This article was written by Suzin Sciabarasi.

My friend Bobby Manley and I met Abdul and Zahra in September 2016 when he was 13 and she was 16.  Their family had just arrived in the US in April of that year as refugees and before that had been refugees in Pakistan for several years.  Originally from Afghanistan, their dad had tragically disappeared leaving their mom, Maryam to raise four children on her own with a very limited income.

After another tragic loss of Maryam’s brother in Pakistan, someone who had protected and helped support them, friends and neighbors banded together to help them apply to the US for refugee resettlement.  After 5 years, their application was approved and with only their clothes and very little money, Maryam and her young family bravely stepped onto an airplane and into the unknown.

At the time, Abdul was 13 and the only English-speaking member of the family who could guide them on their long journey and through the refugee settlement process.  While he had learned basic English in school in Pakistan, his natural talent for language and emotional maturity made him appear as an uber responsible 13 year old going on 20 when we met him.

Upon arrival in the US, the older children Abdullah and Kubra were immediately employed in local hotels and their income supplied the basics of safe and sustainable living after the 3 months of resettlement financial support ended.

Embarking on the journey as Abdul and Zahra’s academic mentors was a complete and utter joy.  Each week Bobby and I each spent a couple of hours with them in their home while mom cooked dinner or tended to running her household.  For Abdul, who navigated public school well due to his English, we were able to answer many of his questions as he put his English in the context of an academic and social world he had never experienced.  For Zahra, enrolling in AISD’s International School required support in basic academics as she learned English and the mechanics of attending a school with so many more requirements and complexities than the one she had attended in Pakistan.

There was never any question that we would be there weekly especially since their need and desire to learn was so great that they felt to us like flowers waiting to be watered each week.  They came to depend on us as adults they could trust, to help them understand this new world around them and provide guidance for their education or future careers.

The difference between our own young children’s experiences in life and Abdul and Zahra’s was so great.  They recognized the time with us as a very fortunate opportunity and took every advantage of any idea we had to help them become well integrated citizens of their school and their new city.  If we suggested a class, they took it.  If we suggested a book or additional exercises, they did it.  When an opportunity came up with the City of Austin to do a summer internship with a local business, they mustered all their courage to learn the bus route, ensure they had the appropriate clothing, and headed out the door.  They trusted that we had their best interest at heart and we did.  In return, the blossoming of these children was a sight to see.

iACT only asked that we mentor them academically for one school year, but our journey of teaching these children began to extend beyond books and school. We went on hikes in nature, trips to the library, and gatherings with our own kids to celebrate their and our cultural holidays and birthdays.  Maryam’s love of her children, her desire for them to grow and learn and her trust in us became synonymous with the honor you bequeath to Godparents, and we gladly took this role to have a positive impact on her children’s lives.

Little did we know when we were introduced to Abdul and Zahra as their academic mentors that we would gladly become their family mentors and friends to help them navigate everything from ATM machines to finding a new apartment to how to use the automated phone system for filling a prescription.  It was a marvel to us:  their family’s courage, eagerness to improve the quality of their life, and the love and kindness they returned to us in thanks inspired us to continue this wonderful relationship.

Today, five years later, Abdul and Zahra have graduated from high school and are attending ACC.   They have taken jobs as needed while going to school and continue to be great students.  Their future is very bright as Abdul would like to study biochemistry and possibly go on to medical school.   Zahra, whose culture did not promote voicing an opinion or pursuing an education, has found her voice and hopes to become a nurse.

There is nothing that can describe the warm and fuzzy feeling of volunteering to help someone  survive and learn to live successfully in a culture so foreign to their own.  The courage that they had to muster was tremendous, but our extending a hand to help them was incredibly easy.  In return, we received and continue to receive a bond of love and friendship that will last the rest of our lives.

Note: iACT is now recruiting mentors to support newly arrived refugee teens. For information, contact mwagner@interfaithtexas.org The commitment is for one school year.