Inspired by the following verses:

Titus 3: 4-7

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

John 13: 34-35

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Ephesians 5: 1-2

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Luke 23: 35-36

And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!”

My wife, Lindsey, and I have been serving with Refugee Resources for the past several years and have worked with refugees in Vickery Meadows for roughly a decade.  This past fall, our oldest son, Cohen, began volunteering as a mentor, and the three of us now serve together every Thursday evening.  What began as a “mom and dad thing” has become a “family thing” for our household, with our oldest daughters babysitting our youngest children while we’re away.  In our household with nine children, everyone has a part to play!  In a sense, we serve each other so that we may serve others.⁠

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The purpose of any charitable endeavor is to help people, but the thing that initially drew me to Refugee Resources was how many ways they sought to specifically help kids. From spreading the word of God to kids whose families have relocated to the United States to helping them improve their reading, or in some cases helping them start learning to read altogether; I knew this was an organization that was right for me. I will always be grateful to my wife, Jessica, for introducing me to Refugee Resources and to Alysa for allowing me to be a mentor. That journey began four years ago.

In the ensuing years, I have been blessed with three students, Happy, Mohammod and Ezatulah, all of whom I absolutely adored. Each one was different, but we were always able to bond in our own unique way. As is the nature of this program, whether it be because they age out or any number of other reasons, these amazing kids eventually move along into the next phase of their life. You are always happy for them ... but, selfishly, also a bit sad. I felt particularly heartbroken when Ezatulah left. I had loved all three of my students, sometimes I say, “my kiddos,” but I began thinking that perhaps it was time for me to move along to another endeavor as well. Then, along came Ling Thang.

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On her knees, side by side with her husband, a mother pleads with the Lord on behalf of her children. Sui Tin Par is no stranger to trials and tribulations, but despite all she has gone through in her life, she retains unbending hope for the future. It is this hope that has carried her through all of life’s challenges and continues to do so even now. Let us take you back to 1992 to a little village named Lung Kahin in Myanmar where this incredible story begins. 

From a young age, the Christian faith was important to Sui and her family. She grew up watching her parents attend church in her small village and Jesus was always a part of her life. This upbringing of attending church and Sunday school every week was just the beginning of what would be a lifetime of God’s faithfulness and mercy poured out onto her life. 

When Sui was eighteen, she made the brave decision to leave her home, family, and everything she knew behind to move to Malaysia alone. When recalling this decision, she says that she felt like “she didn’t have a choice.” There were so few opportunities for work or earning an income in Myanmar that Sui felt her best option was to leave for a better future. Little did she know that God was orchestrating her steps to bring her not only a loving husband, but also a family who would become her pride and joy.

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The holiday season is upon us! During this time that can feel so busy and hectic, let us take time to remember the goodness and faithfulness of our God. A God who deeply cares and walks with us through the good and the bad. A God who never leaves our side and desires to draw us closer into a relationship with Him. In honor of this Thanksgiving season, we want to tell you a beautiful story of rescue and provision. 

Juliana was five years old when her parents were resettled in the United States as refugees, but her story actually started many years beforehand with her resilient mother and father. Her mother, Mandalayna, and her father, Shu, were both born in Myanmar (formerly Burma), but they did not know each other at that time. As young adults, both Mandalayna and Shu crossed the border from Myanmar into Thailand. After crossing the border into Thailand, both individuals were processed by the UNHCR, or the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and were allowed to stay in the country. 

While living in Thailand, Shu and Mandalayna met, married, and welcomed three beautiful children into their family, one of which was Juliana! After several years of waiting, the couple was chosen to resettle in America. While the exact reasons for why they were chosen are unknown, a refugee must fit into one of the following categories to be eligible for resettlement: persecution or fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. Most likely, they cannot return home or are afraid to do so.

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14 years old and absolutely fascinated by the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, Rudh Raj is quite the unique high schooler. He loves learning French and telling jokes -- most recently when chatting, he flexed his repertoire of dryly delivered "Chuck Norris" style jokes.  Rudh Raj doesn't sound like the profile of a kid you'd expect at a refugee reading program, but very little is conventional about Rudh Raj.  

I joined Reading Circle as a mentor in January 2021 after chatting with a work colleague who was sharing about volunteer opportunities at a local nonprofit that worked with refugee students.  From the very beginning, I resonated with the mission and manifestation of the service Refugee Resources delivers. I was a Tuesday night regular in no time.

Rudh Raj came to Reading Circle six years ago because of a knock at the door and a nudge from his father. Since then Rudh Raj has blossomed and exceeded expectations academically.  Despite being a literacy stand out, Rudh Raj says he keeps coming to Reading Circle because of the people. He loves being able to connect with his former mentor, Patrick, as well as hang out with friends like Francis, another student, who shares a reading table with us at Northwest Community Center.

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I began serving with Refugee Resources in September 2020 after being convinced to do so by a friend of mine. I was hesitant to begin with, being only seventeen at the time, I felt like I may not even be old enough to really have the knowledge to guide and teach a kid new things. Regardless, I showed up and immediately loved it. The chaos and laughter of the kids running around with each other and their mentors before the teaching began immediately put me at ease. Refugee Resources would quickly become a weekly part of my routine and often the highlight of my week.
 
When I signed up for Refugee Resources Alysa told me there were a lot of boys in need of mentors, so she was really excited to have another male mentor in the mix. The student she assigned me to was a boy named Benneh. Upon first meeting Benneh it became very apparent that he is very shy and does not speak without thinking. I also quickly realized that he was not at all what I expected when I signed up to work with kids, I expected having to spend lots of time keeping things on track or asking him to stay focused. The opposite is true of Benneh, from the start he was all about getting his work done, and not once in my three years with him have I had to ask him to pay attention. If anything, I get more off track than he does!

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We are SO excited for the upcoming North Texas Giving Day on September 21st and Early giving has officially begun! Every year, from this day forward until the final culmination on Thursday, September 21st it is a huge opportunity for us to amass the donations required to keep our organization up and running! We are raising funds for both our general budget and to bring on additional staff members, as the Lord has allowed us to continue growing to influence more and more students and families within the Vickery Meadow community! We praise the Lord for this opportunity that He has given us to love these children! 

 

Our aim at Refugee Resources is to transform lives, one child at a time. By building the capacity of refugee students, their families and communities are enhanced as they are better equipped to build a stable and viable future here in America. The Preschool Circle and Reading Circle equip refugee students to be the next generation of servant leaders by learning to live out the gospel, love their neighbor, and be empowered with literacy skills.

 

We are incredibly grateful for all you do to allow us to continue sharing the love and hope of Christ with this sweet community of students. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

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Showing up was the hardest part for me. Working a job with long hours, sometimes I left the office on Wednesdays knowing I’d have to get back to the grind after Reading Circle. I was hesitant to sign up to be a mentor initially for that very reason. How would I make time for this? I actually went so far as to confirm I would not be returning as a substitute or a full-time mentor, right before God tugged on my heart to remind me that He could multiply my time and would use time sacrificed for His Kingdom for my good and His glory.
 
In January of 2021, I met Parfaite who would be my mentee for the next year and a half. Parfaite had no trouble showing up. In fact, she was one of the first students to arrive each week, always there and always on time. That didn’t mean she would be eager to read, nor did that mean she’d be very keen to talk to me. For the first few weeks, she didn’t share much. She would eye me uncertainly as we read the Bible and worked through vocabulary together, but she always showed up.
 
Admittedly, I was less consistent and timely in my attendance than Parfaite was, but as I kept showing up, she slowly opened up. We’d eventually laugh together as she shared stories about her school days, and she’d tell me about how she wanted to read Harry Potter and how she loved swimming in the summer. We’d learn new English words and practice multiplication, celebrate birthdays and holidays, read Bible stories and pray. Sometimes reading The Jesus Storybook Bible would bring tears to my eyes as we’d learn or be reminded of the simplest and purest truths about our God. He is the Good Shepherd, Good Father, and Lover of our Souls. He wants us to talk to Him every day. He died to know us. He can do more than we can ask for or imagine. He can handle our doubts and questions. He always listens.
 
In those moments, reading aloud these beautiful truths with Parfaite, I never regretted my decision to commit time to Reading Circle. I never wondered if it was worth it, because time with God and time spent getting to know His children always is.
 

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I first started serving with Refugee Resources in September of 2021. My husband and I were attending Eastside Community Church where Refugee Resources had a table set up after service. The Lord had put a desire on my heart to serve and get involved, but I did not know what that would look like until I talked with the mentors at the table. They shared stories about the students they work with every week, and I immediately knew I wanted to be a part of the program. However, I was a little hesitant due to the long commute I would have to make from Frisco to Dallas in the middle of the rush hour every week. Instead of committing to mentor a specific student every week, I signed up to be a substitute mentor as needed. But the Lord had more in store for me than I realized.
 
I graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in Education and currently teach 6th-grade math in Frisco. I have a passion for teaching, mentoring, and serving. It is such a rewarding experience to watch students grow and do things they never thought they could do. Throughout college, I volunteered at the local Boys & Girls Club where I read with students after school. I really missed building one-on-one relationships with students outside of the school setting, so finding Refugee Resources was a perfect fit. I had very little knowledge of refugees or that there was a large population of refugees in Dallas. God used this as an opportunity to open my eyes.
 
When I arrived at Refugee Resources for my first day, Alysa said there were a lot of new students who did not have a mentor. She asked if any of the substitute mentors wanted to become weekly mentors. At that moment, I realized my fear of commitment and the unknown was holding me back from what God was calling me to. I took a leap of faith and decided not to just be a substitute, but to invest in the life of a little girl named Nwe Nwe.

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When starting any new chapter, it helps to reflect on the past, in order to understand how to tackle the future. My time as a high school student is ending and this has led me to the same fate.  
One of the most notable aspects of my time in high school has been volunteering at Refugee Resources, in part due to the amount of time I’ve spent with the program. But it’s not only about the time I’ve spent there, it’s about the experiences and people I’ve been given in this time volunteering. As I reminisce and reflect on the past, I believe my time with Refugee Resources can best be explained when broken down into three separate parts. 
 
Happy 
I began participating in this program after my stepmom told me about it. As all new things go, I wasn’t too sure about it, but I’m not adverse to trying new things so I thought, “What can it hurt to try?” So, on my way to my first-ever meeting for Refugee Resources, my stepmom began to tell us about the student we would be working with. She was telling me about his outgoing, loud, and talkative personality, all the while balanced on top of his educational proficiency. 
But, as I mentioned, this was sounding like a little too much for me. I mean, how is a high school freshman qualified to teach a kid how to read and write better? That being said, I pressed on and allowed myself the opportunity to understand how this program works. 

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Even though our annual celebration of Easter has come and gone, I want to be the kind of person who celebrates the joy of Easter every single day. Over the past five years, Easter has come to take on a much deeper meaning for me. It was Easter Sunday 2018 when I found myself, newly married to my husband of two weeks, in a hospital room with Jake lying in a hospital bed, afraid and uncertain of our future. Jake had been diagnosed with leukemia suddenly and unexpectedly, and instead of basking in all of our newlywed glory, we were heartbroken, trying to digest heavy words like chemotherapy, radiation, isolation floor, and blood cancer.
 
Despite our fear, the Holy Spirit met us in that room. Despite our shock, the Spirit of God somehow gave us deep peace and certainty that we could trust Him, even in light the midst of darkness ahead and an unknown future. We knew that in spite of our sorrow and grief, we could still remain joyful and hopeful because of Christ.

This is the hope that the gospel brings to those of us who are in Christ, who are in a relationship with Christ Jesus. Because He died and rose from the grave some 2000 years ago, we can face whatever comes our way in this life knowing that sin, death, and darkness do not get the final say. He has already defeated the power of death, and one day, Jesus promises to come back again and make all things new and heal all that is broken. Just how Jesus rose again, we will rise again in eternity with our Savior (1 John 5:12). This is the hope of Easter—a hope that should change how we live each and every day.

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If you are trying to avoid human suffering and experiencing how dark and broken the world is, I would not recommend spending time with refugees. Within my role as the Administrative Assistant of Refugee Resources and as an RRI volunteer, I’ve been spending a lot of time with people who are really struggling and hurting. Alysa, myself, and other mentors at RRI have had to walk alongside a student through the fallout of family violence and severe mental illness, an Iraqi boy who was completely ostracized and even received threats from his own parents because he converted to Christianity, and now, disappointed students whose parents are no longer letting them attend Reading Circle because they don’t want their children listening to Bible stories. One of those students was being mentored every week by my husband, Connor—who regularly reported to me just how excited he was that his student was improving little by little, week by week, in his reading. The student that I mentor recently confided in me that she wants to play the violin at school but is not able to, as her family cannot afford to buy one.

You can’t be a human for very long before realizing that things are not as they should be. The world is broken—it’s filled with death, pain, loss, violence, hatred, greed, and oppression.

However, even in the midst of all this struggle, pain, sorrow, suffering, and loss, God reminds me that He is actively working in this world.

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Yonathan is an Arabic-speaking Christian, the son of a pastor.
 
Telling me about his home in Cairo, there were fruit trees right outside his door. He reminds me that here in Dallas, they lack open spaces for soccer, except for the turf at school and parking lots at home. He is not upset though - he wins his soccer games no matter the terrain. His father continues to pastor a church in Egypt from afar as they get situated here in Dallas.
 
Every day in the Vickery Meadows neighborhood, kids are out playing tag and soccer. On Sundays, families are out doing laundry. And, on Thursdays in the Northwest Community Center, we are inside practicing reading. Yonathan is incredibly competitive and intelligent, and he is determined to learn. When I get distracted, he is quick to say, “Let’s get back to work!” We practice things like reading comprehension and English vocabulary. We also learn goal setting, how to stay motivated, and most importantly, about Jesus.
 
Most of the kids in Reading Circle are learning English on top of an additional one or two primary languages. This challenge, on top of the challenges they may face at home or school, can seem insurmountable without some help from a friend or mentor. As some of these students encounter God for the first time, having a one-on-one relationship with someone who cares about them is essential to unpacking these complex topics. Yonathan knows God, and already speaks very good English. It is a privilege to mentor him as he grows further in his understanding of the Gospel, and as he reconciles the customs of his new home with that of his old one.

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Another Christmas has come and gone. You may like me have lingering decorations up to hold onto the magic, or maybe you have quickly packed it all away to move onto all the new year has to bring. When you look back on the holidays and presents, were all your hopes and expectations met? Oftentimes the holidays can leave us with unmet expectations and disappointment if it doesn't live up to what we had hoped. Luckily that is not the case with the extraordinary gift of God’s grace which is clearly evident in the Christ-child lying in a manger: the gift that keeps on giving. Titus 2:11 says “for the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people…” Grace is God’s undeserved love for us. It is a gift that is freely and generously given. Christ, the son of God, taking on flesh was God’s greatest visible act of love to a fallen world. When we look at Jesus, born in a manger, living and dying for us, and being raised from the dead, we see the grace of God active for our salvation.

One of the greatest joys in my life is being able to share God’s love and our hope in Him with the children in the Reading Circle program. Seven years ago I began volunteering as a literacy mentor to a tiny and shy second grader named Bu Meh. While her stature was small, her heart was large. I had no idea how much my life was about to be enriched through my relationship with her, or how God would teach me about his grace and love for us through a weekly reading program.

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I am coming up on my 5th anniversary of serving with Refugee Resources, so now is the perfect time to look back and appreciate all the ways it has impacted me. I have been partnered with three students over the years, so I am thankful for the consistency. I has allowed me to really get to know the students and their families. But for the past two years I have been mentoring Parfait, my favorite person. 

Parfait is a 3rd grader and a ball of energy and humor. He regularly steals an older sibling's phone to call me at 11 pm just to tell me what he wants for his birthday (5 months early). He loves pranks and hiding in the same place every week to scare people. Parfait quickly forgave me when I accidentally spilled the beans about his Kindergarten crush to his older sister. His favorite joke is "Why did the couch go to the fridge? To get some milk." If anyone could explain that to me I would greatly appreciate it.Parfait is one of the most improved readers of the year! We started two years ago with the alphabet, struggling through "LMNOP", and now he is confidently reading words like "especially: and "suspicious". I sometimes doubt that he comprehends the stories, but when he correctly answers the questions at the end he says "easy peasy lemon squeezy."

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I met San Khin the day I started serving with Refugee Resources in June 2021. However, that was over a year before I became his mentor. He had another mentor and I had another student, but we were both showing up to Reading Circle on Tuesdays, occasionally in the same walking groups at the end of the night. Over that year there were two main things I learned about San: he was very quiet and he loved basketball. So when we got paired up in September of this year, I was determined to get him to open up. I was prepared to rattle off comments about Steph Curry’s jumper and give my hot takes in the Lebron vs MJ debate. I’ve learned an important lesson this fall: trust is earned, and it can take time.

After weeks of continuing to show up, he did start to open up. What could have felt like weeks of mundane consistency were actually building a foundation of trust in a child whose life story looks entirely different than mine. And I have learned so much more about San in this time. He is still quiet and reserved, but it is a quietness that is rooted in confidence. He maintains a steadiness that is self-assured enough to not be the loudest in the room. San is also mature beyond his years. While his peers engage in child-like shenanigans, he prefers to sit back and shake his head with a smile on his face. San is extremely close to his older brother, whom he looks up to and loves to watch basketball and play video games with. While he does love basketball, he is especially passionate about soccer. He plays midfield for the A-team at his school, which allows him to utilize his versatile skill set which combines defensive tenacity with a knack for putting the ball in the back of the net. He is also excelling in his reading comprehension and math skills!

I have so many memories during my time serving at Reading Circle. Moments of growth and triumph in a student’s reading ability. Vulnerable conversations that reveal a newfound trust. Hearing a student repeat a horrific, profanity-filled phrase he had heard at school and didn’t understand (teaching moment!). But none has been more impactful than this recent experience:

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“Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” Matthew 19:14 ESV

“Faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17 ESV

As a newly retired teacher, I was looking to use my gifts and share my faith while volunteering. My children and I had served with Alysa Marx in a kid’s club for refugees at the Ivy Apartments 10+ years earlier. Our paths crossed again this year when our two churches united. I learned from Alysa about Refuge Resources Ministry which she directs, and I decided to attend a training. I went not planning to make a regular commitment but to consider being a substitute in the Reading Circle. Alysa shared about the world refugee crisis, which according to the UNHCR the number of people forced to flee due to persecution, conflict, violence, and human rights violations has reached more than 100 million people. This means that 1 in every 78 people on earth has been forced to flee. (unhcr.org) As Alysa shared specifically her vision and heart for the refugee children arriving in Dallas and living right here at the Ivy and Sunchase Apartments, my own heart and mind were changed. I signed up and started as a mentor the very next night.

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As a full-time nursing student in an accelerated program, I felt that my focus was mainly on myself. I had just graduated from Texas A&M where I had a relatively light class load and was able to spend a huge majority of my time serving in ministry. I found that I had been missing the joy that stems from serving the Lord. In the fall of last year, the Lord kindly reminded me of our call as believers to serve and to be actively sharing the gospel with His kids. After searching for ministries to serve at in Dallas, I found Refugee Resources and felt called to become a volunteer at Reading Circle. It was hard at times, showing up knowing I had a big test the next day, but God, week after week, blew me away at Monday night Reading Circle.

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I started volunteering at Reading Circle in October 2020. I learned about Reading Circle from my wife, who has worked with the program for almost 4 years. At the time, I was hesitant to join because I was traveling weekly for work and found it difficult to commit to week-day activities. Despite my schedule, I was encouraged by the stories of the children that my wife would share with me and wanted to get involved.

My own family’s background was particularly influential in my decision to join Reading Circle. My parents did not arrive in the United States as refugees, but came as immigrants from China, hoping to achieve the American Dream and provide opportunities to my sister and me. Along the way, they encountered many friendly people who shared Jesus with them, taught them English, invited them into their homes, and connected them with the Christian Chinese community. I couldn’t help but see parallels between my family’s story and the stories of the many children that attend Reading Circle.

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