By Leisa Parsons, Area Media Specialist
Almost all of the original Afghan refugees have settled in and their apartments have been furnished. There are a few more arriving, like the family that was helped Saturday morning by congregations from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Now, according to Joanne Franck of the Center for Refugee Services, their efforts are shifting. Franck said, “The shift is away from housing donations to helping with job security, food security…. I know your Church has been helping a lot. LDS groups have been dropping off food — flour, rice and lentils. The center is shifting their focus to more of the ongoing needs since most of the apartments are set up. We will continue to get a trickle, but the efforts are shifting to ongoing support.” Hygiene items along with baby supplies are also top of their list of needed items. If you are interested in helping JustServe can point you in the right direction.
Franck, along with many others, attended a get together to look back at the efforts of a Church congregation in Seguin who helped furnish 55 apartments for Afghan refugees. Franck of CRS said, “This project has been so amazing. We had so many groups, most of them were LDS, outfit entire apartments. Bishop Bird was able to get tons of apartments outfitted….It has been amazing.”
Clad in red “Light the World” t-shirts, Bishop Tim Bird, along with teenagers from his congregation, their parents and many others undertook an enormous effort. Known as “The Stable Project,” this group put in countless hours from the end of November until just recently to help furnish as many apartments as they could.
Emma Hargraves said, “It’s difficult to wrap my mind around the true scale of this project. But I personally saw the impact on these Afghan families….” 17 year-old Hargraves was one of several youth who spoke Saturday evening. She continued: “During one experience, when all the furniture was situated, the family was overwhelmed with joy. The mothers and daughters wrapped their loving arms around us, thanking us for what we had done that day. …This project taught me many, many things, but one that stands out is the importance a single hug can have and how joy can break any barriers.”
Anthony Buchanan (18) said, “I think one of my favorite parts was meeting the families and getting to know them, helping them out and talking to them while we were lifting big old furniture…. There was a language barrier but we would always find some way to communicate.”
Ben Schacht (14) reflected: “To see the smiles on their faces as we filled their apartments, just filled me with joy and peace and knowing that we were helping people. It helped balance out all of that hard work carrying all of that heavy furniture.” Adrian Alvarez (14) added, “I absolutely loved serving people… I love all the people from Afghanistan.”
Lilah Bird (14) told the story of going to the wrong apartment. She readily admits she didn’t listen to her dad during his initial instructions and wasn’t sure where to go. She saw and followed a little Afghan boy to his apartment. Others started following her thinking that it too, was the right apartment. They quickly ascertained that it was not the right apartment, but they had stumbled upon a family that had nothing. She said: “They had only the clothes on their back. We were able to get everything they needed. I loved seeing the look on the people’s faces as we got them their stuff.”
Jordan Johnson (16) said: “I can’t really explain how I would feel every time I would pick up one of those couches and bring it into somebody’s apartment and just set it down….I believe that service is very powerful. It is something that can change lives….” He added “Service doesn’t have to be huge.”
Chloe Tobler (16), confessed that one morning she didn’t really want to get up early on a rainy Saturday to spend her whole day devoted to the Stable Project. Despite her feelings, she got up and went. She said during their last delivery of the day, they were able to communicate with a family through their niece. They discovered that all the family’s three-year old boy wanted was a bicycle. Tobler said, “The translator, then asked, if you can find this little boy a bike, can you find my siblings a bike too?” Tobler and her parents, despite how late it was in the afternoon, took a trip to Goodwill. She said, “We thought, there’s no chance. So we pulled up to this Goodwill and there were three bikes. And we needed three bikes and they had all of the sizes that we needed. We know for sure that Heavenly Father was looking out for us…. We went back to the apartment, we knocked on the door and we had bikes and scooters…. The joy on their faces was unforgettable. I am so glad I went that day. It has left such an impression on my life.”
Bishop Tim Bird expressed similar feelings of how items needed were found and efforts blessed. He said: “As we continued to walk in faith, not knowing if we had the items we needed, we were led and guided. We always had the items even if we didn’t start out the day with those items.” He continued, “It’s a pretty long haul from here [Seguin] to the other side of San Antonio. It was interesting to see. We would have a list of six or eight families to start the day out, and we had items for maybe one apartment. But, by the time we’d pack our trailer and start driving, we had folks here working, and with social media working… we’d go pick up this and this and this on our way to our final destination. We always had the right amount of items in the right spots. It just is a witness to me that our Father in Heaven is keenly aware of us as individuals — every individual. He knows what we are going through. He knows our struggles and our trials. As we pay attention to those promptings, even in our times of need, we can still find time to serve.”
Margaret Costantino, the Executive Director of the Center for Refugee Services, wrote: “We are all amazed by the outpouring of love and compassion shown to our newest neighbors by the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We will forever be grateful.”