‘It is a humbling honor and immeasurable gift they have given us to share their lives right now,’ minister says.
By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle
SPRINGFIELD, Va. — The Afghan refugee’s words trailed off. He spoke in a whisper. Finally, he lowered his head and fought back tears.
“I’m sorry,” he said, apologizing for losing control of his emotions.
“No,” I replied. “We’re honored to hear your story.”
I meant it.
I was talking to the refugee — a young husband and father of a 2-year-old boy — at his apartment complex in this northern Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C.
At my request, Joshua Ray, minister for the Springfield Church of Christ, and his wife, Brooke, had brought me to meet the man and hear his story.
Because of safety concerns, I agreed to withhold the name of the 29-year-old refugee. For several years, he worked alongside U.S. military and government officials in Kabul. If I identified him, he fears the Taliban might retaliate against his father, mother and eight sisters who remain in Afghanistan.
Tears flowed as the man recalled the August day last year when he, his wife and baby son fled his home country on a military cargo plane carrying hundreds of evacuees.
This column appears in the May edition of The Christian Chronicle.
Featured photo by Phil Pasquini, Shutterstock.com
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