Four years ago, the Refugee Resettlement Committee welcomed Wasan and Jafar to our church community. They arrived early September 2016, a long journey from Iraq via Syria and Turkey. What started out for many as an interest and desire to support a refugee family and walk with them on their journey has blossomed into a loving relationship among friends. How are they doing now?

Jafar is a handsome, 14-year boy, happy to be back at Eckstein Middle School for a second year, after attending 4th and 5th grade at Mark Twain Elementary and 6th grade at Redmond Middle School. As an 8th grader he seems to be thriving with distance learning. During his lunch break recently, he eagerly told me about his classes. His excitement about studying electricity in Science and completing a book study in ELA(English Language Arts) was evident. He works hard on his daily Math and History assignments and proudly displayed his grades of two A’s and a B+ so far! He enjoys the Zoom meetings, especially the breakout sessions where when work is completed the kids can chat. Online P.E. is lots of fun as Jafar daily spends thirty minutes on independent videos doing pushups, star jumps, jogging etc. Maybe he can get credit for riding his bike outside around the Magnuson Park! Miss Anna, his ELL teacher, presents a daily small group lesson in learning English and provides a safe loving environment for students of different cultures. When asked “What is your favorite?” he replied with enthusiasm, “They are all my favorites! This is good for the future!” And like most teenagers, he loves to play video games when school is finished for the day. 

Wasan is an incredible woman who puts her son at the forefront of all her decisions. It was a long and difficult journey to arrive at where she is today. When Wasan arrived in the United States she spoke little English, had never handled and paid bills, never spoke with men outside her family, or held a job. Through perseverance and determination, she is completely independent now and competently takes care of everything. She is an advocate for her son; she knows how to ask for help as she navigates the many systems in the U.S. She is an amazing cook and her spotless home is decorated with warmth, showing the love she shares with Jafar. She takes great pride in her home at Mercy Housing in Seattle and is looking forward to staying there a long time! When asked how she follow the news, she replied, “On my cell phone, I read the Breaking News from the Seattle Times! I read every day about the U.S., the virus, the fires, local news, around the world.” Yes, she reads in English and if necessary, she translates it into Arabic for further understanding! Wasan and Jafar ride the bus to the grocery store, medical appointments, and shopping, maneuvering it with ease. Wasan misses going to the public library, due to the COVID-19, and is looking forward to getting back to those trips as well as the outings she and Jafar enjoy, exploring around their neighborhood. The restrictions of the pandemic present challenging times for Wasan and Jafar but they have faced such trials before and are thankful to be here among friends.

Wasan is very grateful for all the support Holy Spirit has offered her and Jafar as they began their new life here in the US. She asked that we express her thanks and gratitude and wants the congregation to know she has never taken for granted the help so graciously offered. She always stresses to Jafar to return help when he can. She is a very ‘pay it forward’ kind of person. Please keep Wasan and Jafar in your prayers, she keeps us in hers.