This holiday season, we are sharing stories of women from this community who have taken a step of biblical welcome. Naomi is a member of the Women of Welcome community. She shared with us how an initial exposure to other cultures prompted her to learn more, which led to her getting involved in serving in her local community.
As you listen to Naomi’s story, consider what step God is asking you to take next.
Will you pray and ask God to open your eyes to what your next step closer to others in love might be.
Naomi’s Story: Taking the Next Step
I was first exposed to refugee ministry in the summer of 2000 on a short-term mission trip to a small town outside of Vienna, Austria (which is also where I met my husband–he was a long-term missionary there!). I spent six weeks working with people from all over the world, hearing their stories, and helping them as they transitioned from lives in their home countries to life in Europe or beyond.
Life happened and it took years to get back into refugee ministry. After listening to a couple of podcasts that talked about the nuances of immigration and refugee resettlement, I started digging deeper into the issues on my own. I listened to more podcasts and read books. The book “After the Last Border” by Jessica Goudeau was life-changing. When I finished that book, I told my husband that our family needed to do something and get involved somehow with welcoming the stranger to our community of Rochester, MN.
I found Arrive Ministries and, through a partnership between Arrive and our local Catholic Charities refugee resettlement agency, our family was connected with a recently arrived Syrian family in December of 2020. What started as a short-term commitment of a few months turned into years as we mentored them and developed a true friendship with this family of six.
Our relationship with this family lit an unquenchable fire in my life. I started advocating for refugee ministry in my local church, led a Women of Welcome Bible study in our church, and helped organize refugee outreach through a ministry morning that our church held. I remember commenting once to my husband that I felt the smile of God when we spent time with our Syrian friends.
This past August, I started a new job as a refugee resettlement case manager with Catholic Charities (the same one that helped connect our family to our Syrian friends!). It has been a wonderful fit and I’m so incredibly grateful for the work I am able to do in order to welcome these families to America and our community in particular.