Walking Alongside

As you may have noticed in our newsletters, our hospitality ministry has shifted. For decades we hosted newly arrived families for their first two months in the USA. Now, God has given us a different, but equally meaningful assignment: walking with families for 6-12 months who have been in the country for a while but have had a destabilizing life event.

Together, we help them piece together life’s complex puzzle, including housing, healthcare, education, childcare, and emotional needs. A major practical milestone in this journey is achieving independence through a driver’s license.

Recently, “Aya” one of our residents, took her written driving test. It was offered in Arabic, her native language, but a poor translation caused her to fail and she was deeply discouraged. We tried to console her as best we could. Then just a week later she returned to take the test entirely in English – a language she has just began to grow in during the last few months at Jubilee. She returned victorious and bursting with self-confidence!

It is a blessing to “rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15). Thank you for standing with us and in sharing in our joys and struggles.

We’re also well into the fall harvest season. Blueberries, tomatoes, and grapes have slowly transitioned to persimmons, chestnuts, and sweet potatoes. Pray for rain so we can have a long season of kale, collards, and lettuce this winter along with pasture for our cattle!