outreach
Refugee Family Update: Entering 2018 on an Upswing Little Things
In mid-2017, Bethlehem began sponsoring a refugee family from Somalia in
partnership with Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota. The family, which
includes mom Amina and her four dependent children, Kewser, Hassen,
Ferdowsa and Abdishekur, spent several years in a refugee camp in Ethiopia
before arriving in Minnesota in late 2016. Amina also has two young adult sons
who arrived in the U.S. prior to the rest of the family and recently moved in to
help support them. On Saturday
morning,
February 10,
Bethlehem
women and girls
of all ages will
gather to make a
difference in the world. Their impact
will be felt not as a grand gesture, but
rather as an accumulation of little
things that make a big difference.
Women will be finishing quilts to send
to people who need a warm blanket.
Others will roll bandages for a mission
hospital overseas – such a simple
thing, but critically important for
patient care. Still others will assemble
Newborn and Hospice Kits. The items
in these kits are everyday things, little
things we often take for granted here,
but such a blessing to the people who
receive them across the world.
Thanks in no small part to the
caring and generosity of our
church community, Amina and
her children endured a very
difficult 2017 and look forward
to better days ahead. Our support
included assistance with rent,
donations of clothing and
household goods, quarters for
laundry, bus passes and more.
We also assembled a mentor
team that continues to support
Amina, her family and the mentor team enjoying
the family in areas such as
the exhibit at MIA
practicing English, applying for
college and jobs, learning about
life and culture in Minnesota, managing household finances and more.
The mentor team also played an important role in helping the family through a
crisis, when Abdishekur (Abdi), the youngest child, was hospitalized following
a life-threatening injury. They delivered hugs, emotional support and – in true
L utheran fashion – many baked goods to the hospital and to the kids at home.
Following several weeks in the hospital, Abdi returned home this fall and has
even returned to school.
In December, the team enjoyed some lighter moments with the family – such as
an outing to the Minneapolis Institute of Art. “We spent almost two hours there
enjoying the Somali art exhibition and many other areas of the museum,” said
mentor team leader Cathy McCarron, noting that Abdishekur walked around the
museum unassisted, leaving his crutch behind.
Bethlehem plans to support another refugee family in 2018. If you are interested
in getting involved, contact [email protected].
"A Love Letter"
by Kim Dickey
This is a love letter. To my husband, certainly, whose sudden death in May was
a devastating loss and still felt so keenly. Collin was all about love. He was
kind and compassionate, welcoming, curious, smart (so smart), funny, fun. He
loved to tell stories, he loved to think about how to make lutefisk better, and
he loved to hang out with friends, including the many confirmation students
he befriended and mentored at Bethlehem. But this is also a love letter to
Bethlehem. From the moment you heard, you offered to write his obituary so we
didn’t have to (even as you felt the loss yourself), you dropped off an amazing
box full of Kleenex and all the little things we didn’t even know we needed yet,
you brought us food, you showed up to help us clean out our house, you set
up our Christmas tree, you set aside Monday nights to pack boxes or “just” be
company for dinner, you offered a hug on a Sunday morning. So many things, big
and little, that have helped us so much. This is Outreach, this is you! Thank you.
Last year we sent 306 newborn kits,
314 hospice kits and 365 rolled
bandages from Women’s Day of
Service! We hope to do the same
or more this year. To do that, we’ll
need more than 600 new or gently
used bath towels (we have 233
already! You ladies are amazing!)
and, especially needed, 300 pairs of
heavy-duty kitchen gloves, 200 nail
clippers, and 300 pick-style combs.
A full list of items needed for kits,
including the most up-to-date count,
is on Bethlehem’s website and at the
Welcome Desk. Items for our WDOS
projects are donated by members.
They can be dropped off any time at
both campus offices, or watch for our
tables on Sundays in January.
Women’s Day of Service will begin at
9:30 am in the sanctuary on Feb 10.
We’ll hear about Bethlehem’s youth
program, a program that is constantly
being renewed to be “timely, cutting
edge, partner-supported, topical, and
justice-minded.” We’ll hear from our
youth about their experiences last
summer and how that experience
shapes how they live out their faith.
Join us and bring a friend! Stay for
lunch – it’s always great!
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