Come meet our first family from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The next Abba’s House Community Dinner is Friday, Sept. 28 from 6:30-8:30. Get more info and register here.
What a joy it was, after months and months of planning and preparation, to finally drive to the airport to welcome our first refugee family to Abba’s House. Joined by board member Cindy Wu, we waited at the International Arrival gate and watched as person after person passed by. Finally, we saw the trademark UNHCR bags identifying their refugee status, and Mireille and her two boys walked out. A short time later, they were loaded up into our car and headed to Abba’s House.
In the two weeks this precious family has been with us, we have seen amazing progress. They came in utterly exhausted, overwhelmed, and vulnerable in this new land. It didn’t take long, though, for the boys (age 3 and 21 months) to warm up to our family and the volunteers. Mireille is doing great with her English lessons, beginning to get the hang of our strange American appliances, and she even survived her first trip to the ginormous HEB store. All of our volunteers have been amazing, and it has been such a rich experience to watch God at work through each person who has come to help. Y’all are the best!
There, of course, have been challenges. The boys are VERY active, and very curious about everything. So, our house is well broken in…. The language barrier has at times been difficult, though Mireille has astonished us at how quickly she is learning. Already, she can carry on simple conversations and understand much of what we are saying. And, we’ve had a couple challenges in coordinating with the agency downtown and making sure that both of our organizations are on the same page as we seek to help this family. All in all, though, we couldn’t have asked for a better experience with our first family.
To follow us more closely, make sure you like us on the Abba’s House Facebook page. As it seems appropriate, that’s where we’ll share pictures and stories from each family that comes through Abba’s House. Their stories will amaze and inspire you, as we see God at work in the lives of His people. If you want to get more directly involved, the best place to start is by filling out a volunteer interest form.
One final thought — we were so delighted to find out that Mireille is a Christian. She even brought with her a Bible in the Kinyamulenge language. Some of our truly special moments have happened because we share the same faith. Like, when we have our daily devotions and we read a passage first in English and then she reads in her tribal language. Beautiful! Or the first time we brought 3 year old Kevin in to LifeBridge Church. The moment we walked into the worship area he lifted up his hands and said “Alleluia”. Moments like these remind us of why we are doing what we are doing…as we experience the joy of being the hands and feet of Christ in caring for His own children. Thanks for being a part of this venture.
— Michael Meissner
The Lord defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. — Deuteronomy 10:18-19
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