A God Who Sees: A Refugee Family's Journey of Hope

When I first met the Mahmouds, they had just resettled in the United States following 10 years in a refugee camp in the Middle East. I too was a new arrival in the city: I was on plan D for what I thought life would look like and was struggling with the amount of change I was experiencing—including missing my Arab friends. I had moved back from the Middle East six months prior and felt homesick for the people, culture, and language.

God saw this and crossed my path with that of the Mahmouds. Through my friendship with this family, I have seen His goodness and how He repeatedly uses what the Enemy intends for evil for good. Daily I am reminded that in every moment, in every situation, He steadily draws us to Himself and invites us into a relationship with Him.

Our God is a good Father who gives good gifts. All 10 Mahmouds initially shared a two-bedroom apartment. Although they were making the best of the situation and really leaning into the definition of being a “close-knit family,” God provided an additional house with a yard that just so happened to have surprisingly affordable rent. The house also just so happened to have been previously rented by a different Arab family who no longer needed their furniture. Half the Mahmouds were able to move into a home with furnishings that matched their style and preferences while the other half was able to live far more comfortably in the apartment.

Our God is the God who sees. He cares so deeply for each of us and knows our struggles. Two family members, Ahmed and Khalid, both have muscular dystrophy. Ahmed is a teen with significant physical limitations and needs full-time care. His brother who also had muscular dystrophy passed away during the family’s time in the camp in Lebanon. I cannot imagine the grief his parents and family must have experienced. Now that they are in the US, Ahmed has access to medical specialists and even a wheelchair that allows him to occasionally leave the house. His parents are so thankful for these resources. Ahmed’s nephew Khalid is in elementary school and does not have mobility waist down. Now that he has an electric wheelchair, Khalid gets to roll out of his house, onto the school bus, and off to school.

The war that forced the Mahmouds to flee their home was unquestionably evil. But God, in the midst of the chaos, brought Ahmed and Khalid to a place where they could receive the care they needed.  

Our God knows what we need. When the Mahmouds first arrived, they had access to significant government aid. However, that support ended unexpectedly just a few months later, before they were able to orient themselves. They feared hunger and homelessness in a country where they did not speak the language. But God intervened and sent His people to minister to them. In response to the crisis the refugee community was facing, local believers came together to care for this community. A Christar couple connected with the Mahmouds and became their friends and advocates. When that couple’s church small group heard about the Mahmouds, they generously raised funds for rent, groceries and even a vehicle for the family.   

Our Father has a good plan, and He will accomplish His purpose. As they have been able to get the necessary documents and despite limited English skills, many family members have been able to find employment pushing wheelchairs at the airport, driving for Uber and DoorDash, and bussing tables at a restaurant. Thaer, in his early 20s, has a passion for baking, and local believers have helped him start a small home business. Houssein, a father of three, works to improve his English and dreams of getting his GED and going to college.

Though they may not realize it, God has completely surrounded the Mahmouds with believers. Most if not all of their American friends are Christ-followers who love them sacrificially.

It has been a privilege to be friends with the Mahmouds. Using my TESOL background and spoken Arabic, I have gotten to help them learn some basic English. God has opened the door for me to share my faith with Hussein and tell him why I love serving his family—not because I get points with God to earn my way to heaven but out of gratitude for the love He has lavished on me.

At a time in my life when I was homesick for the field and was not sure how to continue to be involved in the Great Commission, God brought the Mahmouds into my life and reminded me that He does not waste our experiences or past. Knowing God is at work in this family drawing them to Himself, I pray with eagerly for the day when every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.