Grocery Shopping, Medical, and Surprise
Day 5
One member of our resettlement team took 3 members of our refugee families to a grocery store again today. Rather than being a typical American grocery store it was an Oriental food mart. This way they could get some foods that are more familiar to them.
They also went to Pick n Save as most of the meat and vegetables that were bought on Thursday were already gone. Finally they took a quick stop at Kohl’s for a pair of flip flops, then a quick visit to their relatives apartment for ice cream and cookies.
Medical appointments for arrival exams are now scheduled for all eight family members. The 8 appointments are scattered across 5 different dates with 15 days from the first to the last appointment. This will keep our transportation and medical teams active.
The surprise? It turns out that a woman family member, who was believed to be single, living with her parents, is actually married. Apparently her husband was resettled in the U.S. a month ago in Nebraska. Perhaps they will be able to reunite at some point. We’re not sure of the implications right now.
Also made some progress on housing today. Our church has purchased a house in the hopes that someday the property can be used as part of church expansion. In the meantime, it will be rented. We committed to place our refugees in this 3 bedroom home for the near future.
Of course they will be paying rent like any other family. They will get experience taking care of a house and paying bills for services. They will get an understanding of the responsibilities that go with renting.
