I want to share some experiences I've had with the Iraqi families on the east side of town. Theirs is a very different experience and adjustment than what we see with our wonderful Acharya family. There are 7 or 8 families, all but two are Muslim, and there is one household of two single ladies I have yet to meet. The main family I am in contact with uses the last name Rahman, though his given name is Hussein. The wife's last name is different also. They have a 12 year old son who just started 7th grade. Since every district in Arizona does things differently, I wasn't surprised but I am disappointed to learn that their son doesn't have much ESL time during the school day. Last weekend I helped him with his homework, two pages, all in english, totally meaningless to him about a topic that really doesn't matter at this point. I'm afraid the father might have put on his registration forms that their primary language at home is english, which would really mess up getting ESL help. I've been told that happens frequently because families want their households to become english-speaking but don't realize then they cut themselves out of ESL services. Something I'll look into later. This family and the others are very hospitable and gracious toward me and Billy, and always offering food and/or drink. I just read in WORLD magazine about how critical it is to slow down and "take tea" as this is a significant relationship building time, and especially if there is ever to be any evangelism which could take years for the Muslim families. The families do not network like a few of our Nepali families do. The Acharya house is grand central station most days, but these families really keep to themselves more. I've been reminded that there is a big difference between coming out of a war zone and coming out of a refugee camp like Nepal.

Interestingly, there are two "Christian" households, and I still have not figured out what sect of Christianity one is. The other is a household of a mom and her 10 year old rascally son (he proudly told me all of his spanish words.....all cuss words....on our very first meeting!). She is a devout Christian she said and said she prays to Jesus every day, all day. She attends a Catholic church nearby. She is completely ostracized by the Iraqis there, ALL of them, even my friends the Rahmans. None of them will speak to her or have anything to do with her, including the other Christian family. I am trying to figure out the complex Arab/Muslim/tribal relationships, and now wondering if it goes back to the old "Scarlet Letter"! Since she is here with her son, and her husband/his father is alive and well, maybe they have made her an outcast because she separated from her husband? She is very distraught over the dynamics but she seems like a strong woman and she has other friends from her church and a "mentor" from LSS to help. She speaks english very well. Unfortunately, she is also very sick with some kind of liver disease. She nearly lost her son to wonderful Az CPS before CPS was convinced she wasn't a derelict mother but actually just had arrived in America and was truly ill. So her first few months here have been extremely distressing for her. She can't work due to health issues and doesn't know who will pay her rent month to month.

Some of the other families are receiving financial support from relatives who are already established within the US, most in Michigan. Some of these people had houses, cars, computers, lots of luxuries.....so for some it has been difficult to move here and have nothing. They do remind themselves of the fact that they are safer here. My friends have described in much more detail than I wanted to hear about the assassinations, bombings, fighting that they witnessed or saw after the fact. This Christian lady lost her first husband and all her brothers in the Iran/Iraq war, and Mr. Rahman served a long time in the same war. He and his wife both have Bachelors degrees in Economics and Accounting but are losing sleep every night over whether or not they'll be allowed to stay in the US without good jobs. These families don't have any church sponsors; I think the case managers are probably doing their best, but this family of three arrived to an empty apartment with just two beds. Now through TBC families (and the craigslist FREE postings!) they have at least enough beds, a few pieces of furniture and something to sit on! They received the food card in December, but received only enough for two weeks. It was supposed to be recharged on 1/5, still hasn't so this family had run out of food. Last week George Mann gave me a Fry's card for them to get through the week. By the weekend all they had to eat was bread and oranges. Yesterday I took them some canned food and meat and cash for milk and veggies, after trying to take them shopping on Saturday but the father wouldn't go. His pride got in the way of his stomach. Even as of today their food card is not recharged. My mother's church has provided a food box that I"ll be delivering tomorrow. They have been promised food boxes since last week but no one has delivered. Both parents have lost weight since arriving. She rarely leaves the apartment, and immediately puts on her head covering if a man visits. They have so many appointments, just like our family has had, but they don't have a team around them to help them get around, and often he doesn't have bus tickets, and no one else to take them. You can imagine the stress. He has a great background in warehousing, supply lines, computer inventory, etc. so we were able to assemble a good resume and I told him about Costco, Sams Club and some other similar businesses. I've told him the "squeaky wheel gets the grease" at LSS, so I hope he calls the job developer every single day. On my visits to LSS there are so many immigrants just millling around. I assume they are waiting on something, maybe a training, a ride or something. I am very curious what their job placement rate is. I am hoping it's astounding. If anyone has any church contacts on the east side, perhaps we could recruit a team for LSS for this Iraqi community? If you know of anyone, let me know. They are at 28th Street and Indian School.