This week has been long. The needs from my international friends have been great. The work to push forward with Asha’s Refuge has been steady. There has been a lot I could write about.

I have a new friend. I met her while visiting the government housing community. She was working inside an apartment doing work in a community in the same manner that Asha’s Refuge is working at Woodcrest. Her name is Lashanta and she’s with Serving in Christ Ministries and The Neighborhood Center. She works to help feed and meet the needs of the poor. Her heart is huge and her vision is solid.

I asked Lashanta how she was able to offer help to the uneducated, poor and disadvantaged international families in her community. She expressed that helping the refugees was something she wanted to learn more about but at the time she really felt unable to really help them because of the language barrier. She felt inadequate. I assured and encouraged Lashanta to not be afraid and hopefully let her know that there were ways she could be involved with this group of poor individuals too. I explained to her that I, too, felt that poor Memphians had often just gotten off track and needed lots of love and encouragement to pull themselves together to get back on track. But, most all of my refugee friends were extremely stuck and at a disadvantage; they had never even been given a track to get on. In my opinion, my refugee friends are of the least of the least of these. The poorest of the poor. After our heartfelt talk, I was happy and knew that Lashanta wasn’t going to shut the door on the idea of offering help.

Recognizing that our hearts were lined up with similar passions, Lashanta and I quickly scheduled another meeting. We met this week. We shared our visions, our hearts, our experiences and we could tell we needed to stick together. We prayed together. We verbally partnered.

Finding community organizations and people who are like minded with Asha’s Refuge is very important. Being able to successfully partner with these organizations is even more important. There are many organizations already in existence that offer various types of assistance that would benefit disadvantaged refugees. The refugees just are not aware of them nor do they understand how to tap in to their resources. Asha’s Refuge can help by partnering with many organizations. We will assist both the refugee individual and the organization as they learn to work together.

I believe it will be imperative to the success of Asha’s Refuge to have partnerships. The needs are so great that it will take the cooperation of the whole community involving various companies, other nonprofits, many individuals and lots of churches to succeed. A lot of my work from day to day involves researching and meeting organizations that may already have in place a way to help a refugee in a particular area. I am thankful for how God keeps showing us people and resources that we can tap into so we are not always reinventing the wheel. Partnering also helps to keep the cost of running Asha’s Refuge down. My new friend, Lashanta, will prayerfully be one of many of our partners.

(If you know of an organization who may be of interest in helping our initiatives at Asha’s Refuge either by partnering or making a donation, please prayerfully let us know.)

On Wednesday my ESL friends surprised me with a birthday party.  Our room was festive with cupcakes, punch, flowers and a party balloon.  Jamie used the opportunity to teach about our customs for celebrating birthdays.  It was all so sweet and fun with lots of laughter and clapping.  The highlight of the party was definitely the singing.  Have you ever heard 20 ladies from Burundi, Somalia and America sing Happy Birthday?  You should hear that.  The voices were amazingly beautiful and I was so touched that they sang for me. What a memorable birthday party.

When I retired in 2008, I said, “Okay God, now I am free to start a new adventure. What’s it going to be?” God answered “Be still”.  Whenever I saw that perfect opportunity to serve, I would ask again “Lord, is this it?”  For 2 1/2 years all I heard was “Wait”, despite several possibilities that really looked attractive to me.  He firmly closed and locked each door.  During this time I heard that my dear friend Jamie was doing wonderful work with refugees, and surely she could have used another volunteer.  Even in this, God would not relent, so he apparently still had other plans for me.

Maybe the waiting was so that God could prepare my heart for what was to come.  One day this spring, He quietly released me from the waiting and pointed me straight to Jamie.  I feel that my role in Asha’s Refuge is much more than I could ever imagine, just like He promises.  “And now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work in us…” Ephesians 3:20.

As days with my new friends unfold, God continues to confirm that this is the right place for me.  Jamie speaks of “Just Love” and we know that “Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:8.  I particularly like this because it is a part of Paul’s writings that leads to my favorite verse: 1 Corinthians 13:13: “Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.” (The Message)  I see clearly that love is the heart of this ministry.  I have fallen in love with the sweet ladies who come to my ESL class.  They have endured unspeakable horrors and hardships, fleeing their homes, losing many of their family members, finding themselves in a foreign land, and yet they are so warm and trusting.  While learning English is very important for our refugee friends, most of all they need friends to love and guide them through the process of adjusting to American life.

So here I am, awed by the way God works in my life to bring about His perfect plan for me, in love with the people around me, and humbled that He would use me as a channel of His love for all people. I am so delighted to finally arrive at the place God has been preparing for me.  This is my big chance to “Love extravagantly!”

My experience working with the Memphis refugee population began in the fall of 2010, as the school year began and I welcomed with some relief the scheduled existence that most moms crave toward the end of each summer, and as I ushered all the blissful chaos that is summertime out the door, I did what I’ve done every year since my children started school-I embraced another opportunity to learn something new while serving my community in some way. I spent their primary school years serving at our school and at our church. As they moved into their middle school years, I began to search for service opportunities in our surrounding community and found myself volunteering several years for a startup non profit organization dedicated to serving families of children with severe disabilities. This gave me some understanding of all the toil that goes into an organized attempt to meet needs that simply won’t be met any other way. That understanding has given me a deep sense of gratitude for and desire to help those who have the courage to try.

I’ve spent this past year helping teach ESL to refugees and observing, then assisting Jamie as she has moved fearlessly, resolutely among them, meeting them where they live, examining every aspect of their lives and their struggles to resettle. I’ve watched as she has built relationship after relationship with refugee families, case workers, administrators at agencies and organizations dedicated to serving the various needs of the refugee community, developing a comprehensive understanding of this community she is so committed to helping, to loving. As she reached the inevitable conclusion that an organized effort is necessary to adequately meet some of the needs of the most challenged refugees, I agreed to join her, to support, and to encourage her.

Anyone who knows me well can tell you that I’ve suffered my fair share of personal heartache and struggled to overcome obstacles resulting from childhood experiences. There are deep scars that may never completely heal. But very little can top many of the horrors a refugee has experienced in his or her lifetime. As I’ve sat with these beautiful women and their children, week after week, watching as they labor to grasp a new language, to hold a pencil and form words on paper for the first time, left raw by unimaginable experiences and large-scale loss, by years of poor nutrition, so unsophisticated, so naive, I frequently find myself engulfed by waves of gratitude for all the blessings I have been given. Especially the current blessing of being involved in this work.

Despite their circumstances, all that they’ve suffered, they light up my spirit with their smiles, laughter, colorfulness, and I am drawn back, again and again by the wonder of it all. By the fascination of watching them learn the alphabet, and learn how to write, and how to count, and learn how to tell time, and understand a calendar, and ever…so…gradually…begin to grasp just a few of all the complexities of an education that, for me, happened so long ago, I take it for granted. By the simple wonder I feel when I watch Jamie figure out what they’re trying to communicate to us (I’m not very good at it). Even more still by the childlike trust they place in us to help them. Their bravery gives me courage. And the time I spend with them is a repeated lesson in humility and gratitude.

They are plopped into our virtual lap with wounds- physical, emotional, psychological- that go beyond what most of us can imagine. And because they’ve spent a decade or more eeking out an existence on meager rations, in filthy, crowded living conditions, with scarce access to health care or education, and a social system and customs very different from ours, they come to us broken, aching, exhausted, and barely up to the challenge of learning how to write their names for the first time, much less absorbing the nuances of an entirely different language and customs.

Yet, as I’ve learned, U.S. government assistance lasts a whopping FIVE months. So within five months they’re expected to learn enough of our language and how our world works to be employable, self-sufficient, and successfully resettled. We all know that government assistance rarely fully meets the needs of the poor and that it is ultimately up to the kindness and goodwill of individuals in each community to step in where government leaves off.

There are several wonderful organizations in our community who service refugee needs, and they’ve been at it for quite some time. There is free health care, ESL and GED programs, after-school and summertime day camps for the school-aged children, subsidized housing and food assistance programs. Even the resettlement agency goes the extra mile day after day, week after week, with cases that simply have not yet become self-sufficient. The case workers give from their own paltry salaries to meet needs of some of their clients that simply wouldn’t be met otherwise.

However, if you slow down a bit, and take the time to take a close look, you’ll find that despite the best efforts of all these organizations, there are still gaps in assistance that make successful resettlement a special challenge for a portion of the refugees who come to us. These are the most disadvantaged, bearing physical disabilities or raising large families without help. And yet their countenances are still full of light and hope and innocent wonder at their new surroundings, the possibilities for a new life here in America. They arrive so full of hope for their futures but the trials they face, here in the land of the free and the brave, are often overwhelming, and the lack of services to meet their special needs contributes to that. It would be so wonderful if we could close those assistance gaps and give them a resettlement experience that is truly healing and reflective of what we would wish for ourselves and our children. That is our goal with the work we want to do through Asha’s Refuge.

As you’ve probably already gleaned from Jamie’s posts, the needs are simple. More translators are needed and those who have a good grasp of medical terminology are especially coveted. Suitable transportation is needed for those who cannot use the public system due to physical disability or because they have several babies or preschoolers that they cannot, for one reason or another, be left at home. School-readiness help with preschool children is yet to be fully addressed. Above all is the need for advocates-individuals or small groups who are willing to reach out to, build relationships with, and act on behalf of refugee individuals or families. Consistent, loving encouragement from someone who is dedicated to a single refugee individual or family, someone who can and will help them navigate this strange new world is their most desperate need. Love, friendship, acceptance, assistance, encouragement-these are all things that advocacy can provide and are powerfully effective because they infuse hope and courage and, subsequently, goodwill.

So, as I continue along this path with Jamie, I pray that God will send us the right people to help us accomplish these goals. In fact, I ask God to just really show off! If you haven’t already, please add this ministry to your prayers. Please consider joining us! There are numerous ways to help. We need hearts that are open and hands and feet that are willing. If you’ve served in the mission field in a foreign country and would like to recapture some of the wonder of God’s presence and work there, then this work will most certainly do that. If you’ve wanted to serve in a foreign mission field but have never had the opportunity, this is your opportunity to experience something very similar without ever having to leave your own city. If you’ve been longing to do something that will have eternal value and lasting impact, this is your chance. The opportunity to befriend, act firmly on behalf of, learn from, and to simply LOVE people from all over the world is in your own backyard-no passport required!

We started a basic computer class for refugees and Spanish men and women who were interested. My friends Chris and Leah have been teaching the class on Saturday mornings at 10AM for most of the summer months. They are newlyweds that really have had a heart to find ways to help others in our Memphis community together during this season in their life. Chris and Leah are moving, however, next weekend. We are sad to loose their help with the computer class and will miss being able to connect with them locally. I just know that wherever the Lord leads the two of them that they will put their heart out with all they have to love and serve their community.

The free computer classes we have offered to the refugee community has been very helpful to them. We will have to stop the classes for now until we have a new teacher. Most refugees do not have easy access to a computer and most of them are unfamiliar with how to use them.

The American society does almost everything via computer these days. Computers are helpful to refugees for finding and applying for jobs, searching for local information, finding and printing important immigration documents, reading and studying GED and driver’s licensure documents, practicing English skills, preparing for or taking basic education or college online classes and more. Many refugees need to understand how to move around and search on the Internet, they need basic typing skills, and beginner Microsoft Office help in order to push themselves into better job or education opportunities. Our students love to work with computers.

We have a couple of lap top computers that were donated so that Chris and Leah could begin teaching the class. There were more students interested than we had computers. The D2 apartment where the computer class was held wasn’t set up with internet access. Chris and Leah and the students felt Internet access was something we needed to work towards to better help them. Asha’s Refuge would love to have a room where there were several computers with internet access set up for refugees to be able to learn on and to use. With Chris and Leah gone, we will need new committed volunteer computer teachers to help. The weekend class for computers seems to be the best time for our friends from other countries. Perhaps for now we should keep at least one computer with Internet access available at our apartment that’s in the refugee community.

Patience…I have a feeling this will be something Asha’s Refuge will eventually be able to help with. For now, we will have to take several trips to the local library where they have free computers we can use. We’ll just have to arrange times when we are able to transport and sit beside our friends to offer them library computer assistance and have mini-lessons.

My friend Nina called me yesterday. She’s from Somalia but she has been in the US for 18 years. Nina must have been in a group of the earliest Somalian’s to have approval to come to the US. I haven’t learned all of her story, but I’m sure the more I am around her I will. Her husband has a disability. He’s in a wheelchair. He drives a taxi to help pay the bills. Nina works a midnight shift cleaning a large medical training center here in Memphis. She and her husband speak great English, but they still struggle financially to provide for their four children. They will soon have another child. Nina is pregnant. Understanding and getting by in America has been hard for her, but she and her husband are doing it.

Nina came to American when she was about 12 years old. She was late in starting her education. If she was like other 10-17 year old refugees that come to America and enter into the school system, she probably had to work extra hard to catch up and then keep up with the average education level of the other students. Even though she speaks great English today, it is apparent that her biggest struggle is understanding the American culture. From what I can tell, Nina hasn’t kept a lot of American friends. She sticks very closely with her Somali friends. I’m sure that’s what is most comfortable for her. I don’t think it is her that pushes them away as she’s been so kind and accepting to me. From my perspective, most Americans don’t slow down enough to see other’s struggling right in front of them and if a person is too different from them, then some Americans tend to shy away.

I’ve enjoyed getting to know Nina. I first met her in the hospital at Lebonheur as we both sat next to my friend Abby and her daughter, Alia.  Alia and her mother had just arrived off the airplane to America. As soon as they got off the plane, they had to rush Alia to the hospital. Alia had an illness called Hydrocephalus and needed medical attention quickly. You can read more about Abby and Alia in my post titled “Gaps in the Medical System”.

Nina and I were sitting next to Abby  as she handed over Alia to doctor’s that would roll her out and begin lots of testing. Abby was very scared and unsure of what was happening and being said by the medical staff. Nina was there to translate. Nina and I began talking and I was just amazed at how big her heart was to help new Somali’s coming into America. She was ready and willing to help a stranger. Her kindness and ability to actually comfort Abishiro through translating was uncanning. Nina stayed the night in the hospital with Abby and Alia several nights hoping to offer comfort. I was immediately drawn to Nina.

Later, I realized that Nina also new and was helping my friend Alma. I found out Nina was trying to help many refugees who were struggling. She offered meals and shared her and her children’s clothes with them. She transported them to appointments and to the grocery store. In many ways, her heart lined up with mine. We linked arms closely for a while and worked to help new refugees. Then, Nina had to work more at the medical facility where she was cleaning and I didn’t get to see her as often.

Over the past couple of years, I also recognized that she too, needed some help and guidance. Nina works hard to help so many other families but not many return the favor when she is in need.

Nina came to me once worried about paying back a car loan. She had apparently bought a used car from a dealership that seemed to take advantage of her. They continually called her to come in their office to make a payment on her car when she had already made several payments. Nina was anxious and afraid.

I decided to get some men involved that I trusted and knew had worked in the car business before. We found out that Nina didn’t understand that the people who sold her the car had raised the interest percentage over the legal limit. And, she didn’t understand that she was only required to make one monthly payment. From what I remember, Nina was making a payment with each of her weekly paychecks. She made a couple of pretty large payments and then had over paid each week trying to get the car quickly paid for but she was unable to purchase the things that she and her family needed to live on each week. My husband and friends with car business sense contacted the dealership and researched better loan opportunities for Nina. I don’t think Nina really ever understood how she had been wronged and how we had planned to help. She never really followed up with the trustworthy people we set up to try to help her modify her loan. Our reputable bank friends were angry at what had happened to Nina and were ready and willing to help her refinance it to make a better and lower paying plan. Nina was probably too overwhelmed. We never heard what Nina had decided to do about paying off her car loan. I do know that we helped her to understand that she wasn’t required to pay weekly. We also helped her to understand not to pay over the bottom line price she signed for. Asha’s Refuge won’t be in the car business, but hopefully we can help our friends understand the importance of better understanding contracts that they are signing.

Nina called me yesterday to see if I could help her get another TN Driver’s license. She lost hers. I knew from experience (no I have never lost mine, but I’ve helped refugees in the past with TN Driver’s License issues), that if Nina could give me her lisence number that we could simply order a new one online. She was so grateful for the help, but would have to see if she could find her license number with her insurance company. Otherwise, it will be a little more trouble, but we can still get it done. I’m happy that Nina has an actual lisence as some refugees drive around alone with only their permit. Asha’s Refuge would like to find ways to partner with local driver’s education schools to better train refugees how to drive. Asha’s Refuge will be able to offer some assistance in helping disadvantaged refugees as they try to navigate through the Tennessee Department of Motor Vehicles.

The apartment that Nina and her family were living in flooded because of a piping issue. They moved into a temporary apartment while theirs was being repaired. Her husband is in a wheelchair and couldn’t offer a lot of help. Nina moved all by herself even though she was pregnant. I was not made aware that this was all going on for Nina at the time.

A few weeks ago, I found out that Nina was going to be able to move back into her old apartment (in the same complex) soon. She again didn’t inform me of the date she would move back in and again moved herself while pregnant. If I had known, I would have pulled together a group of men to help. She said that she asked several of her Somali friends to help her but they were unwilling. Her disabled husband felt very bad. I still have no idea how she managed to move her furniture. She must not have large furniture like many Americans do. I got on to Nina for moving herself and not contacting me for help. She wished she had called me too, because after her move, she was having terrible back pain.

Nina’s baby is due sometime late September I think. My friends from Sugar Grove Church in Goshen, Indiana want to come back to help me throw a baby shower for her. Nina says that in her culture the new mother has to throw a party for family and friends to come see the baby soon after the baby is born. “What?! A new mom has to prepare food and a party for others to come see her newborn baby,” I thought to myself. That seems like too much work for a new mommy to me. We will have to work hard to not go overboard with the baby shower for Nina. It’s an American culture to over do it. Nimo will not understand what most of our infant gadgets are for and will surely resort back to the basics that she understands. I’m not sure how Asha’s Refuge fits in with throwing a baby shower other than to just encourage a new mom and be a friend. It will give us an opportunity to socialize with and encourage other women at the shower as well. I think that part is most important.

Writer’s block isn’t something I ever have had to struggle with. Yesterday I wrote so many emails and spoke so much on the phone pouring my heart out for Asha’s Refuge that by evening, when I planned to work on writing my short bio, I couldn’t think of a thing to say. Talking about myself is uncomfortable for me. To me, it’s not about me! That’s why when asked to write about myself on social networks and websites, I don’t.

The organization of Asha’s Refuge, however, needs to know who I am. The board, donors, my refugee friends and the community around me probably does need to know. When God was asked who He was he said, “I am the I am”. If only my bio could be that short and that precise and enough of a description for others. I want to say, “I am, who I am. Created to be, stumbling at times but daily aiming to be like my Father”. The end.

I’ve not spent many years being part of the professional or corporate world. I’ve been near it. I’ve tasted it and I’ve seen, but not for long. My life has been spent mostly at home with my children and in my church and neighborhood. I adore my three children and husband. I’m in no way ashamed of that, but I’m not sure how to write about it for Asha’s Refuge. I’ve had a hard life. Some seasons were really, really hard. There were days I thought I shouldn’t wake up the next day. I was wounded by others and self destructive at times and felt unlovable. Until, I met my savior. Jesus saved me from myself.

When I see others “stuck” in a pit of darkness and hopelessness, my heart goes out to them. I empathize and I want with all my being to share with them in whom I found my hope. (I would love my friends regardless of their willingness to grab hold of God, that’s what I believe I’m called to do…just love.) It is God who fills my cup with love to overflowing so that I can pour His love out over onto others…anyone willing to receive it. I don’t want anyone to feel that yucky feeling of being all alone day after day. And I understand “crowded loneliness” all too well (when people are all around you yet you somehow feel alone).

It doesn’t matter the culture, the nationality or the color of ones skin, loneliness, feelings of not being cared for or loved and hopelessness attacks all people. In Genesis, The Lord saw Adam alone, and said that it was not good for man to be alone (in my own words). Many of my refugee friends feel and have felt for years hungry, alone and hopeless. It is not good.

The friendships I’ve developed over the past three years with people from other countries have been wonderful. The closer we get to being able to better communicate with one another excites me everyday. Finding ways I can work under the authority of God to show love, compassion and help to my family, new friends and neighbors is what gets me up each morning. It strengthens me and keeps me going too.

Like anyone, I have hobbies. I love art, photography, singing, reading and writing. I want to write a book one day. I love to use my talents to express my love to others or Jesus. I can be shy at times when not in my elements. I can get feisty when something feels wrong. I’m a truth seeker. I don’t like scary movies or terrible news stories. But I’m most often a mom, wife and friend, an encourager passionate about loving people. I once was lost, but now I’m found. There are no human words that can encapsulate me. I am, who I am.

My day seemed as though it would never end today. There was a lot going on with my friends from other countries. I had to make an appointment for my friend, Fadumo, to get some help at Immigration Services. She wants to bring her husband into the country. She has ten children and could use a helping hand. I’m not for sure why her husband didn’t get to come into the country initially with her. I’m confused about that. Maybe I’ll find out when I take her to the Immigration Office next week.

One of my friends needed some help figuring out why she didn’t receive the food stamp money that she was expecting. She’s a single mother with two little preschoolers. The system for receiving food stamps now is done through automated transfers and computer phone services. It’s confusing for refugees to learn the system, but Asha’s Refuge tries to help. At least she has some money for food in her account. I just pray that it is enough for her and her children the rest of this month. Asha’s Refuge may have to help her out a little if something has gotten messed up until it is corrected. Having enough food isn’t usually a problem for refugees because they quickly receive food stamp assistance. When refugees first arrive, however, it’s my understanding that the food stamps haven’t had time to be set up for the family. During this first month, I believe Catholic Charities’ food donations from the community helps some. I know for a fact that their food donations aren’t always able to help during this early stage enough. I have a close enough relationship with the case workers to know that sometimes they help large families with food out of their own paychecks. (That might should be a secret, but the secret’s out now!)

Single parents, especially large single parent families like Fadumo’s, have to learn to spread their meals out throughout the month so that they don’t eat it all up too fast and not have enough to last them through the month. They must think ahead as they wait for their food stamps to kick in or their allowance to be renewed.

I’ve gone grocery shopping with refugees before. It’s interesting. I have a great time. My friends from other countries are always confused by the two isles of cereal, two isles of sweets and crackers and two isles of ice cream. Most of them have never had cereal with milk and can’t fathom adding water to oats and putting it in something called “a microwave” to zap fry it. I usually feel silly standing in the cereal isle of a grocery store trying to entice my friends to buy my favorite Tony the Tiger cereal, Frosted Flakes. The silly cartoon tiger on the front doesn’t explain to them what is in the box. We have lot’s of laughs in the grocery store. Sometimes they get a little frustrated I think. It’s an overwhelming process for them. They are trying to find real food like milk, fruits, potatoes, beans, fish and fresh vegetables. They have to weed through all the confusing pricing and adds, maneuver through the isles and find courage to finally check out with the sales clerk.

My friend Asha is the easiest to go grocery shopping with. She sits in her wheelchair. I stroll her and she tells me exactly what she wants. Somehow, she is not enticed by anything that tries to distract her from the list of grocery items she needs. It’s as if she feels unsafe and scared and wants to run in, grab what is familiar and run out. She often gets a bunch of carrots with the leafy tops still on them (and baby carrots won’t work – I tried getting her to do those and she was teasing me about the puny little things I called carrots), onion, celery, grapes and milk. Asha loves oranges too. I pick her up some every now and then and bring them to her family for a treat.

Today, Asha and her niece, Hodo, asked me if I’d plan a day to teach them how to make American Pizza. They apparently love it and want more of it. We will do that together one day soon. That will be fun.

I took Hibo and Hamda back to the government housing place today. Deborah and three teenage girls who were helping me with the children at the ESL/Preschool class today went with us. Deborah and I worked with the Chickasaw Apartment Staff to help complete Hibo and Hamda’s apartment application. You’d think we were buying the apartment. There was so much paperwork involved. It took us literally about 2-1/2 hours to complete the application. There is no way these two ladies (even considering they could speak pretty good english) could have completed these applications alone. They needed our assistance. We were glad to offer help. I think Mrs. Theresa with the Chickasaw Apartments was appreciative of our help as well. We had to spend a lot of time just interpreting the documents they were signing.

Asha’s Refuge will offer a lot of help and collaboration to other organizations who are trying to help refugees to successfully resettle. It will be a neat thing as I hope that the volunteers and staff with Asha’s Refuge always gets to work on the side of the refugee. I mean, it was great to be their friend, to know them well enough and to truly care for their well-being so that we were better able to speak up on their behalf today.

Tonight, I’ve worked a long time with Asha’s Refuge paperwork. I had to send several emails, do a lot of writing, schedule appointments and make a few phone calls. I’m tightening up our Mission Statement for our 501(3)c documents. My work with Asha’s Refuge is work. Some days are long, but I’m greatful to be able to help. I enjoy it. I really enjoy it.

Asha’s Refuge had it’s first staff meeting today. That feels kind of funny to say. Our staff is only four people right now. I can see that it will have to grow as the days go by though. For now employees of Asha’s Refuge are strictly volunteer.  It is wonderful that we are able to come together to help put some things in place for the sake of current and future vulnerable refugees.

For now, our staff consists of Vivian, Deborah, my husband and I. Vivian will be our do all and Secretary. Deborah will be our do all and Vice President and help with the Treasurer position. Daron, my husband, will be our main Treasurer and will offer help and advice to me. As you can see, all of our existing staff has to be willing to wear many hats. I am thankful to those who have committed to help walk with me to build Asha’s Refuge and I trust that there are already other’s being shaped to also help.

We still need more permanent volunteer staff to work with our refugee friends particularly on Wednesdays and Friday mornings from about 9-12:15. So, if you’re reading this and have a heart to see what’s involved in volunteering with us, please let us know! Perhaps one day there will be room to pay for needed positions but for now, Asha’s Refuge runs on the giving hearts of it’s volunteer staff and the community. It’s wonderful for our refugee friends to be able to see the same familiar faces.

It was really neat today to talk about our hearts and to bounce off ideas on how we can work with existing programs and organizations already set up in Memphis wanting to help struggling people. The staff seems to all be on the same page and open and willing to listen and share ideas. A few times I would share and my eyes would water as I could feel passion and excitement in my heart as well as a bit of anxiety for the way God has brought me personally to this stage with Asha’s Refuge. I wasn’t the only one sharing and tearing up. I can certainly tell that God has been working in each of our lives through this experience.

I’ve decided to open up my blog on this website to the other staff members to write. It will be neat to hear things from their perspective. This was my husbands idea and a very good one I think! Besides, who wants to always hear from me?

Welcome Deborah, Vivian and Daron. Well, you’ve already been on board…so now I suppose it can be official. We are still praying about what our board will look like and who all will be involved. Again, God always provides!

This morning I woke up ready to go meet my friend Helma from Somalia to take her to the apartments at Red Oak, Chickasaw. Many new refugees are poorer and need housing assistance for a period of time to help them successfully resettle. Most of my friends do not seem to “want” to stay forever in these apartments. They want to educate themselves, find jobs, build families and give back to their communities. From what I understand, the Chickasaw Apartments are apartments available from the government for those struggling to pay for housing. The rent amount each month is based on the tenants income. This type of financial assistance for housing is very helpful for new refugees.

In Memphis, finding good housing that is cheap enough for refugees to afford is a constant struggle. The apartments and rental houses that refugees typically live in upon arrival are pretty shabby if you ask me. They are often infested with bugs, growing mildew, dirty, too expensive and located in areas of Memphis that are not considered the safest. The bug infestation is a hard problem to solve as some refugee families have not learned the importance of picking up after themselves and maintaining a clean apartment. When one apartment has an issue of bugs, it seems that all of the apartments next to or around that apartment are also affected by the bugs. Cleanliness is something that Asha’s Refuge plans to teach and communicate to refugees. Refugees born in poverty, typically lived in refugee camps where clean water and cleaning supplies aren’t available. They often had to live in makeshift tents set up on the dirt. They did not grow up with the training of doing household chores; therefore, some have a difficult time with understanding this concept here in America. Most American children are taught from a very young age to throw things in the trash and to help keep things clean around the home. This is a learned habit not an instinct.

Many apartments in Memphis are run down and owned by owners who do not seem to want to keep up with their property. The city seems to be aware of bad owners and landlords but unable to take better control of the situation so that it doesn’t affect the poor as much it does.

Like many other big cities, the city of Memphis already has a difficult time providing adequate housing for its existing poor families. Bringing individuals in from other countries that are in desperate need for housing assistance makes the need even greater. If there is not enough housing for the citizens already in a city, why would the State Department feel that it would be a good idea to bring more people into the city who are desperate for homes? This is a question many people who are working with refugees (and those who hear about the refugee housing situation) often wonder. Some citizens can become quite angry about the fact that foreigners are coming into the States, fighting for and receiving benefits of which citizens often struggle to get. It is my belief, that there is more to this situation than the average person looking from the outside in can really see.

The US State Department, US Department of Homeland Security and US Department of Health and Human Services produces an annual report to the Congress, “The Proposed Refugee Admissions Report”, that seems to recognize some of the issues concerning the need for better housing for refugees. The 2011 report to the Congress, which is submitted on behalf of the President of the United States, the Committees on the Judiciary United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives (in fulfillment of section 207 (d) (1) and (e) (1-7) of the Immigration and Nationality Act) is apparently a public record and is made available for all to see online at http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/148671.pdf. The information contained in this report is extremely informative to those trying to understand the refugee resettlement process and how our United States Government and the United Nations works together to help those the United Nations says “are from the most desperate populations and find themselves in seemingly forgotten locations”. My face to face ground work with my refugee friends has shown me, however, that there are still gaps in the system. The 2011 report to the Congress realizes this too as it states:

“While there have been many positive developments in the overseas aspects of the USRAP, refugees as well as persons and entities assisting them continue to face significant challenges in addressing the needs of refugees after their arrival in the United States. Consequently, the White House has led an interagency process to develop solutions to these issues, which has also involved consultations with stakeholders from outside the federal government.”

Page IV of the report goes on to say:

“One substantial change made as a result of this process was a dramatic increase in the one-time per capita Reception and Placement grant administered by the Department of State for the initial weeks after a refugee’s arrival. This grant had declined in real terms by more than 50 percent since its inception in 1975. In light of our critical obligations to newly arrived refugees, and thanks to the generous support from the Congress, we were able to increase the Reception and Placement per capita grant from $900 to $1,800, effective January 1, 2010. This is intended to address challenges refugees face in their first 30 to 90 days in the United States, and will ensure that, in the first weeks after their arrival, refugees have a solid roof over their heads, a clean bed in which to sleep, and basic assistance. This is also an expression of solidarity with state and local officials and with the local communities that bear the greatest burden in meeting the initial needs of new arrivals.”

“In addition, the Administration has requested an extra $25 million in its FY 2011 budget request for the Office of Refugee Resettlement in the Department of Health and Human Services to enhance case management services for refugees and address their emergency housing needs. Furthermore, the administration has adopted a number of other changes to the program, including regular interagency meetings led by National Security staff, more frequent consultations with external stakeholders, the provision to local agencies of more complete information about cases before they arrive, and greater attention to the health care needs of refugees after arrival. The overall goal is for all parties involved – be they at the federal, state, or local level, and from both the public and private sectors – to more effectively meet the needs of resettled refugees. Such enhanced coordination and communication is particularly needed in light of the changed – and more diverse – character of the program. The Administration will continue to explore ways of ensuring that refugees are able to integrate successfully in the United States after their arrival.”

Though this report seems to support the fact that our Congress is aware of and understands local difficulties with refugee resettlement, I feel that the appropriate actions and responses by our government on the ground with a number of vulnerable refugee’s is not happening. There are clearly additional gaps to be filled. Many refugees who are single parents, have disabilities, speak no english, have no education and/or have multiple children simply need longer assistance than the 90-180 days (up to six months) allotted by our government once they have arrive to their destination resettlement city. Asha’s Refuge is a nonprofit startup organization that wants to find ways to help. (See my post entitled, “It’s Not Just ESL” for ways Asha’s Refuge plans to get involved by offering various types assistance to disadvantaged or vulnerable refugees.)

As far as housing goes, the 2011 Proposed Refugee Admissions Report to the Congress doesn’t seem to offer many solutions. There is an awareness but not enough funds available to local communities to offer better housing. I’ve been working along side of a gentleman named Steve with Christ Community Health Services regarding the Memphis area refugees for about 2 years now. CCHS is a Christian healthcare organization that focuses on fulfilling the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of the poor, homeless and uninsurable since 1995. I believe Steve has been involved with CCHS for about 3 years. I’m pretty sure his focus is on helping refugees. Steve has been a wonderful and trusting friend to work along side of. It is he, who seems to have committed to speaking up about the housing needs for refugees. I believe it will be my friend, Steve, and CCHS that will be largely responsible for getting better housing for my friends from other countries. Asha’s Refuge hopes to partner with community housing organizations, Steve and CCHS in support of better homes for refugees.