Meet Jessica & Mohammod!
Several years ago, after returning home from a mission trip to Africa, my heart began to shift and stir. I had spent several years using my summers and vacation time traveling with different organizations teaching, serving, and sharing Jesus with people in various countries. But I knew that there was so much work to be done right here in my own city, so I began searching for a new way to serve locally. I came across Refugee Resources, an organization that was designed to empower refugee students through developing literacy skills and cultivating relationships. I was amazed at how the Lord led me to an organization in my own city that combined my vocation as a reading specialist and my passion for his people. Immediately, my eyes were open to the tremendous needs of this community and I fell in love with Vickery and how Refugee Resources faithfully and selflessly loved and served its people. Reading and sharing the Bible with these refugee students quickly became one of the best parts of my week!
Last summer, I got married and my new husband and 16-year-old stepson began serving with me at Refugee Resources. It didn’t take long for them to see why this ministry holds such a big place in my heart. They began working with the student I mentored, which gave me the opportunity to meet Mohammod, a third-grade refugee from Burma.
Mohammod is a confident, curious, and quick-witted boy who brings undeniable energy into every room! He is tender-hearted, playful and loves to be right in the middle of the action. When Mohammod first joined the Reading Circle program, he was reading at a 1st grade level. But over this past year (in the middle of a global pandemic), Mohammod has progressed 13 reading levels and is now reading above his grade level! He is determined and competitive and loves to celebrate his many successes!
And while this is clearly remarkable progress academically, I have seen Mohammod grow in so many other ways. Mohammod and his family are devout Muslims, but he and his 2 siblings joined the Refugee Resources program for the mentorship and community, even though it is a biblically-based organization. Each week, Reading Circle begins a bible story and a lesson about a characteristic of God. At first, Mohammod would not even touch the Bible or look at me while I was reading. He very articulately explained to me that he was not here to learn about my God and was not going to believe these stories. I told him that it was ok for us to believe different things and that I respected that he had his own convictions. So, he let me read the stories. And he listened.
Eventually, Mohammod started looking at the pictures as I read. Then he became interested in the stories we were reading. Mohammod loves a good dramatic twist, and the Bible is full of them! We began discussing these Bible stories and noticing what they taught us about God and about how his beliefs were different. When the Reading Circle began a monthly scripture memorization competition, Mohammod was often among the first to recite the verses correctly! Of course, Mohammod just wanted to “win”, but I can see how the Lord was using his curiosity and competitive spirit to engage him with His word. Mohammod still strongly professes his Muslim beliefs, but seeds of God’s grace and mercy and are being planted in his heart weekly.
Serving with Refugee Resources has reminded me that the Lord is always at work, and that sometimes He moves quietly through consistency, commitment and relationships. I feel truly honored to be one of many vessels that He is using to love and pursue Mohammod and the Vickery community.
Written by: Jessica Hageland
Creative photography by: Veil and Vine