Daily, we see families walk into VOR looking distraught; feeling lost and overwhelmed, because their first 10-15 days in America were nothing that they expected. Often, families find themselves stuck inside a motel room. All they can do is wait: for a phone call, for new paperwork, for a ride. Days pass by with zero progress. Yet, each new day at the motel means another cut from the family’s one-time welcome money. The situation is as dismal as it sounds.
Daily, also, we see the same families walk out of VOR, visibly transformed. Relief. Gratitude. Big smiles. Big hugs. Scroll down for the experience of a Syrian refugee, in her own words 🙂
Reem, a Syrian mother of three adult children, arrived in Orange County 5 months ago. One of her children, Rana, has Down’s syndrome; the additional burdens of caretaking compound the stress and uncertainties of resettlement. After two weeks, we received good news from our case manager Viola (who walked closely with the whole family) hat Reem passed her behind-the-wheel test in one try and flying colors! Today, Reem is a VOR regular, attending ESL classes and all of our community events, such as Women’s Breakfast in January. Rana finds a community in the ESL classroom and contributes her unique gift of warmth and sincere joy.
Reem shared these words (yes, in English!) with the person driving her family home: “You Christians just know God…differently. You love everybody. VOR, everybody nice, everybody loves….I’m telling the other ladies in Arabic, that Christians are different. They know God and the way they love God is different.”
Pray with us for the light of Jesus continue to open refugees’ hearts up to His eternal hope, one person at a time, one ride at a time.
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