Arrival Story

In mid-March we had the privilege of welcoming a Karen family of four to Minnesota. The night of the arrival, we transported and joined their extended family at the airport for the welcome. Far and away the best face to watch throughout the evening was that of the family patriarch – father to the daughter arriving, along with her husband and two sons. He was the oldest in the family, but he walked the quickest to the terminal to wait for the daughter that he hadn’t seen in five years!

As we waited for her flight to arrive, he paced the floor, checked his watch frequently, smiled and said her name repeatedly. When she and her family came down the escalator, the extended family (including some of the woman’s sisters) screamed and cried with joy! She embraced each of her sisters, then slowly turned to face her dad. And with tears streaming down his face as readily as hers, he wrapped her in a tight hug.

It is with great honor that we welcome refugees here. We are blessed beyond measure to have some of the world’s most resilient people here among us.

We are thankful for an RLM team that welcomed this family and has committed to walking alongside them in friendship. We are also excited to learn that the extended family mentioned above was also welcomed by an RLM team five years ago! Praise God for His provision and for how He uses His church to share the love of Christ.