When Christians and Muslims came together (Part Two)

A few days ago, I wrote about how I spent the day with a refugee family who we’ve connected with through an organization called World Relief. After spending the morning with them at the DMV and falling in love with this family, I knew the rest of my family would want to meet them, so I invited them over for a barbecue at our house the following Sunday.

Emran* brought pictures to share and told us his story, so today I want to share it with you.

In the spring of 2004, Emran, who was living in Afghanistan, had not only embraced the runner’s life, completing his first marathon, but he was also navigating the intricacies of family life and homeownership, pondering questions like how do rent to own homes work. Running 10-12 kilometers a day was his form of leisure, a joyful escape that culminated in crossing “marathon finisher” off his bucket list. Newly married to his wife, Adeeva*, and with an infant son cradled in the new chapter of their lives, he was keenly aware of the stability that owning a home could offer to his growing family.

Emran was working as a laboratory technician in a hospital, and would frequently come in contact with members of the U.S. military. One day, a military official needed a translator and Emran was the person who happened to be close by. The man asked Emran if he would be willing to translate, and he said yes. Soon, Emran was regularly translating for the American military and became friends with many of the men and women serving the U.S. in Afghanistan. He would frequently go out and scout plots of land for schools being built by the military for Afghani children. Here he is on one of his scouting missions with his trusty Four Runner:

On October 21, 2004, Emran was out on a scouting mission with two Afghani friends and heading back to town when the car directly in front of him hit a roadside bomb. Both cars were hit, and mangled so badly, it was a miracle any of them made it out alive:

 

When Emran woke up, he was in the military hospital. The doctor asked if he knew what happened, and Emran replied that he had been in a car accident. The doctor explained the circumstances and proceeded to tell Emran the grim news: His feet and portions of his legs were shattered. The doctor recommended amputating both legs below the knee as Emran had “no chance of walking again” and the threat of infection was high. Emran told the doctor he did not want to amputate, and was willing to undergo the many surgeries needed to put his feet and legs back together the best that could be done. As you can see in the x-ray of his feet, you can’t even tell where his toes are anymore, it’s just one mangled mess of bone:

Emran spent the next six months in different hospital beds while recovering, and had multiple surgeries to help put his bones back together. The doctors continually reminded him that he would most likely never walk again, and would be wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life.

Here is a photo of Emran with his friend, who was riding in the car with him when the bomb hit:

It took two and a half years for Emran to be able to walk again, but he did it! Defying all odds, and proving the doctors wrong, he learned to walk again.

Emran was serving the American people when he was injured. Even after he was hurt, he continued to help the U.S. military by serving as a translator. He put his and his family’s life on the line every day as he helped bridge the gap between the two cultures, and was nearly killed by the Taliban on three separate occasions.

In 2013, after fleeing with his family on multiple occasions, he started the process to gain refugee status to enter the United States. The vetting process usually takes 4-6 years, but since Emran was continually helping our government and personally knew high-ranking U.S. military officials who could vouch for him, he was able to apply for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV), and so his vetting process only took about three years. Those who want to be reunited with their loved ones from immigration custody may consider getting help from an Immigration Bond attorney. And those who have questions about portuguese citizenship investment may consider consulting the experts for professional services.

Emran, his wife, and two sons were able to come to the U.S. in February 2016.

For their first three months, World Relief helps get them established with new IDs, a driver’s license, immunizations, and the never-ending stream of paperwork that needs to be completed. For the next three months, World Relief “weans” themselves from refugee families, with the hope that they will have jobs in place and be self-sufficient. It’s also World Relief’s desire that the refugee family would be connected to local people in the area willing to befriend them so they are not alone.

As Emran told me his story, my heart felt especially burdened for his wife, Adeeva. I thought, What would it be like to be plucked from your home and culture, and plopped down in a new country, with a language you didn’t understand, with no friends and no extended family? 

I asked Adeeva what this was like. She said it was awful.  She did not want to be here. She would rather live in danger in Afghanistan with her friends and family surrounding her, than to be here in this country, all alone. She wasn’t bitter, just sad. I don’t blame her one bit. Can you imagine what it would be like to be in her place? Adeeva doesn’t speak any English. She often cannot even go to the mosque because the family rides their bikes to get there, and due to of their interpretation of the Quran, she is not allowed to ride a bike. That means while her sons and husband go to mosque, she stays home, alone.

Even though we couldn’t communicate verbally, we still got to connect through our shared experience, cooking in the kitchen together when they came to our home for a barbecue. I wish I could show you her sweet face, however, Emran has requested she not be shown in public photos:

Emran’s two sons don’t speak much English at all, either, but apparently video games transcend all cultural and language barriers:

We enjoyed a meal together, sharing what an American BBQ looks like and of course, having strawberry shortcake for dessert:

Our kids all played together as if they had known each other forever, laughing and giggling together:

At 2:30, it was time for afternoon prayers. Emran loves the country, and asked if he could conduct his prayers outside in the beautiful weather and surroundings:

Such a beautiful day with a beautiful family:

Emran will most likely never run a marathon again. He told me running is something he greatly misses, but he is so thankful that he is even walking, he tries not to focus on what he’s lost.

This is one story, of one family. There are thousands and thousands more. There are people behind the issue, and these sweet people are just a few of them.

Are you interested in helping refugees in your area? 

As I mentioned in my previous post, regardless of how you feel about refugees fleeing to the United States, they are here. And if you are Christian, you are called to share the love of Jesus with them.

World Relief has locations all around the world, and you can be involved in small or big ways. You can support them financially, put together welcome kits for arriving families, help set up apartments, or even be a buddy family and establish an ongoing relationship with someone resettling in your area. You can also mobilize your own church to partner with World Relief to help these families in need. Any way you can help, no matter how big or small, will be dramatically impactful for these special people.

Do you have questions for Emran? You can email them to me HERE and I will show them to him and then share his replies. Or, if you are so inclined, feel free to post your question in the comments section below. 

*Name changed to protect identity