By Mike Puckett

What an incredibly compassionate and generous congregation! The Harun family of 7 arrived late Tuesday evening to a warm, inviting, and well-furnished 3-bedroom apartment in central Louisville, just off Goldsmith Ln. Thank you sincerely, Beargrass, for all you’ve done over the past 12 days to extend them God’s love and welcome–the monetary donations; the overflow of purchased and donated home furnishings; the work of 8 members to set up their new home one week ago; the shopping of 3 members to stock their kitchen with food; the airport welcome of a dozen of you an hour before midnight on September 17; the list goes on. (The overflow of household supplies have been channeled to KRM’s warehouse for the refugees who arrive without the benefit of a co-sponsor.)

Abubakar Harun, wife Asha, and their 2 small children migrated from Sudan due to the violence of a civil war in 2010, finding safety in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in northwestern Kenya. During their 14 years in the camp, they were blessed with 3 more children. So, the journey was long in terms of time….punctuated by the travel distance and many flights to get to Louisville, seemingly daunting to even the most experienced travelers. They traveled 500 miles from the camp to Nairobi; another 2,000 miles to Dubai; then endured a 16-hour, 7,000 mile flight to Chicago; and alas, the short trip to Louisville. All as first-time flyers!

Harun Family Arrival Video:

Yet, we have found the family to be warm, gracious, and extremely appreciative. They seem poised to take on the challenges such a move presents, as well as the advantages this new life can offer them. The airport reception here was not only filled with Beargrass and KRM folks, but a few family members. Asha’s brother, Yakoub, came in 2017, and their sister, Ashia, was resettled in Louisville in 2022. We’ve learned over the years that having extended family in the area is not only a tremendous advantage to a newly resettled family, but to Beargrass and KRM also, as we work to help them acclimate to their new environment. We’ve also been pleased to find that Abubakar understands and speaks a bit of English.

The family’s coming days and weeks will be filled with many things–intake meetings; document applications; school registrations; medical appointments; all, with the professional guidance of KRM staff. As they become immersed in the American way of life and its pace, we can offer them the gift of friendship, while being ever-ready to assist in their orientation to their new lives here. Louisville winters are typically a shock to folks resettling here from the tropics, so our next tangible steps will involve a clothing drive. And if you have yet to meet them, and wish to be involved in this co-sponsorship in any way, please reach out to Wayne Mayes or me at any time.

What genuine joy it brings to be part of such a life-altering engagement…while, at the same time experiencing the flow of God’s work, spirit, and love as Beargrass ‘serves with a passion for justice’. Peace, blessings, and thanks to all.