Loving the Sojourner Among Us

I cannot remember what I expected when I first signed up to be a weekly mentor with Reading Circle, but teaching students to read during a world-wide pandemic was definitely not it. I started my journey with Refugee Resources during the dark days of COVID-19 with many businesses and ministries still closed to the public and human relationships still mediated through social-distancing protocols. I can remember it was a great puzzle figuring out how to minister to students, how to teach them the nuances of English vocabulary and the depths of scripture through germ shields and masks. Especially since almost no student viewed their mask as strictly a mouth-protection device; it was more of a utility instrument to be used as a slingshot or hat as the situation demanded. It was both exhausting and invigorating, heartbreaking and hopeful. It was all that I expected it to be, and more than I expected it to be, and somehow nothing of what I expected it to be all at the same time. If that doesn’t make any sense, all I can say is, well, it’s time to learn more about Reading Circle. 

I’ve been proud this past year to serve as Hakizimana’s* mentor. I’m proud of him for the obstacles he’s overcome and even more proud of him for the obstacles he is still overcoming because no matter how hard the challenges, Haki has never given up. It’s not easy to sacrifice school nights after long days in the classroom to spend time working on vocabulary workbooks and reading comprehension tests. It’s even harder to sacrifice summer nights when friends are out playing soccer, but Haki has made those sacrifices every week. He has committed himself to a discipline of learning that I believe will yield payoffs far surpassing his investment, that will help him establish a foundation from which he can continue building his education and career. 

Already, his progress has been remarkable. It’s a special thing, beyond the power of words to express, to sit with a student every week and to bear witness to their achievements. But for all that Haki has accomplished, those accomplishments come nowhere close to being my favorite part of Reading Circle. My favorite part is always at the beginning of each class when I get to hear about Haki’s day; when I learn what he is excited about for the week ahead and how the last soccer game went. Any illusion that refugee students are different from other students, that their fundamental needs and desires are not the same, is quickly broken when you get to know one. Haki is hilarious and smart, sometimes sleepy, and always ready to tackle his assignments with focus and determination. All he wanted for Christmas was rollerblades. I will never forget the look on his face when he got them: the bright smile and expression of genuine thanks. 

I heard someone say once that love is about proximity. As good and necessary as it is to donate money and educate ourselves through books or documentaries, there is no substitute to sitting beside someone, week in and week out, and learning their personality, not just their abstract circumstances; but building a real relationship. That’s what Reading Circle is about at its core. It’s about engaging with real people in a spirit of humility and generosity: not because they are separate from our community but because they are part of it; because they escaped dire straits to the promise of a better life. It is the great privilege of the church to meet them in that journey, to be a bridge to new opportunities, and to be a shelter from loss and hurt. In meeting refugees on this journey, we connect our actions to a rich Biblical tradition that extends from Ruth and Boaz to the Good Samaritan, a pattern folded into scripture of love transcending race and culture. 

Tens of thousands of refugees live in Dallas. They are not removed from the main city centers; quite to the contrary, many of them live in Vickery Meadows in the heart of the city. If you have ever driven from Northpark to White Rock, or from Lower Greenville to Lake Highlands, you have passed it. If you have ever shopped at a store or eaten tacos, it’s very possible that you have done so in the company of those who moved to America with little more than their family members and the clothes on their backs. In Dallas, we live at the intersection of extreme wealth and dire need. I believe that comes with a corresponding responsibility as believers; it’s a responsibility set down in black and white such that we cannot claim any ignorance or excuse for refusing to honor it. One that tells us we should meet the widows and poor in their affliction; that we should love the sojourner among us. Reading Circle is taking up that responsibility as an outpost for God’s mercy in Dallas. It has already flouted all my expectations, and I know it will only continue to do so.  

*Student’s name has been changed to protect privacy.

Written by: Chase Cobb
Edited by: Emily Thompson

North Texas Giving Day is THIS Thursday, September 19th, and early giving is currently open. This day and the days leading up to it are crucial to the work we do at Refugee Resources. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year and one of the reasons we are able to continue serving our wonderful students. Our organization runs on a budget of roughly $136,000 a year and two-thirds of that comes from donations from people like YOU. People who believe in the mission of Refugee Resources and want to see lives transformed. 

We ask that you prayerfully consider partnering with us financially during this time. Your donations go directly toward providing life-changing literacy education to refugee students in the city of Dallas. We are extremely honored and privileged to be a part of the Vickery Meadows community and our students' lives and hope to do this work for years to come. Please consider donating today; no amount is too small!

Ready to give? Go to either website below to make a donation.

North Texas Giving Day profile:
www.northtexasgivingday.org/organization/refugeeresources

Refugee Resources direct website:
www.refugeeresources.org/donate