Posts by kwhaley

Today marks one year since Kabul fell to the Taliban. Read Farishta’s captivating story as she fled Afghanistan with her family, and was resettled in North Texas by World Relief.

Farishta’s Story

Farishta and her husband Omid Shah lived normal lives in Afghanistan, both with successful careers in the medical field. She and Omid Shah come from generations of doctors and medical professionals. Farishta received a Bachelor’s degree in Pakistan, and after marrying Omid Shah, moved to Kabul where she completed another medical degree. Shortly after, she and Omid Shah celebrated the birth of their first son, and were happy with their lives in Afghanistan. Before the Taliban came, she desired to move into a specialized practice, but now, everything she would have worked for in Kabul is destroyed. Her husband practiced and studied medicine in Pakistan for many years, then became a general surgeon, eventually moving to work for the U.S. army.

A History of Displacement 

August of 2021 marked the fourth time in Farishta’s family history that they had to flee Afghanistan for their own safety. Farishta can recall as a child fleeing to Pakistan during the first Taliban invasion. As Farishta’s mother fled from the Taliban with 3 children, they left everything behind. While living in Pakistan, they experienced many hungry nights, as it was hard for them to start their lives over. Her mother eventually brought them back to Afghanistan after five years when the country had become safer. She vividly remembers returning to her empty home in Afghanistan. Everything that was left in their home when they fled was stolen. 

Life became normal back in Afghanistan. All of her brothers and sisters, despite the trauma of displacement, grew up to become extremely successful. Her own brother became a college professor, spokesperson for the Republic of Afghanistan, and a policy maker. Her husband’s job for the U.S. military as well as her brother’s profession, would end up placing a target on their backs during the next Taliban invasion. 

August 15th, 2021

In early August of 2021, they celebrated their son’s 2nd birthday. 5 days later everything was different. 

She described to me the day the Taliban invaded. That morning she awoke to what seemed like a normal day. She was busy caring for her son, and was concerned with going to the market and buying milk. On her way to the market, she saw those around her running and thought “what is happening? Why is everybody running?” The answer: the Taliban is coming. “This happened in a second and no one was ready”, she shared. People started immediately closing their shops out of fear of what would happen. 

By that night, everything was different. “How did it change?? How did they take Kabul?” She remembers hearing the Taliban run through the streets at night, firing guns and yelling. As this happened, her husband was in another city for work and she wondered if he was okay. 

After the Invasion…

She stayed in her home with her son and parents after the invasion, knowing her husband was safe in another city. Her husband spent those next few days at the airport to not endanger his wife and son by being home with them, as he was a direct target for the Taliban. After a few days she received a call from her husband to meet him at the Kabul airport. 

When she left her home for the airport, she looked around and saw that everything was different. Farishta saw many people waiting in long lines outside the airport trying to find a way out of Afghanistan. “The situation was like a dream. It was like a horror movie.” When she left for the airport, she also had to leave behind her parents and siblings. “When I close my eyes, I see the crying faces of my father and mother, but they are happy for us because we are no longer in danger.” 

The Airport 

Upon seeing her husband, he immediately embraced Farishta and their 2-year-old son. “When I looked at his face, I saw he was so scared.” Shortly after arriving at the airport, a bomb exploded in the Kabul airport attack. On August 26th 2021, a suicide bombing took place outside the Kabul airport that killed at least 183 people, among those being 13 U.S. military members and 170 Afghan civilians. Her husband looked at her and said “we need to go fast.” As she ran through the airport with her son and husband, she could still see the aftermath of such a terrible explosion, people crying, and complete chaos around her. She wondered if they would make it to safety. 

They loaded into a cargo plane with no seats and hundreds of other people. “It felt like a nightmare for me, a bad dream.” Upon boarding the plane, they did not know what country they would be going to. After several hours of traveling, they made it to Washington D.C, then to a military base in Indiana, where they lived for 2 months before coming to Texas. They have now been in the U.S. for almost a year. 

Life in North Texas

They arrived in North Texas on October 3rd, 2021 and were resettled by World Relief. They were very excited when they came to Texas, as they had the opportunity to start their new lives. Life has not always played out as they thought it would, but they are still hopeful. They are happy in America, and they are happy they have each other. 

Once resettled in North Texas, they developed a relationship with their caseworker, and love her deeply. Their caseworker came alongside them and assisted in helping them become sufficient on their own in a new place. They began making friends with neighbors and found a small community. “I know Allah has a plan for us.” 

Her husband now desires to work in the medical field in the U.S., just as he did in Afghanistan. He has currently passed a surgical exam, and is actively looking for jobs. Farishta desires, as any mother does, that her son has a good life in the U.S. As she reflects on having to flee Afghanistan as a child herself, she sees similarities in her son’s early life and her own. She desires that her son will never have to flee a country again, but can grow up in one place.

As they set up for a future in the U.S., she recognizes the good things she has. Farishta is thankful they did not lose any family members to the Taliban, and feels a burden to share her story to show the world what has happened, not only to her own family, but all those affected by the Taliban takeover. Her parents and siblings are still in Afghanistan, and she speaks with them regularly as she deeply misses them and worries for their safety. “At first, I cried every day, but now I am okay. Everything has changed for me here.”

Her story deserves to be told. 

Advocate for Afghans 

Her story is also a reminder of a call to action. Currently we can advocate for Congress to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act to allow Afghans, like Farishta and her family, to remain in the U.S. permanently. Entering the U.S. under the status of humanitarian parole was a temporary protection that does not grant immigration status. If you desire to advocate for our Afghan friends, many with stories just like Farishta’s, click HERE.

Learn how you can get involved with World Relief North Texas HERE.

Garrett Pearson, World Relief North Texas Office Director, shares his reflections on how being a first time father has impacted how he views loving and welcoming the most vulnerable.

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. – John 15:9.

This passage where Jesus comforts and encourages his disciples in steadfastness has steadied me throughout my life.. Knowing the deep love God has for his son extends to me from Jesus is something that has shined as a light in times of despair. And yet, over the past year, the verse took a deeper meaning with the birth of my son.

A Perspective Shift

When I saw our baby for the first time, my whole perspective shifted. I looked into the eyes of someone I would lay down my life for. Moreso, this was someone I would reorient my life for. Someone I can create a place for him to belong, grow, and create in our world. I marveled at the little things: his delight at playing in mud for the first time, the light of unfettered joy that spreads across his face when he sees a cat, or the way he reaches out to touch and feel the familiar faces of family and friends. I love my son, and these words from John 15 make me marvel anew at the love Christ has for us.

My first year as a father has also been my first year as Office Director at World Relief North Texas.

Less than a month after my son was born, Afghanistan fell to the Taliban. Over 100,000 people were forced to flee their homes, livelihoods, and families. Not even one year after that, Ukraine was invaded. Many of those families joined more than 100 million globally displaced from their homes. Viewing war, suffering and displacement through the lens of fatherhood has been a new experience for me.

As we play in our backyard, I think of the families whose homes were leveled by machines of war, destroyed beyond recognition.

As we introduce new foods and enjoy my son’s bewildered reactions, I think of people struggling to survive every day because they are cut off from basic necessities, like food and clean water.

As we go to the park and see all sorts of people in our community – parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends, I think of the millions of people who are discriminated against and forcibly separated from their families because of their race, religion, nationality, social/political group, or sexuality.

As I hear my son’s little voice say “mama,” I think of the reality that roughly 70% of refugees are women and children.

I cannot comprehend the full extent of pain, suffering, or loss people are facing moment by moment in our world. In one sense, there’s a certain amount of the hardships of the world I shelter our son from. Yet, I’m reminded that fathers and mothers across the globe cannot simply turn off the bombings, invasion of soldiers, or pangs of hunger. They step forward into a relentless unknown. New and unfamiliar are the oppressive constants that have become facts of life.

So what do we do?

We can use the privileges, platforms, and resources we have to advocate for the most vulnerable from a place of love. The love God has for his child is the same love that Christ has for you, for our neighbors, for refugees and immigrants.

Fatherhood is a precious gift, I sincerely believe that in this first year of parenthood. It’s opened my eyes more fully to the Father’s love and the love Jesus has for all of us. And at World Relief, we believe that welcoming refugees and immigrants is an important and biblical way to embody Christ’s love for those in need. Welcoming isn’t just what we do — it’s who we are. So we invite you to join us and together let’s build a place where every father, mother and child, who has lost more than can be imagined, might find a new home to belong in that same love.

Will you join us?

Learn how you can serve the most vulnerable in North Texas with World Relief HERE.

How one mother led her family toward flourishing amidst war, violence, and poverty.

Claudine Furaha knows well the joys and challenges that motherhood brings. Being a mother of five children, and having grown up in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, located in Central Africa, she is an amazing woman, full of hope, joy, and personality.

Life in the DRC

Claudine and her family spent most of their lives around war and poverty. Claudine told us that “life in the Congo was very bad.” Decades of war, violence, and poverty in the Congo have claimed many lives, while displacing and endangering thousands of others. Few have been unscathed, including Claudine.  

In 2021, Claudine was shot twice — once in the back and once in the hand. She was immediately taken to a hospital with severe injuries. Upon arrival, she was informed that they did not have the proper medicine to treat her. Claudine received this same message at multiple hospitals until finally being told that the U.S. would have the medicine needed to help her. So, in October 2021, she and her family journeyed to Texas, where they were resettled by World Relief North Texas. 

A New Home

Once in the U.S., Claudine was able to get her wounds treated and her family paired with a World Relief caseworker, Taylor. Taylor helped ensure that Claudine and her family had everything they needed during their initial months of resettlement: from an apartment to live in, furniture, how to grocery shop in the U.S., and so much more. “World Relief does good work,” Claudine says. “Taylor helped us with so many things, and she also took us to do things outside of World Relief. She took us to have fun. I love Taylor like my own family and Taylor loves us.” Taylor took Claudine and her family on night drives in downtown Fort Worth to see the lights on the buildings and invited them to Christmas services at her church. She invited them to be a part of her life.

Taylor has been personally impacted by the strength and joy of Claudine and her family. It was sweet to hear Claudine reflect on how World Relief and her case worker set her up to live successfully in the U.S. by using the skills and strengths she already possessed. 

Finding Peace

When we asked Claudine to reflect on how her life has changed while living in the U.S., she happily reported that the good far outweighs the bad in her life. “I have found peace here,” she says. Most notably, her children now have the opportunity to go to school, as schooling was not something they could afford in the Congo. As a mother, she is most happy that her children will now have an education.

Self-Sufficient and Strong

Claudine is working hard to learn English herself, and is an example for her children of how to work hard and integrate into life in the U.S. Claudine loves her ESL classes, and every week she arrives with a face beaming of joy and excitement to learn. She and her family are learning how to be self-sufficient and strong. In the future, she is hopeful that she and her children will be able to adjust from the hardships of their past and live an amazing life. 

As a mother, she not only exemplifies strength, grace, and love to her children, but the spirit of a life-long learner. Claudine Furaha is an amazing example to her children of how to remain strong no matter the circumstance. We thank the Lord for strong mothers in our lives, like Claudine. 

What is Our Response?

We are called to show the love of Christ by helping displaced women just like Claudine. Whether we are caring for their physical needs, like Taylor, befriending them, like a Good Neighbor Team, or simply praying and giving; we are called to join in.

Learn HERE how you can be a part of supporting and serving the most vulnerable in North Texas.

It’s been eight months since the fall of Kabul. World Relief North Texas welcomed many Afghans with the help of volunteer Good Neighbor Teams. Read about their mutual transformation as they recount their shared stories with us.

Susan has been attending Arlington Chinese Church for 6 years now. She is a part of a young professional’s community group there, where she has been able to develop an amazing community and grow in her relationship with Christ. Her parents were immigrants to the U.S. when she was just 3 years old. After moving from China to Texas, Susan worked hard alongside her parents to integrate to life in the U.S. During Susan’s 4 years of medical school in Fort Worth, she lived in nearby apartments where many refugees had been resettled by World Relief.

Her next introduction to the needs of new families was through her clinic, where many of them came in for their very first appointment with a doctor in the U.S. Through a desire to serve the most vulnerable and to understand her patients better, she explored volunteer opportunities with World Relief. She encouraged members of her small group to get involved by volunteering for a one-day event at a soccer game. 

From this one event, her small group realized a need and wanted to know how to become more involved. As they prayed, they decided to serve as a Good Neighbor Team, a group of 8-12 people who commit to serve and walk with an arriving refugee family for the first 6 months in the U.S. As they prepared to become a Good Neighbor Team, the Afghan crisis happened and Kabul fell to the Taliban. Susan recalled that “the Lord timed it really well and we were able to take an Afghan family right as they came to the US.” 

Asadullah and Sahar

Asadullah and Sahar lived a normal life in Afghanistan. Asadullah worked for the U.S. Government as a translator, and Sahar taught at an elementary school until she had two kids of her own who are now 2 and 4 years old, with a third child on the way. Asadullah mentioned that in the midst of this normal life, there were still hints of violence and danger throughout Afghanistan. Things such as target killings of those who were helping the U.S. or international organizations. Tragically, this included the assassination of Sahar’s father.

The Taliban’s invasion of their home displaced Asadullah and Sahar, along with over 700,000 other Afghan peoples who were evacuated from Kabul. Asadullah remembers receiving an email from his company that the Taliban had invaded and he needed to leave immediately. He rushed to get his wife and two children where they walked and waited in the Kabul airport all night long. 

From here, they went on a long journey to arrive at a camp in El Paso, where they remained for two months. Then they were sent to Fort Worth, Texas where they were resettled by World Relief. 

North Texas 

When they arrived in Fort Worth, Asadullah says that they were excited because “we had a home and a kitchen, and World Relief continually helped us.” Susan recalled that they first met them in their AirBnB because their apartment was not ready yet. One of the first things that was said by Asadullah was “we are so happy to meet people that look like us.” (They are ethnically Hazara which descends from Mongolians and they will look more East Asian and less Arab or Persian.) Asadullah and Sahar shared with their Good Neighbor Team, “it is not just a coincidence that we were paired with you.” Susan shares that they are so sweet, the family was eager to get involved, settle down, and get their kids enrolled in school. It was a thrilling experience for the Good Neighbor Team to help them enroll their children in school and help them become integrated into society. 

What impacted Asadullah and Sahar most upon their arrival in Fort Worth, was their Good Neighbor Team. Their Good Neighbor Team were the first people to meet them, help them move into their apartment, and take them grocery shopping. Asadullah and Sahar did not have any form of transportation or any knowledge of the metroplex, and are thankful that they had a Good Neighbor Team to show them these things. Their new friends took them grocery shopping, bought clothes for their children, and took them to picnics at the park.

After several months of spending time with his Good Neighbor Team, Asadullah reflected: “One time I invited the Good Neighbor Team over. We were all sitting around the kitchen table and I thought, ‘this is my family.’”

The impact surpassed any barrier of culture. Asadullah mentioned, “any time I faced a problem or didn’t know what to do, they were who I called. Without them, I’m sure I would have faced many problems.” 

Family Amidst Tragedy 

Sahar tragically had a miscarriage shortly after arriving to North Texas. Sahar mentioned how scary it was losing a child in a new place with no family. When she miscarried, they immediately turned to their Good Neighbor Team for help to navigate such a tragic situation. Susan was able to get Sahar to the hospital, and helped them navigate surgery, recovery, and medical bills. She still experiences deep sorrow over this loss, but the Lord used this circumstance to show Asadullah and Sahar that they are never alone, even during the most tragic times. 

“Our Good Neighbor Team behaved like a family and encouraged us to not be disappointed about uprooting our lives.” 

The Impact

As a huge impact was being made on the lives of Asadullah and Sahar, another impact was being made in the hearts of their Good Neighbor Team. 

Susan mentions being impacted by the hospitality that Asadullah and Sahar showed them. She recalls being at their apartment with the whole team when they hardly had any furniture, and Sahar served them all tea and food, and gave whatever she did have to host them. Susan was deeply marked by being served by someone who hardly had anything. 

We asked Susan what made the biggest impact on her in getting to serve Asadullah and Sahar, and she shared with us through tears, “seeing them has helped me to understand my parents’ journey to the U.S. as immigrants with nothing but a few hundred dollars.” Watching Asadullah and Sahar learning how to adjust their entire lives, and wanting to provide in the best way for their children has helped her understand what her own parents went through. “I never understood the sacrifices my parents had to make for certain things until I saw Asadullah and Sahar’s journey.”

Another amazing part of Susan’s parents’ story she shared was “my parents had an older couple who welcomed them from the airport and cared for them for the first 1-2 years of them being in the U.S. They helped my parents adjust and adapt because my parents spoke no English at first.” Susan, as well as the rest of the Good Neighbor Team, was able to love this family even more because they found unique ways they related to Asadullah and Sahar. “It’s been very rewarding to see how God uses each person on our Team because we all have different backgrounds and skill sets. God has allowed each of us to come alongside the family in different ways which is so sweet to see that this is how the body of Christ is.” Ultimately, she shared, “the impact on me has been the kindness shown in hospitality, the ability to relate from my own journey, and to see how the body of Christ can function using their different gifts.” 

“They are very open about what they believe in, but also are very open to hearing about our faith, and I don’t believe any of those conversations could happen if it was not for the amount of time spent building a relationship.”

A New Home

Asadullah and Sahar say that they are happy they are here and that they are safe. They are thrilled that their daughters will have a great education and have an opportunity for a good life. Sahar said that she will never forget the first time she saw her good neighbor team because “I was so happy” she said as she beamed with joy even telling me about it. “It was very special. We felt like a family because our faces are the same as their faces. They are my family.” Right now, they are excited to attend Susan’s wedding. It will be their first American Wedding. 

“The goal from the beginning was for them to see Jesus by becoming their friend.”

They have now been in the U.S. for 8 months, and in those 8 months, the Lord has provided them and their Good Neighbor Team with family, community, and the love of Christ. 

If you have been inspired to serve with World Relief North Texas as part of a Good Neighbor Team, there are next steps for you! Fill out a volunteer application below.

Learn how you can become part of a Good Neighbor Team with World Relief North Texas HERE.