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office@arriveministries.org 612-798-4332
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • Events
    • Staff and Leadership
    • Join Our Team
    • News & Stories
    • Contact
  • Immigrant Services
    • Who We Serve
    • Resettlement
    • Employment
    • Green Card/Citizenship
    • Education Classes
    • Request Volunteer Support
  • Volunteer
    • Volunteer With Us
    • Volunteer Resources
    • Regional Sites
    • Trainings
  • Get Involved
    • Community Support
    • Rent To Refugees
    • Hire Immigrant Neighbors
    • Advocate
    • Give Items
  • Donate

Friba Welcomes a Stranger

November 5, 2020

When I was 9 months pregnant, my toddler and I were tasked with photographing Jenny, one of our exceptional AWELL program tutors.[pullquote style=”right” quote=”light”]


“ …she had no idea who I was, and yet she still ‘rolled out the carpet’ for me and my son.”


[/pullquote]

Unbeknownst to me, due to some crossed-wires, Jenny wasn’t able to warn Friba that an Arrive Ministries staff person would be showing up to her apartment that Friday morning. So with a shy 2-year-old on my hip and a camera around my neck, I buzzed Friba’s apartment in the drizzling rain.

She said in her limited English, “Jenny?” Since I naively assumed my visit was expected, I took that greeting to mean, “Any friend of Jenny’s is a friend of mine. Welcome!”

Friba came to let her unexpected guests into her apartment. My son and I made ourselves comfortable sitting cross-legged on her beautiful Persian rugs. (Okay, I wasn’t that comfortable, but that was due to the impending baby, not the lack of hospitality.)

Friba pulled out platters of Afghan snacks, warmed up a pot of Afghan green tea, and we smiled at each other… a lot.

Jenny finally showed up and explained who I was to Friba. It was only then that I realized Friba had no idea who I was, and yet she still “rolled out the carpet” for me and my son.

Friba’s hospitality was a pure example of what it means to welcome the stranger.

 

Kate Shermer is Arrive Ministries Communications Director

 

 

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Arrive Ministries is a refugee resettlement agency providing essential services and practical assistance to refugees and immigrants to advance self-sufficiency. We mobilize volunteers, in partnership with local churches, to extend love and friendship to our new neighbors to promote thriving in a new homeland.

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