Bethlehem Connect January 2018 | Page 9

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! 9