Tuesday the staff had another great meeting. I appreciate our Executive Director's effort to have creative venues. We were given permission to meet at the beautiful Shalom Retreat in Rocheport.
It was such a lovely drive and the company was even more lovely. On the way out I carpooled with my sweet supervisor, and then on the way back I rode with the office manager. It was fun to chat with both of them and to hear about their perspectives on life.
Staff meetings are always very meaningful. I love the stories, and also the collaboration that come out of them. Today I heard about a wonderful Father's Day event story. One of the refugee tribes had an event to honor the fathers in their group at a service. They had all of the fathers in the group come to the front to honor each with a lei of yarn flowers. Some of the young people had volunteered to wash the feet of the fathers! What a humbling honor! The English translator was a young Marine whose refugee parents had come to the US some time ago. Because we were welcoming to a refugee family, now we have a young man serving his new country and laying his life on the line.
The event had many tears as family remembered fathers, brothers and other relatives who had been killed before they had a chance to flee their home country. The gratitude of these people is so convicting to me as I contemplate how blessed I have been here in America. My father is still alive and active. I have not had to flee my home country. I do not have family and friends hiding and dodging ruthless people actively looking to kill them. I am not navigating life in another country.
One of our staff members was a refugee himself. He reminded us that, even the simplest act of kindness translates to something big to a refugee. In their home country they are accustomed to a tight knit community of family and friends. When someone reaches out to them here, it is meaningful and impactful. Staff members recounted stories of refugees reminding them of "small" things, often years after the kindness had occurred. A Walmart ride, a donated shirt, and so many other small things translate to impactful moments to a refugee. Often times, we may not remember the small act of kindness, but it is remembered by the refugee!
One of my favorite memories as a child is when a teacher bought me a book from the book fair. It was a reward given to encourage a "wild" child for reading, researching and writing a book report. I remember the report and I remember the name of the book that I selected from the book fair. Does the teacher even remember me all of these years later? Lord, I hope not because that means that I was quite the student. I doubt that she remembers even purchasing the book, but I do!
We don't necessarily have to purchase books for people, but we can perform random acts of kindness. I know of one lady who puts together ziplock bags of goodies to give to the homeless panhandling at intersections. Each bag has a water bottle, several granola bars, and a pamphlet expressing God's love. Each bag costs very little but the gift is meaningful to the homeless that she encounters along the way.
And of some have compassion, making a difference: Jude 1:22 KJV
Click here to find out more about volunteer opportunities at City of Refuge.
All opinions expressed here are solely mine and are not a reflection of the opinions of the AmeriCorps VISTA program
or of City of Refuge in Columbia, MO.
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