Rejoice
. . .
Tuesday
For
the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the
great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes
no bribe, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow,
and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing.
-- Deuteronomy 10:17-19
by
Cal Uomoto
It
was a hot July night. I had often pitched
in and greeted refugee families arriving at SeaTac. But
I’d never moved a family of 14 Somali refugees. What
would this midnight move be like?
All
their earthly possessions were roped down tight in one small
pickup truck. The majority of the family loaded into the
Bethany van with me as their driver. With little English
spoken between us the ride was quiet.
The
Mohammads fled their native country of Somalia in the late
’80s during the civil war. Under the new regime everyone
in their tribe faced the possibility of murder. They fled
first on bus and then on foot across the Kenyan border.
They lived for over 10 years under the care of the United
Nations in Kenya.
Kenya
hosts approximately 220,000 refugees; over 140,000 are from
neighboring Somalia. Most Somali refugees live in designated
camps in Kenya’s eastern desert region. Life in these
“camps” is not like our vision of summer camp.
Poor security conditions, violence, firewood shortages,
funding constraints and the harsh environment makes nearly
all refugees dependent on humanitarian aid.
Adjusting
to life in America took time for the Mohammads.
We found apartments in the Rainier Valley. English lessons
followed. Their determination and faith took hold. Three
years later all of the children have productive lives of
their own. Two of the boys have completed community college.
Two sisters are perfect 4.0 students. In two years they
will apply for citizenship.
Twenty-six-year-old
Khadra still remembers that hot July night. “We were
all so happy. So happy we could not sleep.”
Kenya
provided temporary shelter. America has become their new
home. So many moves for the Mohammad family. That warm,
July Seattle move was the most hopeful of all.
God of gods and Lord of lords, we rejoice in your
power and your faithfulness in the Mohammad family’s
lives. We thank you that we are never strangers. We thank
you for the World Relief staff and volunteers who work
so hard to welcome newcomers to our city, and we pray
that people will know more of Jesus as we offer a cool
cup of water to those in need. Through Christ our Lord
we pray. Amen.
An Advent Journey