Jamin Bradley

Community Dinner Impact Story

"Get to love refugees by spending time with them. I have rarely felt as privileged as I did recently, when I got to share a meal with several Muslim Syrian refugees. A handful of translators passed everyone’s message back and forth as we feasted on delicious Arabic food. It was a night full of questions and laughter as all of our kids played in the other room, completely unconcerned about each other’s skin color and cultural differences. It was a wonderful time. Personally, I hardly said a word. I just watched the beauty play out between everyone and enjoyed the stories."

Melanie Eccles

“In my two interactions with Syrian refugee families, I watched as the language of children surpassed all boundaries. Though I was nervous about communicating or perhaps even offending one of the Syrian women, I found that my one year daughter was teaching me the way of love. She approached these families with no fear, only a big smile and the joy of Jesus. One woman was particularly taken with my little girl and spent most of the evening holding her, feeding her, and sharing drinks with her. This genuine display of love and security broke down all boundaries between the two of us and made the way for a friendship to develop, despite the language barriers. This family and mine were able to interact again a few weeks later, and it was truly joyful to share a meal together. We communicated the best we could about the anticipation of childbirth and the family's physical needs, but at the end of the evening all that mattered is the look of friendship in one another's eyes.” 

Randi shepherd

I’m not Muslim, Syrian, or a refugee. Yet, when I stood next to a woman who was all of these things what struck me the most was how similar we were. She and I are around the same age, we both have young children, and from what I could gather we both have argued with our husbands about how to arrange our bedroom furniture and we both let our kids watch cartoons. Yet, as we fumbled to communicate there was a moment where our eyes locked and the unfairness of the situation and differences of our lives broke my heart. 

This mother has faced things I will never face. She has seen horrors I will never see. She, at the same age of me, has fled a country, has to learn a new language, learn a new culture, resettle her children and start over. Her education doesn’t count anymore, she has been stripped of all dignity, she is unwelcome by many and yet, is completely dependent on the kindness of strangers. 

As I stared into her eyes I wanted to ask her, “How are you still standing?” 

On the drive home that night all I could think about was “it is not enough.” Our church spent the day buying what this family needed and moving them into their home…and while some would look at what we did as generous all I could think was, “it is not enough.” What happens to this family now? What about the others? 

We need more of the church to step up. We need more of the church to get on board. Why is there even question any more about helping refugees? Jesus commanded us to love everybody. And if we pray for opportunities to share Jesus’ love with people and if we pray for opportunities to change the world but do nothing when the least of these are walking among us, what good are we? 

The take-a-way for our church was that we need to be more involved. We need to love greater. We need to look past and let go of the labels that divide. Our interaction with this family broke our hearts in a good way and has made us want more of tangible gospel living.