I watched the first episode of the documentary “The New Americans” last night on PBS. The film chronicles the lives of refugees and immigrants as they make their way from disparate places across the world to America.
As I watched their stories last night, I was reminded of our Kurdish friends that made their way from Iraq a few years ago and settled in Phoenix. Our relationship started with a call for volunteers willing to pick up a newly arriving family at Sky Harbor airport and drive them to their new homes. We had a van and so we signed up. We were introduced to the family and I will never forget the expressions on their faces; especially the father. I could see the fear and doubt on his face as he now had to navigate his way in a new land and make a new beginning for his family.
We drove from the airport to a run-down section of apartments in the center of Phoenix. They had been provided with very little to get them started. I think a few mattresses on the floor, some pots and pans and little else. At that point our obligation to meet them and give them a ride was over, but at some point during that visit we became their host family and comitted to helping them. On the way home, my wife kicked off a plan to get local churches involved in meeting their physical and emotional needs. This family was just the first of the more than 400 Kurdish refugees that relocated to Phoenix.
Over time we ended up befriending four different families and shared many wonderful moments. We still keep in touch and I think about them often as I watch the next chapter in Iraq’s history unfold on the news. The New Americans documentary inspired me to share their stories here over the next few weeks.