“Thank you.” It’s probably the one sentence we hear most often these days at Water For Ishmael.
Rafi’s two teenage boys had been coming home from school every day with that “deer in headlights” look. Since they arrived in the US in June, they had managed to learn the English alphabet and graduated to reading and writing simple sentences at WFI’s American School Evening.
During the day, they were struggling to follow along in regular high school classes.
A one hour meeting with the school counselor made all the difference for Rafi. We were able to swap things like Health and Economics for Phys Ed, giving the boys a little more time to catch up on their English. We also were able to explain the TPS uniform policy and get the boys’ sizes so we could ask around for gently used uniforms for them.
And they are the blessed ones . . .
A photo of the body of a two-year-old Syrian boy who had washed up on the Turkish beach was released. Our new friends struggled with survivor’s guilt:
“Why did my son live when some one else’s was taken?”
All I know is that God watched over their lives and brought them here so we could show them His love.
It reminded me of 1 Peter 2:
“Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”
We have been redeemed and welcomed among God’s children because of God’s mercy.
God now calls us to honor Him with our lives by welcoming strangers who have suffered at the hands of evildoers.