us enabling the Memphis community to better assist incoming refugees.  You can read about Our Vision also by clicking on the link from the home page.  

So how is Asha doing today?  I wrote a blog post updating everyone about her a while back that I have linked for you below.  Today, however, I have heard that she is still doing very well in Nashville, TN. In fact, Asha now has a job!!  She works at a Goodwill warehouse and folds and sorts clothing for them sitting down in her chair.  This makes me so happy for her.  Nimo and Hodo, her nieces whom she calls her own, are doing very well in High School and should do well transferring to college one day.  Her brother, Abdullahi, still drives a freight truck back and forth from Nashville to Loredo, Texas!  He helps to support his new wife, new baby, his nieces and Asha.  It has been a little while since I have been able to catch Asha to try and talk to her on her phone because she is busy at work but the last time I did I was surprised at how much easier it was to communicate.  She was continuing her education and taking English classes weekly and working hard to raise the girls the last we heard from her.  Their family is grateful to America for allowing them to come and escape the Somali Civil Wars and get out of the awful situations they were in at the refugee camp.  They are grateful to Asha’s Refuge for impacting their life and encouraging them on their way.  

https://ashasrefuge.wordpress.com/2014/09/10/ashas-successful-flight-2/

Here are some updated pictures too!  

  Asha and Abdullahi’s baby

  Abdullahi, his wife and baby

  Hodo and Abdulahi’s baby