Refugee Resources Le' Blog

New Opportunities to Invest Every Day

2010-03-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

I would love to share with you a most amazing story about how the hand of the Lord works and weaves and brings redemption! I am using the color as it brings about the color of Spring, Easter, Hope and New Life..and I believe, trust and now that this is what it has done in the life on one young man in the city of Kampala, Uganda!

You might think well, I thought Refugee Resources, Inc was just a ministry here in Dallas? Well it is..but Appolinaire saw my profile on Plaxo and asked to be my friend. So I asked my board member Pastor Kambale about Appolinaire and his blog and where he was from? Pastor Kambale happened to be from the very same area in the Congo and encouraged me to share with this young man who was struggling and was the same ages of my adult children. Appolinaire has started calling me Mum, I believe out of respect, and needing hope! Appolinaire had been in a refugee camp but fleed because of the uprisings and how many people had died! We think that of the refugee camps are safe but this is not always the case..and then some of his friends were killed in the city..I kept encouraging him in the word...that the Lord did have a hope for him and a future..to remember the songs of his youth. Pastor Kambale has a friend, Pastor Kawade..through various emails we were able to get Appolinaire and Pastor Kawade in touch with each other through his grace and technology!! Pastor Kawade has a Bible School in Kampala!! Pastor Kawade was able to minister to Appolinaire's heart and soul. He gave him some food and prayed with him. Appolinaire has applied with the International School of Missions and we are anxiously awaiting to hear of his admission as the committee meets this weekend! If accepted he will begin the next semester in May! Refugee Resources Inc has already set up tuition for his 1st semester! More than likely Appolinaire will be accepted as he already has three years at the University of Goma.. The hand of the Lord is so good in how he works and weaves for good!!! Bringing hope for a new generation!! Thank you Lord for how you connect lives, people and bring hope to make change for a brighter tomorrow!

Family Fun Night

2010-03-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

Family Fun Night is always that, it is just fun! We sing songs! Of course we laugh and have silly game time because we always enjoy a great shaving cream time with the Lake Pointe Youth Group..they are such great sports! Our lesson for tonight was about how Adam and Eve ate the apple out of disobedience and made a tragic mistake and caused us to be broken. There are two glasses: the me, me, me mirror that says Love Self and all we can see is ourselves and the other is see through and that glass says Love Others! But there isn't any way that we can do that without the Lord because we are broken! We need Him! The kids and parents really seemed to understand this concept and pointed to the fact that they didn't want to be the one that was about Self but the one that Loved Others! That is what building better families and better communities is all about! Then more singing, our traditional favorite is Big House and a few favorite others! It was time to load up the bus and go home. Thank you Mr Monte, Truett Elementary and all of our volunteers!

Visiting Refugee Families

2010-03-22T21:37:00.000-07:00

I always love being able to visit the families that I work with, catch up with them and today was one of those days! I was delivering flyers for our Community Outreach for Building Better Families and Better Communities at one of the government complexes where I work. At this particular complex 49 refugee families live, and today was a day to share hugs, and get the news on each of these various families!
We had two new move ins, two new babies, one family had moved, one little girls cuts and bruises were all healed up, one family wanted to know where they could buy a used car, and we all were looking forward to seeing each other again tomorrow for our monthly meeting at Truett Elementary School! So today was a fun filled day of sharing, laughing, planning, and making plans to see each other again tomorrow!
These friendships and families are truly close to my heart! I would highly recommend this investment of your time to anyone!

Project Hope

2010-03-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

Project Hope!
Project Hope is our opportunity to partner with various foundations, church's, civic groups, Sunday School Classes, Youth Groups, Children's Ministries, Individual Donors, anyone that would like to participate in helping to send a refugee student to summer day camp at Hidden Acres this July or Aug for four awesome days of inspiring, life changing opportunity for these students!

We raise scholarships for these students to attend the camp each year and we are 1/3 of the way towards our goal for this year. We have raised $20,000. Our goal for this year is to send 250 refugee students age 5-15 for the weeks of July 20-23, 27-30 and Aug 3-6. To send one refugee child to camp is $250 per student.

The students grow in their English skills, conflict resolution, team building, understanding Jesus love for them, developing in their creativity,singing, swimming, fishing, boating and gametime in a retreat setting in the country that allows them to be out of the city & violence and be renewed in their hearts for a future and a hope.

This experience for these children is a highlight for them every year. During the school year the students share with their teachers about camp, they sing the songs all year long and reflect upon the lessons learned.

Most of these families live in government subsizdized housing and the children do not have opportunities to have special outings. To attend summer camp at Hidden Acres is more than something special. Camp is truly a joy. These children dream about camp all year long and truly treasure it in their hearts.

Won't you consider joining with us and being a part of Project Hope?

You may consider getting a group together and having some type of fundraising project. You may certainly email me with any questions at alysa.marx@gmail.com

Please send you tax deductible donations marked scholarships for refugee students to summer camp at Refugee Resources Inc. 9310 Forest Lane #348-499, Dallas TX 75243

Thanks for joining us in sending these amazing kids to camp!:)

The Simple Things

2010-03-07T19:52:00.000-08:00

Today, I had the simple pleasure of teaching Maggie, an 8th grader..how to bake simple slice and bake chocolate chip cookies! To be honest, we think that everyone should already know how to use an oven or really figure out something as simple as a Nestle's Tollhouse Slice and Bake Cookie? But for a refugee family, this is just as difficult as any of the other tasks that these families have had to overcome...
No one has come before them, or shown them how to do these simple everyday things that yes..I have to admit I take for granted. So it is always with great joy that I have the fun to share the small things that I know..and yes even bringing awareness to others all around us of what huge blessings we have..that sometimes we forget...
Now back to Maggie, yes she was quite delighted with her new found success, and we went on to also make a popcorn cake..yum yum!! One for my neighbors and one for her to take home to share! Well, Maggie's brothers were quite impressed when I shared with them as I picked them up for church..our usual Sunday evening drive..that it was Maggie that indeed who made the cookies! Their eyes were wide now with new found respect for their sister..hoping that she just might make some more at home for them!:) Just maybe so..as Maggie smiled with a grin! Eventually cookies from the beginning!:)

Tutoring Pays Off!

2010-03-06T17:13:00.001-08:00

It was so much fun to check in with the leader of the tutoring, Frank Alexander for Dallas Christian Schools the other day to see how it was going with the middle schools kids! Frank had been sharing about how faithful the girls had been in coming, studious, and very sweet.

This is always great news to hear! Frank then went on to share that this last week one of the students shared that she number one had no homework this week, but number two she scored the highest of the grade that they had helped her study for the last week! Everyone was so pleased all around! The tutoring had paid off!
Faida was grateful for the help and the tutors were grateful that their efforts had made a difference! It is fun too because Faida is a motivated girl who wants to learn! So thank you to those who come and want to make a difference in the lives of others!

Sala

2010-02-26T21:52:00.000-08:00

It is always so exciting to see progress in one of our clients/friends. They become family to us. This story that I am going to share with you is about Sala.

When Sala was hired for her new job, she first had to give two weeks notice to her current job. If she didn't pass the test than she was without a job. The pressure was on. Sala was sent home with a booklet to study and that was about it. She had to study all about security for the airport to become an employer for housekeeping.

You can't imagine all that she needed to learn. The hardest thing for Sala was not only learning about the new English words but to say them, understand their meaning and the consequences of someone breaching the security of the airport security. Sala and I studied hard for two weeks. We even did a field trip out to the airport so that she could visually understand what she was studying. We made note cards, practiced over and over again. Her whole family got involved with helping her to study as they began to understand a new way of what it meant to study. New words of security, restricted, sensitive, identification, administration: these were big words for a person to comprehend, to say with confidence and understanding.

When the big day came for Sala came to take the test she missed the test by one point. She was devastated! The next day, one of our board members and her befriender cleared his schedule ~ Pastor Monte Slaver and took her back out to the airport and again Sala missed the test by one point! Monte went over with Sala the importance of understanding the English language and how sometimes in a True and False statement some things are true and some things are false and you have to decide what parts are true and what parts are false. Sala knew the material but she was getting confused with the T/F questions, with this new information on how to understand the English language and how to decipher the question Sala was ready to go back on her own and tackle the test one more time.

This time she got all the questions correct!! That is why befrienders are so important to the refugee! To help guide, assist, advocate, encourage, pray and be there to help them along the way. Someone just to say "You will make it"!!

So many times Sala would say, "I just don't know if I can do it" and then we would stop right then and pray and ask the Lord to help her understand the material. The Lord is so good for providing for her and for friends like Monte! We are so thankful for her new job and that Sala has progressed in working so hard in learning more English! Way to go Sala! Thank you to her family for encouraging her in the process! We are extremely grateful for her new job!

New Tutoring

2010-02-21T08:55:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday of the week, Feb 17, Dallas Christian School volunteer students began tututoring the middle school refugee children at Shiloh. I love when our American students reach out and give beyond themselves to those that have not been blessed with the everyday things that our students just have and "get!" This teaches "our" students to look beyond themselves from an early age to build better communities right around them, and that it doesn't take very much effort on their part but to give back to different communities and how blessed we are in America. I also love this program because it teaches reconciliation between these communities, building better relationships, helping the volunteers learn to teach and the refugee children to learn to ask for help. Whether it be trying to understand English at a different level, science or math skills, the Dallas Christian School students find that they are capable of teaching their new found refugee friends wherever the road may lead. Bridges are built, relationships are formed and better families and communities are formed all around. The students are able to go home and share about who is a refugee and how they are our very own backyard neighbors and these students are able to assist them. The refugee students are open to learning because they want to be better students and make progress at school and help their families become sustainable here in America.

Thank you Dallas Christian School for being willing to partner with RRI on a once per week basis! These students lives and futures will certainly be blessed!!!

The Olympics

2010-02-14T21:54:00.000-08:00

Well, I will share something that not too many people know..I used to be a pretty good athlete. I dove springboard and platform and was qualified for the 1980 Olympic trials. I had to quit diving because of an injury. Why I am sharing this is because..

What are we all watching right now? The 2010 Edmonton Winter Olympic Games! Our hearts start singing and we want our favorite athlete to win! What I want to present to you is that each of us in our own hearts is special and a great winner!

WE just have to keep challenging each other and encouraging each other!

I must share with you, that some of the stories and tragedies that these families have come through that I work with truly humble me..my life has been so blessed!

I have not had to flee my home country due to persecution, or fearing my life, or losing loved ones along the way..

I think we see heroes all around us everyday! Sometimes we just want to see the obvious and I do applaud all the hard years of work and dedication of the Olympic athlete! I have dear friends that have made the Olympics!!!

I was one of those that fought, lived for the dream and to make the Olympics is truly the Ultimate!

Yet, we have everyday people all around us..fighting to just make it one day at a time and we at Refugee Resources, Inc. walk with them to adjust to their new life here in America..and this counts too.

So each one has a perspective and they each count. So just a few words for both sides of the coin..

I love them both!!

Yes, The Olympics are Glorious!

and I love my work with Refugee Resources, Inc.

Each has a perspective, each one takes so much work, agony, adjustment, determination

and struggle..but in the end..the prize for all is great joy!

Visiting Families at Vickery Creek

2010-02-13T16:47:00.000-08:00

Today I went with my friend Samer to visit some of the families at the Vickery Creek Apartments. I always love to see the various families and to catch up with them. I was introducing them to my friend Samer. Samer will be bringing a youth group from Community Creek in Allen in two weeks to clean the apartments, building relationships with the families and then playing with the kids! Yes, these kids love to play!! It was especially delightful today as one of our girls since moving from Shiloh had really moved into a shell and was not speaking at school. I had received a message asking if she could talk! Of course she can talk I shared! But the trauma of moving had set her back.. Today, as I went to see her..the counselors had been working with this precious one and out came the words and she said hi and goodbye! Yeah for progress! Yeah for teamwork!

It's Snowing Here in Dallas

2010-02-12T08:46:00.000-08:00

February 12. 2010
It is snowing here in Dallas with over 5" of snow. The schools are closed and of course the kids are thrilled! I am most thankful to all of our partners that donated coats and shoes this past Christmas and fall to our refugee families! Otherwise these dear ones would have nothing to keep them warm! So I am going to take a moment to list them all here because without our partners we would be nothing!~

Irving Bible Youth Group: High School and Middle School
Irving Bible Christmas Angel Tree
Forest Villa Elementary School Fourth Grade Classes - Flower Mound
Bent Tree Bible High School Ministry
Fine Arts Day Camp, Bent Tree Bible Church
Norma Lentz - ongoing ministry

The children are warm, they are playing in the snow and we are thankful for our many friends! Snow in TEXAS!! What fun!!!

Catching Up

2010-02-10T21:03:00.000-08:00

So much has happened since I last blogged! Summer Camp at Hidden Acres! Thanksgiving! Christmas! Christmas Conference with the Crusade Students! We have amazing friends all around! We couldn't make it as a non profit with out all of our volunteers and friends!

So since I can't write it all in one night I will begin a little at a time. The blessings of so many friends spill over and over so I am going to work on trying to remember because each one is so important. First it began with the Children's Ministry at Bent Tree Bible Church and their Hope Project. The children began saving their quarters by doing odd jobs around the house and earning quarters to help send the refugee children to camp at Hidden Acres. These children love to attend camp so much, that is the refugee children they talk about and truly look forward to all year long! The children at Bent Tree Bible Church saved enough quarters, $2000 worth that went towards scholarships for these children to attend summer camp! You can look for the links at www.refugeeresources.org www.hiddenacres.org or Yeah for kids all around!!!

Accomplishments - June Fun

2009-06-23T23:15:00.000-07:00

Each year, I delight to see the growth in the students lives and how they are developing in their school work. This year it is very exciting to see how well the middle school girls did in their English as a Second Language Class. I know that at least six of the girls passed out of the ESL class and several of the boys as well. Since I have known most of these students for five years, it really is very exciting for all of us to see this huge step of progress for them! Several of these girls are participating in this years Summer School Program which is offering a Theatre and Music Course through Big Thought! It is a tremendous opportunity for these young people to explore the arts. The boys are taking the opportunity to join other guys in soccer, a few students are catching up in a class or two and truly appreciating the extra attention to understand the material.

The students have enjoyed their donated books from IBC and take turns exchanging them out of my car every week or two. Tutoring has also been something to look forward to every other Saturday, as well as having reading partners. This past Saturday, a few of the students even helped to pick up trash on the grounds which proved to be rewarding experience for all of us that participated.

We had a special outing with the preschoolers this past Monday, as they each got to choose their own swimsuit, then we went to the Lake Highlands Sprayground. Here the children played in the amazing waterpark and had so much fun! Then we enjoyed CapriSun's and Chex Mix and before we knew it, the time had come for us to pile back in my car to return to Shiloh!

Soon the Imagine the Impossible dancers at Shiloh will begin practicing with Ms Mary to perform on July 2 and July 31. These dancers will perform once for the Dallas Independent School District and the other for a final performance at a week long fine arts day camp.

The summer sure has been memorable. Suddenly it is time to get shoe sizes and uniform sizes already for the fall..it is hard to believe? How come everyone just keeps on growing! If you would like to donate towards this cause you may send a check to our address, 9310 Forest Lane #348-499, Dallas TX 75243 We would greatly appreciate any contribution.

The days are drawing nearer until we go to Summer Camp. I know everyone is excited and they can hardly wait. I almost hear everyday, why did it have to be in August this year. Right before school!

This summer we have made new friends and hope to make others as well! We are learning to get along with each other, which isn't always the easiest thing to do. For now, I know the kids are enjoying the lazy days of the hot summer fun and we are blessed. May you enjoy your summer too!

We will miss you, Asha!

2009-03-01T22:26:00.000-08:00

Today, March 1st, 2009, our beloved Asha Mabruko passed away. Asha was the grandmother to Mohamud. She and her orphan grandson are from Somalia, and the tribe of the Bantu. I first met Asha almost 5 years ago. She was a living piece of tapestry in the middle of Vickery. This very elderly woman wearing frail dresses, flip flops and carrying various sizes of babies strapped across her back, always caught my eye. Asha would be hunched over from her osteoporosis, but she loved those babies and would continue to carry them and made her way across the busy streets of Pineland or Holly Hill.

I thought to myself, I want to know her, what an incredible woman, what a living legend. Her life must be amazing, she has fled for her life and lived in refugee camps for over a decade. Asha had seemingly almost been plucked up and until Dallas never had running water or electricity. Thinking to myself, I thought how will she acculturate? Dallas is such a fast complex technological society? What must she think?

I remember one time my mother was visiting and tried to teach Asha not to cook something on red hot high. My mom would turn it down to medium boil and Asha would then go back and turn it right back to red hot! We just looked at each other. We then tried to have Mohamud explain that it didn't need to be on that high. Yet Asha was used to cooking with a fire, so I don't think we made much progress. She was a very determined woman! She also treasured and loved her grandson, Mohamud, very deeply.

My life has been deeply enriched by knowing Ms Asha. One of my greatest rewards in my life was in Asha's final days. Sometimes I would find her in inexplicable conditions. This was not due to her family. (There were other circumstances involved.) I never knew if I could rise to the occasion for that kind of job, but the Lord filled me to see that no one should ever be left to lie like that.. I would bathe her because He calls us too. Asha would look so relieved and refreshed.

See, Jesus truly calls us to love and value all, no matter where they come from or whatever position they hold as the world may deem. For Jesus sees differently and so should we. If you live your life as He calls us too, you will see the rewards are far greater than you could ever imagine. Though Asha and I could never speak the same language, when she died, my heart ached so deeply.

When Asha was no longer eating or drinking, I thought how can I serve her? What can I do to ease her pain and comfort her during this time. So I bought her some lotion. She loved the lotion and started rubbing it all over her feet..so I knew just what to do. I would massage her hands, her arms, her legs, then her feet, and her feet again. A story came to mind and I was the one that was most blessed.

Irving Bible Chuch Angel Tree

2009-02-09T21:04:00.000-08:00

Irving Bible Refugee Christmas 2008
The Lord gave Himself to us in the form of His Son, Jesus, and spoke the word love. IBC worshippers shared the same love by reaching out to one hundred refugee children here in Dallas this Christmas. Most of these refugees are muslims from Somalia. With so many generous and lavish GIVERS, it brought tears to my eyes to see the warmth of love poured onto these children. The Somali Bantu are a forgotten group that we are reaching with the gospel right here in Dallas. These children are trying to understand the meaning of Christmas; many of whom don’t have coats, shoes, or toys. Now, we know the gifts are not the true meaning of Christmas, but we do know it gives us the opportunity to share that Christmas is different-more importantly who the true gift is. It allows us to build relationships of love. We thank you for the opportunity to bless these children. I would like to share with you some of these stories of these children: Mohamed: Mohamed lives between three homes. He used to live with his grandmother who had 12 children. She is dying of cancer and kidney diseases, and now lives with her daughter. Mohamed is an orphan; both of his parents have died. Now he lives nomadically with his uncle who cannot cook, his grandmother's home, and another relative's home where they have six children. When I picked up Mohamed the other day, he grabbed the soccer ball that was given to him by one of the IBC GIVERS, and I knew that person would never really know how much Mohamed had been blessed. Mohamed’s family is Somali Bantu. Selme: We brought Selme her present along with a Christmas tree. She has an older brother that tends to be a little bossy. So as she was opening her present we had her brother, Mohamed, (yes, a common name) help with the tree. This was a good opportunity for him to be a helper. As Selme was opening her present, she said, “Hannah Montana! Yeah! I love Hannah Montana!” I was a little shocked as I didn’t expect quite this reaction from this little 9 year old. I asked her and she said, “Everyone knows about Hannah Montana!" They were delighted to have their very own Christmas tree, and it was wonderful to have Mohamed’s energy channeled for at least a few minutes. Selme’s family is Somali Bantu. Daniel: Recently, Daniel had a very stressful experience in his life where he had to go into treatment for abandonment and attachment issues. Daniel is 9 years old. He had been found as an infant in the forest where his current mother found him. So life for Daniel has been difficult since his arrival to the States, as well as his continual adjustment to his family. He recently moved, and when trying to track him down, the Lord had blessed him with a very generous IBC GIVER! Daniel received new clothes, a jacket, toys, a soccer ball, and a Christmas tree! Daniel said he never had a Christmas tree as he stood in front of the tree with his new soccer ball. I wished I could show the picture, but as life has it, I lost my camera. Please keep Daniel in your prayers. He is living with a sweet, loving, believing, couple that really wants to help him. Pray for healing and adjustment as he starts his new school. Daniel’s family is from Rwanda. May you be as blessed this year IBC GIVERS. May you continue to join us in reaching and praying for these refugee children and families as we reach out to them as His hands and feet through our ministry at Refugee Resources, Inc. Thank you for partnering with us. In His Love, Alysa Marx

Imagine the Impossible for every child

2008-11-26T00:41:00.000-08:00

On November 1st, 2008, tryouts were held for the refugee children of Shiloh Village. In order to be chosen to dance we partnered with the non profit called, Imagine the Impossible for every child,based on Eph 3 and founded by Mary Johnson. The student needed to demonstrate attentiveness, focus, discipline and a willingness to learn. Little did the students realize that in three short weeks they would be dancing the weekend before Thanksgiving at Northpark Mall. Most of these children had never even been to a mall, let alone performing before scores of people in one of Texas most elegant and upscale malls! The dancers put hours each Sunday into perfecting their routines. Just weeks before they could hardly stand still and now they would listen, focus and spend up to 4 to 5 hours perfecting their dance routine.

When it came time to go over the details of preparing for the performance, it came to our attention that most of these dear children did not have soap and shampoo. Though I realize that the families struggle with the basic necessities, it never ceases to humble me with their continual needs and what they do not have. Of course we got what they needed for the performance, but if during this holiday season you would like to give in some way. We know some families just need help with the basics or you may want to sponsor one of the students towards the purchase of their dance attire. The total for their shoes, bag, tights, and leotard all totals $70. Please do not feel any pressure, this is only if the Lord lays this on your heart and you have seen the difference that dance has made in their lives. May you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and may we all be thankful for the bounty in our lives.

Meet Our Newest Staff Member

2008-11-24T21:34:00.000-08:00

Refugee Resources is proud to introduce you to our newest staff member. We are very excited to have Kaitlyn Mullens join us. Here is a little bio by her:

Hi, my name is Kaitlyn Mullens, and my husband Cameron and I live here in Dallas. I first started working with refugee families through my kindergarten teaching position with RISD. During my 3 years of teaching, I grew to love these kids and families and I began doing ministry with them outside of school. This ministry work started out small, and then grew to be an every day committment. That is when I was welcomed by Refugee Resources Inc. to work full time as an advocate for these refugee families. My desire is for every refugee family to see the love of Christ through meeting physical and practical needs, and through speaking with them about Christ. Praise the Lord who has compassion on his people, and whose name the nations will praise!!

Please be in prayer for her as she begins this new venture alongside of us.

Camp For Refugee Children Video

2008-11-21T11:04:00.001-08:00

Going Glocal ariticle

2008-11-20T08:47:00.000-08:00

Wanted to share this great story that talks about a personal story from someone who has partnered with our ministry.

I will include some here but plese click the link to read more.

Some people sit back in church and wonder, “how could I serve?” If you are like me, a stay-at-home mom with four small kids to take care of, missions is the furthest thing from your mind. Imagine leaving everyone for a two-week stint abroad. Trying to coordinate school pick-ups or babysitting for that long seems daunting. Still, the Bible tells us all we are to go into all the nations. Not just some of us, all of us. As I have continued to pray and ponder this idea, God has encouraged me and convicted me, two of His favorite things to do to me, through a dear friend here at Bent Tree, Elizabeth Smith. Smith is an extraordinary woman with an incredible passion to show what outreach means to her daughter Lauren.

Several years ago at a Bent Tree Missions Festival, Elizabeth visited the local ministry booths looking for kid-friendly outreach opportunities. She was pulled in by a sign that just said Refugees.

Click here to read more.

Drums Not Guns

2008-11-20T08:43:00.000-08:00

Refugee Resources has partnered with Drums not Guns for some events for our refugee children. We have some great stories to share about how the children are enjoying this. To learn more about this organization you can read about them at drums.org

Faces of the World at Our Doorstep by Refugee Resources

2008-11-13T21:06:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our blog

2008-11-11T14:55:00.000-08:00

Thank you for visiting our blog. Here you will learn about the latest happenings at Refugee Resources Inc.