As a teenager growing up in North Texas, I was fairly ignorant to the world around me. Some of my best friends in high school were born in other countries and I never knew it or even thought to ask about it. In college I learned that there were several thousand refugees living in the Dallas area and as I learned more and more I found myself asking what I could do. I was introduced to Refugee Resources by a flyer I saw at DBU and was immediately drawn to this program. I encouraged one of my rommates/best friend to volunteer with me and we still volunteer together to this day.

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"For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love." Galatians 5:13

Last year, I moved in next door to my older cousin Meredith, and at the end of last summer, she invited me to an orientation for Reading Circle. I had known that she had been a part of Refugee Resources for the past 5 years, and I had even seen her FaceTiming the young girl that she mentors during the spring and summer of 2020, but I really did not know exactly what it was that this organization did. I am so thankful that she encouraged me to attend that orientation, and I have been a part of Refugee Resources since then.

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Every week we begin our time at Reading Circle by reading the Jesus Storybook bible. Now for most younger children, the beautiful illustrations are enough to captivate their attention and for the others, the fact that the story is condensed down to a few pages makes it easier to understand, but for my student, things are different – Pray Reh is a high schooler.

You might think to yourself, “Why are you even reading the storybook bible with him?” Sure, we could jump over to the Bible and begin to ‘exegete the scripture’ together, but I’ve found something beautiful in the simplicity of the stories we read. Simply put, we find Jesus in the stories together. Time and time again after our reading, I ask Pray Reh:

“Who else does this remind you of in the Bible?”

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I get to read with a first grader named Jessie every Monday night. On my way from work to Vickery Meadow, I usually drive through a Starbucks to get myself an espresso because I know Jessie will demand every ounce of energy I have remaining in me. She is sharp as a tack and as energetic as a lemur with a sugar rush. She notices patterns, picks up on inconsistencies, and delights in trying to understand the “how” and the “why” of things. Her eyes analyze every detail of her surroundings even while she talks to me, searching hungrily for the next joke, question, or opportunity for spontaneous movement. She adores rainbows, unicorns, sparkles, and her light-up shoes. She thinks her older brother is the funniest person in the world, and is always trying out little tricks that he teaches her. Her favorite trick right now involves pretending to fall asleep then yelling “boo!” She is the most popular person that I know, and as she struts confidently through her sprawling apartment complex to the very back building where she lives, kids and adults alike call out her name to say hello. …

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Each Tuesday, I have the joy of reading with Ruth, a bright and energetic 9-year-old from Burma. I see a lot of myself in her— she’s incredibly protective of her younger siblings and carries her big-sister attitude with her in interactions with friends and mentors. She loves Tiktok and her career aspirations include being a famous Youtuber. Before Ruth, I’ve worked with two other fantastic girls—Ling and Alliance. All three of them have been thoughtful, hardworking and kind.

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“How does this story make you feel?”

I asked Elysee this question after we finished reading the story of Israel’s deliverance into the Promised Land. This question was not a new question for Elysee, as it has been the first question that I have been asking Elysee after every Bible story for the past three months. Typically, he responds with something profound like “good” or “happy.” This week, however, he leaned back into his chair, stared at the ceiling for what felt like 5 minutes, then looked me dead in the eyes and replied, with confidence and conviction: “Hope. This story gives me hope.”

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I am delighted and grateful to spend each Wednesday in Vickery Meadows at Refugee Resources reading with Anowar, a middle school student and refugee from Burma.

The first eight years I lived in Dallas I had never heard of the Vickery Meadows area and certainly had no idea of this community of refugee families gathered in northeast Dallas just ten minutes away from me. My first time walking through the Vickery Meadows neighborhood I felt like I could have been 10,000 miles away, not 10 minutes away. Children gathered, played and laughed all around the small playground area, sidewalks, and parking lots of the interconnected apartment complexes, with older family members and neighbors monitoring and chatting nearby. As it got closer to 6:30 pm and the start of Refugee Resources’ nightly reading program, children ranging from 6 to 16 years old made their way down the sidewalk to what they know as the Reading Circle center situated in the community. This community mingles people of many languages, clothing styles, food and experiences from around the globe, and a microcosm consisting of children from the community converged on Reading Circle to meet with their designated mentors to practice reading and writing in English.

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This semester, I have had the privilege of meeting with Johnson, a Burmese kindergartener, in the neighborhood every Monday to read.

Honestly, with the way this year was going, I wasn’t even sure if Refugee Resources would be able to operate in-person this fall. COVID cases were spiking in July, and school districts around DFW were pushing back the start of school left and right. But, by God’s grace and some faithful preparation from Ms. Alysa, we have been meeting for almost two months now in a COVID friendly environment, and I am so grateful for that.

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Each Monday night this year I’ve had the honor to read with Noah, a second-grade Burmese boy whose family is part of the refugee community in Vickery.

Many of these sweet kids arrive to Reading Circle spring-loaded with energy. My buddy Noah came with a quiet countenance and a hint of skepticism about everything. The first several months I wondered if anything we were doing was getting through. He kept his poker face and yet I knew it meant something to him because he would answer my facetime calls immediately as soon as I pressed “call” at our scheduled time during COVID-19.

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Before volunteering with Refugee Resources, I was blind to the vast number of refugees we have in our own city. Reading Circle has opened by eyes to not only the number, but to multiple different cultures and relationships. Vickery Meadow is right in our backyard yet, so few people know about the many families here that are working so diligently to adapt to a completely different life here in America, leaving behind most of what they ever knew. Refugee Resources uses a unique connecting point to allow for relationships to be built through reading. As mentors in the reading program, it is amazing to have the opportunity to walk alongside a child of a refugee family, empowering them to learn and getting the chance to see the amazing progress they make as they adjust to a completely different world than what they may have been used to. Mentors and mentees are not only provided with books to read together every week, expanding the mental knowledge of the readers, but are also given the opportunity for something even bigger: an impactful relationship and time. Time to grow together, laugh together, and learn together.

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Hi, my name is Layne Matthews and I served as the summer intern here at Refugee Resources. I am a rising senior at Texas A&M University and it’s been a growing desire of mine to form friendships and work with the families living in the Vickery Meadow community. Being an intern at Refugee Resources this summer, I was finally able to feel a part of this vibrant neighborhood! And wow, did God pick for me an interesting summer--the summer of 2020 amidst a global pandemic--to begin engaging with and helping students grow in their literacy skills. Little did I know I was in for so much more.

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Elysee, Gentil, and Kelia along with their family, having fled from the DRC, were resettled to the US with refugee status from Rwanda in May 2016. Their caseworker from the IRC registered both the boys in the Reading Circle. However, because we have a one to one ratio for our Reading Circle students, we waited until we were able to recruit and train volunteers. It took a few months, but in September 2016 Elysee and Gentil started the Reading Circle as non-readers. This did not overly concern us as we realized that students grow at their own individual rates. We wanted to know what their level was and we worked with each student to progress at the speed that was right for them. Elysee and Gentil were in the 4th and 2nd grades respectively when they began the program and we began the journey of supporting them in their flourishing. Kelia would join her brothers at the Reading Circle in the fall of 2019.

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This month we’d like to introduce two of Refugee Resources’ top students, Pray Reh and Bu Meh. These two remarkable students have been a part of Refugee Resources since the program first launched at Sunchase in the summer of 2012. With books and blankets in hand, volunteer groups would meet underneath a tree every Saturday morning, and Bu Meh and Pray Reh would arrive every week, ready to learn!

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In high school and college, I often excused myself from service opportunities by claiming that I was “too busy” or “had other plans for the day”. Selfishly, I only wanted to partake in a mission trip or act of service if it benefited me in some way or another. When I moved across the country to the great state of Texas, I found that those excuses no longer held up. I had nothing but time on my hands and decided that I needed to find somewhere to volunteer on a regular basis. I prayed that I would find the right fit and God led me straight to Refugee Resources, a nonprofit based in Vickery Meadow that focuses on improving literacy for refugee children through one-on-one mentoring. 

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 Growing up my father was a refugee from Vietnam, and although only one of my parents was a refugee, I was able to empathize with his pain of not fitting in, of being called a “jungle boy” and struggling to communicate with others. Both my parents despite their different backgrounds, always emphasized the importance of education. My mother gave all the children access to books which filled our imaginations and ignited a joy for reading at a young age. By learning to read, I discovered how vast the world was and how many things I didn’t know.

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Per an informal, likely inexact poll of classmates I passed in the hallway of my high school this morning, teenage girls receive five or more hugs weekly. Dicey data aside, the point remains that hugs, though hugely appreciated, tend to be insignificant amid the bustle of our busy lives. Sometimes, though, a simple embrace has the power to change everything, which I learned thanks to a bright-eyed, gap-toothed Burmese five-year-old named John-Paul.

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This semester, I have had the privilege of serving with Refugee Resources as both a mentor and an intern. My sweet student’s name is Wilondja, a 6th grader who is approaching middle school. I have known Wilondja for over a year, but just became his mentor in September. He is silly, smiley, and always upbeat. More than most children, he brings joy into a room with a simple joke or phrase. Wilondja could be summarized as goofy.

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Some time ago, I read on a sticker that a smile is charity. What is charity? According to one of Webster's definitions, it is love of humanity. Without saying a word, one can show love to another with a simple smile. Well, meeting and getting to know Katinisa at Refugee Resources has been nothing short of a series of charitable charities. Although there has been a language barrier, there have also been showers of love through several smiles and laughter. 

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Some, including myself, would classify my skills in the kitchen as mediocre at best. The extent of my talent in the kitchen goes to sautéing vegetables, heating up leftovers, and broiling premade turkey burgers in the oven. When I am starving after a long day, I find it hard to smile after I follow every exact detail of a recipe and the food still turns out a complete disaster.

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I wish I could say I had a heart for the Refugee community ever since moving to Dallas a few years ago. Sadly, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Though outwardly I would verbally affirm the importance of being involved and helping in the refugee community, inwardly my heart was callous and cold. I talked the talk, but never walked the walk. I made assumptions without first seeking to understand. Subsequently, I wasn’t ready to walk through to the doors the Lord had opened.

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