I must stop in my day and thank all the volunteers that have served in our weekly ALL (American Life and Language) Classes. I want to also thank Highland Heights Baptist Church for continuing to open up their doors for us to hold these classes. HHBC also allows us to use their large van to help with transporting refugees to and from class. Today was a good day. I was so thankful for the use of the van today and the drivers who helped us get students to class. We had a lot of students and the van was important to us.

The classes were full. As a matter of fact, we had to have a third adult class today! This is a good thing. Refugee students are enjoying their time learning and our volunteers are compassionately committed to helping. The adult classes are learning to communicate in English more confidently, beginner handwriting, reading, early math skills and everyday life skills. They are also getting a better understanding of our American culture. I stood back today overwhelmed as I watched about fifteen volunteers move around and manage the classes with the refugee students. God is so good! I remember being the only teacher or one of two (my friend Vivian used to help) in a home full of struggling refugee mothers. I had envisioned this very day. I’m still sort of taken by surprise at what God is doing through Asha’s Refuge. It’s out of my hands! There is no way I could do what is happening. Thank you volunteers, students, supporters and God!

One more thing, we had a nice size preschool class today. The preschoolers were practicing their colors. I cannot express how sweet it was to see the teachers light up with a sincere heart to love on these little ones. I know that we are in the palm of Gods hands when I see those little faces light up. Thank you preschool teachers; you are impacting a future generation one child at a time.

If you work for a company that participates in United Way, you can give to Asha’s Refuge by writing Asha’s Refuge on your pledge card.  We don’t have a United Way agency number but United Way staff assures us that this approach will work.  If you have any questions about this, please contact us or ask your company United Way representative.  Our address is 1035 Winchester, Suite A216, Collierville TN 38017.  It may be helpful to add that to your pledge card just to be sure your donation gets to the right place. 

Some companies have matching programs and will match your donations to non-profits.  If your company has such a program, we are happy to complete any forms needed to complete that process. 

 

Special Note to Federal Employees (civilian and military):  Because Asha’s Refuge is an approved Combined Federal Campaign Agency, you can help refugees in need by designating your CFC donations to Asha’s Refuge.  Our agency number is 42063.  This is our second year in CFC and we enjoy making new friends and raising support at CFC Agency Fairs.  We appreciate your support and hope you will consider us when you are filling out your pledge card.  It would also be great if you would share the story of Asha’s Refuge with your friends at work so they can consider helping out as well.

We want to thank you already for your excitement about helping us with the upcoming Cookies’s for a Cause Cookie Exchange fundraiser. Those of you who participated last year, our first year for what will be an annual fundraiser, now seem to understand the idea and heart behind it and its just awesome to see how you all are excited about it. God is so good!

For everyone who isn’t quite sure what this is all about, please allow me to explain…

The 2013 Asha’s Refuge Cookie Exchange, we call “Cookie’s for a Cause”, allows us to team up with volunteers and our supporters to raise awareness about the local and far away refugee situations as well as help us to raise funds to put towards current needs the Non-profit has in order to help continue services to Memphis area refugees. Asha’s Refuge serves mostly refugee women and children who are often in vulnerable and hard situations which make it difficult for them to successfully resettle and make Memphis their new home. Most of our refugee friends have little to no education. It’s surprising but many can not even hold a pencil when they first come to us. Some have disabilities. Most do not speak English. Some are widows or single women with multiple children trying to provide for their family in an unfamiliar culture and survival system. These refugee families seek us out often by word of mouth through their community. Asha’s Refuge wants to first love these families unto Christ and prays we will have opportunities to tell them about the everlasting hope through Jesus as we help to meet their immediate needs.

Cookie’s for a Cause will require us to have lots and lots of donated baked cookies (brownies and other candies are okay too). We need volunteer bakers! Baker’s can sign up to bake cookies by the dozen. Baker’s only need to bake one kind of cookie. We will gather all cookies on the date of the exchange (December 14) and swap them all around to package them into assorted packages.

We need people willing to sell the packages of one dozen plus (probably about 15) homemade baked mystery cookies as they help to raise awareness. These packaged cookies make for a nice gift as well as it helps us to continue raising awareness as the gifts are given out (see sample picture below). We need volunteers willing to work on the day of the actual exchange, December 14, to help package and sort the cookies. If you are willing to help, thank you and please let us know (jamie@ashasrefuge.org).

We very much appreciate your continued support and prayers. May God have his way.

It’s that time again. We are calling all bakers to help us with our annual Cookie Exchange which we call “Cookies for a Cause”. We need lots and lots of homemade cookies (brownies and candy’s are okay too). Once the cookies are all baked we will collect them on the cookie swap/exchange date, December 14th, and mix them up to make them into a dozen plus assorted gift wrapped mystery cookies to sell. These delicious homemade mystery cookies are packaged nicely and make a great gift while helping us raise funds and awareness about the needs of local refugees and ongoing refugee situations around the world. We are pre-selling the cookies and have a suggested donation of $10 per cookie order.

There are many volunteer opportunities to help us accomplish this Giant Cookie Exchange. Please let us know if you are interested in helping in any of the following ways:

-Sell cookies! It’s pretty easy and it gives you an awesome opportunity to tell your friends and family about local refugee needs and how we want to pray for opportunities to share the love of Chris with the Nations. Preorders are due December 2. Sellers can pick up all their cookie gifts and deliver to their friends December 14 from 2-4 at The Church at Schilling Farms.

-Bake Cookies! Simply bake dozens of cookies while listening to your favorite Christmas music or go all out and have a Cookie Exchange Exchange Party by inviting your friends and children to come together on a day at your house to bake lots of cookies to donate to our Cookie’s for a Cause Cookie Exchange. Sign up to bake cookies by the dozen. All cookies are due to be dropped off in the lobby December 14 between 9-11am at The Church at Schilling Farms at 1035 Winchester Road, Collierville, TN 38017.

-Sort and Package Cookies / Help Where needed on the Day of Cookie Exchange. Come to The Church at Schilling Farms December 14 at 9am til about 1pm to help us on the big exchange day. You can sign up to volunteer part of this day or the whole day – any help is surely appreciated.

We cannot say thank you enough! Please be praying for area refugees to have open hearts to hear the love message of Jesus as well as for Asha’s Staff and Volunteers to remain healthy, energetic and passionately bold about serving and loving the nations as unto Christ.

As I lie cozy under my sheets and blankets in my bed, I cannot help but to think about Jalal, the seven year old Syrian boy and his family I read about yesterday. You can read the same article I read here: Jalal, Syrian Refugees. I also think about the many refugee ongoings and stories I have heard and witnessed in this city.

It is hard sometimes and I can feel so unworthy that I have a warm bed, safe place to live, with lots of food to eat while knowing a child anywhere struggles to find these needs met. I cannot sit idle doing nothing. My mind and heart passionately search for a way to help. While I cannot save the world, I can do my part by living my life in a way that seeks to be the light sharing real hope which does not come from finding safe shelter or from eating food but from knowing Jesus. I pray for opportunities to be involved in the lives of others who may not know the everlasting hope I speak of. I pray for change in the hearts of those who seek to harm or oppress others to make way for their own gain.

Please join us in prayer for refugees across the globe. While Asha’s Refuge exists to serve those refugees who have beat all odds and made it to Memphis to start their lives anew, we recognize the millions of displaced people (most of which are women and children) all over the world. We are watching the news just like the rest of you and are aware of the mass number of Syrian refugees fleeing from war and terror, desperate to find help. There may be opportunities in our future where we will be able to assist Syrian families to resettle right here in our city. We want to pray now for their journey, their safety and most of all for their hearts and ours to cry out to Jesus. If you have a heart to understand better the refugee situation right here in Memphis and want to ready yourself to serve those new refugee families coming into our city, please contact us via email at jamie@ashasrefuge.org or deborah@ashasrefuge.org.

(Jalal, 7, has been at the Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan for six weeks. His arm was injured in an attack in his hometown of Da’ara, Syria.)

Today was our first day back to our ALL Classes (American Life and Language) for the 2013/2014 School Year. Our adults and preschoolers meet each Thursday morning from 10 to 12 learning Basic English Language Skills, American Culture and lessons such as American living and job skills. We have enjoyed teaching refugee students some of the skills that are necessary for their successful resettlement in Memphis.

Each time I see the volunteers and students working together, I get excited about watching the interaction between them. It’s neat to see the teachers enthusiasm and tender hearts as they work creatively to teach their students simple American math such as counting money or understanding time, or how to hold a pencil learning the very basics of elementary handwriting, and how to sound out and blend letters to form words to begin reading little books. Asha’s Refuge volunteer teachers are gifted with patience and such determination to see their students succeed.

The students are still learning to be punctual in the mornings. So many of our refugee friends were not tied to a clock like we are in America. We want them to learn how to manage their lives at least being mindful of time though since they will be working here, going to school, having doctors appointments and such. It’s American life skills such as this that we want to be sure to teach our students. Other important lessons we want to consider are learning about mail and bill paying, learning good apartment habits such as appropriate cleanliness and neighborly respect, moving around on the web, applying for jobs, interview skills, saving money through understanding store sales and coupons, having healthy habits such as brushing teeth, wearing deodorant, washing hands, etc., some drivers education, parenting tips, handling conflict, and knowing what to do in emergency situations.

Our weekly classes do not really allow enough time for us to accomplish everything we would like to. This is why we make regular visits to the homes of our refugee friends. Often times we are fortunate to build friendships with our students and their families. This helps us to really be able to connect with them in a way that we are prayerfully also able to show them the love of Christ through our actions.

I am so thankful for our volunteers and supporters. Highland Heights Baptist Church, 675 National, with Pastor John Koch allows our organization to hold its classes in shared building space each week. They also provide a van for us to pick up the students with a driver! We cannot express our thanks to you enough! Please continue to be in prayer for our organization and how we may be part of connecting the Nations to Jesus as we assist them in our city.

This is your personal invitation to learn more about the ministry of Asha’s Refuge and how you can help us serve refugees in our community.  Orientation will last about an hour and you are welcome to bring friends who may be interested.  The date is Saturday Aug 10 at 3 pm.  The location is The Church at Schilling Farms, 1035 Winchester, Collierville TN 38017.  We’d love to share more about Asha’s Refuge and how you can get involved in serving refugees in our community.  Please join us and bring a friend.