Afghan Refugee Family Support Program

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.

The team partnered with the International Institute of St. Louis and was assigned a family of 9: mom, dad, and seven sons aged 7 months to 17 years old! St. Timothy's A-Team members are Karen Luecking, the "captain," Steve Crock, Susan Moenkhaus, LaVerne Moseley, Joy Rouse and Mary Saggau. They meet with the family regularly and help them with a wide range of things. When they first started meeting, the A-Team took the family grocery shopping and to doctor's appointments, rode the Metrobus with the father to help him learn the public transportation system, and delivered many donations of clothing and household goods provided by St. Tim's members. As the family got more settled, Mary helped the parents understand their financial obligations and how a cash economy works, Susan, Joy, and LaVerne have provide twice-weekly English lessons to the mother at home, along with learning and enrichment activities for the baby and toddler. Steve has done many things to help them get set up in their home, including installing a washer and dryer, mounting a donated TV to the wall, fixing a clogged drain in the basement, rerouting a gutter, and showing them how to keep up with the yard work. And all of this was done with our Afghan family speaking only Pashto, and the A-Team speaking English!

The A-Team's dedication is amazing, but they will tell you that they've gotten more from this experience than they've given. We made the video at the request of the Diocese to explain how their initial $1,000 grant was used in this Reaching Out ministry. Please watch the video to learn about their journey with our wonderful family.

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