Refuge for Refugees
Raj and Chandra Family, Cousins and friends
I think I have mentioned Maria's work with the refugees that live in the Auburn Apartments located in City Heights. This place is where many of the refugees that come to San Diego get their start in the US. San Diego is a designated refugee city, so City Heights can look like a UN meeting with all the mix of languages, cultures, foods and clothing. Maria works with Laurie Yackley our good friend and co-worker, teaching English as a Second Language...and they do teach English but that is almost secondary to the amazing relationships that they are building with a Buthaneese family that have been their focus.Chanrda (dad), Raj (mom), and their 3 kids somehow pull off life with all odds against them. In fact they are ripe to be exploited in so many ways. It's not uncommon to hear about these refugee men working hard 12 hour days for $3.00 hour. Ouch! Chandra works really hard for 12 hours a day in a restaurant that pays him 8.00 an hour...but any tips that come in go straight into the owners pocket. It could be worse.
The kids are learning English. They go to a really rough school that boasts 42 languages spoken on campus. Wow!All that to say, it's not easy! But there is Good News that Maria and Laurie bring each visit. The Good News of friendship with no strings attached. The Good News of someone that cares and they aren't even paid to care. The Good News is a strong expression of the incarnate Jesus through Maria and Laurie every week. Others from NeiuCommunities like Janny and Carli who go to tutor a Somali family's kids weekly are Good News too. The scent of the Kingdom is there.
Chandra and Raj rarely ask for anything but once in a while they ask if it's possible for them to see the ocean. It's five miles from their home but they just don't have the means to make it happen. It might as well be 500 miles away for them.
This a a major undertaking. When one family from the Auburn apartments goes to the beach suddenly their family grows in numbers with cousins and friends that just show up. We never really know how many will actually need rides no matter how many times we tell them that we only have seats for 14.
It is moments like this that Maria and Laurie recruit their husbands(Shaun and Rob) to mobilize several cars, lots of snacks, beach chairs, tons of sun block, and a readiness to both heard cats and get ready for to play the role of Life Guard. These people don't swim.
After double buckling (because they exceeded the limits and we just can't say no) we roll. We strategically set up on the beach as close to the lifeguard tower as possible. Then the 3 of us that can swim well stand on the beach and just constantly count little brown heads over and over. It's like herding catfish. After 2 hours of counting, handing out snacks and building sand castles we head home with the same number that we arrived with...Hallelujah! They were thrilled to have this moment at the beach. That's part of the Good News...Part of the Kingdom in action. Part of letting others know about our King. Thanks, Shaun and Maria
