Church communities gather to wrap arriving Afghan refugee family in a warm embrace

At the Spokane International Airport one night last week, a welcome committee awaited the arrival of American Airlines Flight 303 from Dallas, due in at 8:56 p.m.

On board was a family from Afghanistan, who was leaving its home country eight months after the government collapsed and the Taliban seized power. The committee, a hodgepodge of Spokane’s citizens, was spearheaded by Lisa Church, the lead liaison for St. Johns the Evangelist Catholic Church and Bill Osbourne, the reverend at St. Stephens Episcopal Church. One woman brought a hand -drawn poster with “Welcome!” in both English and Farsi.

Church members, former World Relief support agents, fellow Afghans and antsy high-schoolers gathered to provide a warm welcome. A group of children chattered about the best way to greet the arriving children, whose ages range from 20 to 2. They held a welcome banner that featured hand-drawn children holding hands and smiling together, illustrated with apricot- and tan-colored stick figures.

“Jesus talks about who is our neighbor … but the neighbor is also the person on the other side of the world. Whoever is in need, that is our neighbor,” Osbourne said. “And, certainly, refugees and people fleeing war and oppression are our neighbors.”

Once the U.S. State Department announced the creation of a community-based resettlement program called Sponsor Circle, Osbourne and Church both scheduled webinars about the program. The first family the church’s sponsor circle helped is a family of nine, bringing in at least $21,000 in fundraising to support the family. Osbourne noted the generosity of donors, including a $2,000 check, hours after announcing the housing initiative.

“I put out an email amongst all the congregations within our dioceses of the Eastern Washington and Idaho Panhandle,” Osbourne said. “People were so eager to help, the first check I got was from Grangeville, Idaho, and someone sent one, two thousand right of the bat. People have been really generous.”

Sponsor circles received mandatory training and underwent background checks. They also had to pledge to support a family for their first 90 days in the U.S., with housing, basic necessities, help accessing government services and benefits as well as help orienting new arrivals to their community, according to the State Department website.

From former refugee settlement counselors to the Realtors of Spokane, the lateral effort of community support helped bring the sponsorship to fruition. Discussions during Lent and Sunday school readings, such as Victorya Rouse’s “Finding Refuge: Real-Life Immigration Stories from Young People,” prepared the circle to welcome people from another world.

“We read that in our Sunday school, we talked every week about what was happening in Ukraine … with the people of Afghanistan,” said Church. “We spent all of Lent talking about this. So, it happened fast with the housing but we had a long time to talk about it.”

This includes a thorough understanding of the cultural practices from the family’s country which comes in handy, especially as Muslims are in the thick of Ramadan, the holy holiday that including fasting, charity and pilgrimage.

Kabeer Derwoosh attended the welcome party, acting as a community ambassador on behalf of the family. He’s a displaced Afghan who emigrated to America in November. His passion is in helping refugees as a volunteer for international refugee programs, including the welcoming process.

“I think this will give them the feeling that they’re not estranged and that they are welcomed here,” Derwoosh said. “Especially with people from the same culture and language, they will feel more comfortable and welcomed to their life here.”

Volunteers received donated furniture from the estate of an elder church member, something Church calls “grief becoming a new beginning.” Citing their first donation as “50 lamps everywhere,” the church groups also created an online inventory to purchase items for the house. The children will share four twin beds. Members of the sponsor circle also stocked the house with food, specifically of ingredients found in Afghan culture while also keeping Ramadan in mind.

“We got these enormous SignUpGeniuses and that was the best way to get everyone to help in little, itty bitty ways,” Church said, of the app that coordinates dates and responsibilities for large community events. “Stocking a refrigerator for someone you’ve never met is no easy feat. These were all ways to love our neighbor.”

The sponsor group prepared to house the family in St. John’s Cathedral extra office spaces, but Spokane landlords Carrie and David Lockhert realized they had a three-bedroom unit available – the Afghan family would come home to a fully furnished and stocked three-bedroom house in the South Hill.

“But the house just isn’t quite big enough for them with multiple kids in one room, but we’re used to, as Americans, kids having their own bedroom, but that isn’t the case around the world yet … it works,” Carrie said. “It was that moment of saying ‘Wow, OK – we need to get over our own mindsets.’”

The family arrived right at 8:56 p.m., or 5:26 a.m. in Afghanistan. Derwoosh acted as a translator, introducing the mother to Osbourne, church members and Saw Gary. Gary, a former World Relief program manager, assisted the circle, including the next steps of the resettlement program. He is himself a refugee who escaped the genocide of the Karen people in Myanmar.

“This is so fulfilling, I’m so thankful that the community came out and showed us support, letting them know that yes, there’s people that love and care,” Gary said. “These are some of the most vulnerable people we are seeing today. It’s really encouraging.”

From proposing the housing idea to grabbing the family’s belongings at baggage claim, Osbourne commended Spokane’s successful, communal approach to reflect the value of “supporting a fellow neighbor.” For now, the family will focus on settling and understanding city essentials such as the bus line, cultural grocery stores and the local refugee entities that will support them such as World Relief, Refugee Connections and Feast World Kitchen. Rent is taken care of through the end of June. The family’s four teenagers will attend Ferris High School for the remainder of the school year. The high school houses the Newcomer Center where students new to the United States learn English.

While the Sponsor Circle program stipulates that circles support families for 90 days, the Episcopal Migration Ministries, under which both churches operate, takes it further, requiring 180 days of support .

“Our goal is to help them obtain self-sufficiency.” Osbourne said.

The sponsor circle is asking for more donations including clothes, books and other items. However, housing is the highest priority since the family will only be in their three bedroom family home until July 1.

Donations can be offered directly to both St. Johns and St. Stephens churches.

Editor’s Note: Lisa Church is a member and liaison for the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, not St. Charles Catholic Church. A correction has been made to reflect that.