Becoming a Refugee

As one starts working with a refugee family, it’s a natural question to wonder what circumstances led them to flee their home, their community, and their country.  Obviously something that is incomprehensible to most living in the first world.  With language barriers, it’s difficult to communicate.  A volunteer working with the Kasongo’s spent some time learning their story.  As best she understood, this is their heart-wrenching story; a 9 months long ordeal with very difficult and trying situations.  The hand of God preserved them and reunited their family after being separated in a violent part of the world.  Warning, there are difficult subjects in their story, though graphic details are not included.  Here’s a powerful video from some great musicians on the plight of refugees.

Here is the Kasongo’s story…

Continue reading “Becoming a Refugee”

No Heat – Gas Turned Off

Willy called me recently, obviously concerned about a pressing problem. I thought to myself “After the challenges they faced, what now?”.  They’d arrived in Salt Lake 6 weeks ago to find the airlines lost one of the six bags of luggage (16% of everything they brought to America), they had struggles getting food assistance working properly, after a month here, they still had no shoes and were walking in sandals and socks in the snow with only light weight jackets.  “What could it be now?”, I wondered.  “They’ve had their share of struggles in their new country, and don’t deserve more.”  

Continue reading “No Heat – Gas Turned Off”