Refugee Welcome

Deb and Max Carter (names have been changed) were helping register a group of refugee children for school when they received a call that stopped them in their tracks. A young immigrant family had shown up at the doorstep of Refugee Services of Texas, or RSTX, with no food, no money, and no place to go…would they be willing to let them stay at their home until other arrangements could be made? Deb and Max didn’t hesitate in telling them yes.

 Many would feel uncomfortable inviting a family of strangers to live with them, but Deb and Max welcomed the opportunity. “Everything we do is based on the truths that Jesus Christ taught; all the works of kindness He did, all the sacrifices He made are an example we strive to follow,” Deb said. “Because we have been given so much, we want to give back. We want to ease hunger, fear, loneliness and the troubles prevalent in the world today, and the need is so great!” These aren’t just words for the Carters, it’s a way of life.

“We have been involved with RSTX for over ten years,” Deb explains.  “There are always needs to be met, and when we can help, we do.”

RSTX is an organization that helps people that have been given permission to come to the United States through the immigration process. Once a person, or a family, has been cleared to enter the US, the RSTX activates their host of volunteers to prepare for them.  A welcome committee is formed and assigned to the family with a list of their needs. RSTX locates a home or apartment for them, but it is up to the committee to furnish it from the RSTX warehouse and from local church and community donations. When the immigrants arrive, the committee meets them at the airport and welcomes them to America. They then travel to their new home where dinner is provided. RSTX and their volunteers help to make their transition as easy as possible, providing green cards so they can work and helping them navigate the process with translators and legal help, as well as a host of other benefits.

“Many immigrants are so excited when they arrive, but most exhausted and scared,” Deb says. “RSTX volunteers do their best to help them feel safe and welcome here. As a volunteer, I can look at the RSTX website and always find something to do for someone else, from being part of a welcome committee to just taking someone to a doctor’s appointment. I chose what I feel like I can do from the website and do it. It’s a great way to help others!”

But housing a group of strangers? Deb admits that was an unusual request, but when she heard the plight of the small family, she couldn’t say no. The young man and his wife and 18-month-old baby arrived at the Carter’s house with two small cardboard boxes of belongings and some diapers that RSTX had provided for them and nothing else. When asked what it was like taking in this family, Deb smiled, showing pictures of them. The man insisted on helping Max around the house, the wife delighted everyone with her cooking skills, and the baby was adorable. “We would have been happy to keep them forever, “she laughed.

For information on how you can be trained as a volunteer at RSTX, go to RSTX.org.

“Deb and Max” are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints living in North Texas. For safety, political, and HIPAA reasons, their identities have been shielded.