Afghan Refugee Family Support Program

By Joy Rouse

​In the spring of 2022, a St. Timothy's member had the inspiration that our parish could support an Afghan refugee family as they resettled in St. Louis after fleeing the chaos in Afghanistan in 2021. That inspiration blossomed into the "A-Team," which is a group of dedicated and loving volunteers who have helped a family acclimate to life in St. Louis.
Fast forward to today for an update on the team's work:

What a unique experience the St. Timothy’s Afghan Team is having as we continue to work with our refugee family of nine! The “A Team,” short for Afghan Refugee Family Support Team, is led by Karen Luecking, with group members Steve Crock, Susan Moenkhaus, LaVerne Moseley, Joy Rouse, and Mary Saggau. We have met many challenges as we’ve worked to make a difference in the lives of our family members despite the huge language barrier and significant cultural differences.
 
It’s been over a year now since we started working with our family. Starting in February 2022, we received training from the International Institute-STL and later the Immigrant Home English Learning Program (IHELP), with first visits to the family’s home in April 2022. The many hurdles the family members and our intrepid volunteers have faced is mind boggling.
 
St. Louis is not without agency support to offer, but the need is great. Navigating that bureaucratic and logistical maze is not the easiest task in the world! Gifts of money, clothes, diapers, toys, bedding, appliances, etc., demonstrate the generosity of St. Tim’s parishioners. We think some of the items we gave found their way to the homes of other Afghan refugee families. 
 
There was also the physical work of helping them move from one house to another and making some repairs and installations along the way. And of course, there was the challenging mental work of trying to help them under-stand our banking system and the best way to pay bills that fit with how the father wanted to manage money.
 
Our focus now is on empowering the family to continue their growth in handling things on their own, and on helping the mother learn English. Joy and Susan visit their home in South St. Louis weekly with lessons for her and attention and toys for the little ones (ages 1 ½ and 3 years). The other five boys have been in school, and now we‘ll see what summer brings. 
 
The mother’s task is enormous. She is illiterate in Pashto, her native language, so we can’t just show her something translated into Pashto to try to explain English content. She is very busy with cooking, cleaning, and everything it takes to care for a family of nine. She doesn’t get out much and cannot attend any classes that various local agencies offer. We continue a lot of experimenting because some of the curriculum we’ve been provided just doesn’t fit with her needs. But it does seem we’re in a bit of a groove now, and her progress in communication is showing—with understanding, speaking, reading, and writing.
 
Our prayers continue. At this point that includes asking for God’s gift of stamina and creativity so that the mother, in particular, keeps working on English and is always available for the lessons, and that we keep discovering new ways to encourage her efforts.  The phrase “starting from square one” has never held more meaning for us!  
 
We have our lighter moments, too, and know that laughing is a universal language. Mary, whose primary role has been to teach the father about money in the United States and how to pay for things, also ended up teaching one of the boys how to ride a bike! It happened spontaneously and was a delight to everyone. We’re grateful for all the times we’ve shared laughter and joy.
 
The caring we have for this family is genuine and strong.  Plus, the mutual appreciation we have for each other with our varied skills and talents plays an important role in the help we’ve been able to provide. Ministry is good!  

Please watch the video below to learn about our journey with this wonderful family.

The "A" Team members: Karen Leucking, Susan Moenkhaus, Joy Rouse, LaVerne Moseley, Mary Saggau, Steve Crock.