Missing shoes, socks and luggage is rough.
Beating the executive order is a blessing.
Shoes – After we found out that the girls were going to school in flip-flops, Mike posted on Facebook looking for shoe donations. I know that people are generous and I know that many people like having an opportunity for service placed in their laps, but it is always amazing to see how much people do help.
By Sunday, we had a car full of shoes. We had not really thought about when we would deliver them. Our next scheduled visit was two weeks away. When Mike got home from work on Monday, he suggested that we head up right after dinner to deliver them. It was snowing and it is at least a 30-minute drive so it felt a bit spur of the moment but with our schedules for the rest of the week, it seemed like a good idea. We called to find out if it would be ok to run by. They said it would be fine. We arrived with the shoes and it was like Christmas. They were so excited! It was fun to see the teenage girls take charge pulling shoes out of the bags and divvying them up. We did not stay for long but told them to try on the shoes and decide which ones they would keep and which we should take and donate to CCS for other families. We also needed to know who in the family still needed shoes after going through the donations.
On a related note, it was fun to see how our kids reacted to the situation. Right before we left Abby asked if she could pull some shirts out of her dresser to give to the 9-year-old girl. (The 9-year-old is so cute and social. When Mike went to the introduction meeting, she specifically asked where Abby was after only meeting her for a few minutes at the airport after being on a plane for who knows how many hours.) I told Abby it was a great idea but that we really did not have time. Next thing I knew she was running upstairs with a bag of clothes. Briton and Hannah wanted to join in and they put together bags of Legos to give to the younger kids.
We’ve had other shoes donated since Monday and we received some very appreciated cash donations that we will put to good use.
Socks – While we were delivering the shoes, the 15-year-old daughter came across a package of brand new men’s white socks. She hurriedly opened the package and passed out one pair to each member of the family. It seemed a bit telling to me on a few different levels. There was no thought of “these are men’s socks” or “there’s no way these will fit my 9-year-old sister”. She just made sure they went around and that everyone was able to share the wealth.
Luggage – Mike has spent a fair amount of time talking to Jet Blue and South African Airlines. There will be some sort of resolution to the missing luggage issue. Either it will be returned or they will receive compensation. If the suitcase is not found, they will need to itemize a claim. If that is the case, I think the compensation will be generous. We will need to get a Swahili-English dictionary so that we can communicate effectively what was in the suitcase.
Insurance? – One of the other mentors posted on Facebook today that she visited the family this morning and that they have received a good deal of mail that they need to answer about medical bills and health insurance. Hmmmm…not sure how to handle those. I think that is a matter for the caseworker. We will have to give him the heads up that there are issues to be dealt with. Incidentally, our caseworker is a former refugee from the Congo himself. He has been here for about 6 years and manages ~30 cases. Sometimes when I feel that there are too many things being overlooked (shoes, coats, food stamp cards, health insurance and medical bills) I have to remind myself that he is doing what he can for many people and that, hopefully, we can fill in lots of the gaps.
Executive Orders – My heart is sad today after the news that an executive order has been signed affecting refugees and others trying to enter our country. My life is blessed working with people from other cultures and I am sad that some people act out of fear, feelings of superiority, scare tactics or just to sensationalize problems around the world that affect real people and families. I don’t know all the details but it looks like it may be 120 days before any refugees are allowed in the country. I am glad we were assigned to a family when we were. The timing has proven fortuitous. Better said, I am glad that they arrived when they did. The timing for them has proven even better.
PS: A little note about the picture…Macy LOVES her new friend. She asks daily to look at this picture on my phone and she has such a cute way of saying her name. One of the best parts of CCS’s mentoring program is that it is so easy to involve our kids. (We’ve blurred her cute little face for privacy reasons.)