A St. Patrick's Day Reunion!

Video courtesy of CBC. See link for full story below.

Talika's family is here! Welcome Mohamad, Fatima, Rayane and Moussa!

CBC Story with Video of the Reunion





It was over a year ago that a compassionate and willing group of regular citizens saw a need and said, yes. They stepped up to become helpers and answered the call to assist people who had been displaced by a terrible circumstance, not of their making.  This group of volunteers raised funds, prepared a beautiful home and readied for their imminent arrival.

Life had other plans as it often does.  It became a long and arduous path in the quest to bring the Moufleh family to Lewisporte. In fact, it was way back at the time this blog was created, that the wheels were first set in motion to resettle the Syrian family, to the town.  Delays beset their efforts, mostly of a bureaucratic nature. Still, they worked, hopeful that things would resolve and they would arrive.

Blended amongst the frustrating ones, there were some hopeful and happy moments.  For example, they were delighted when a call came asking to accept Talika (as well as her son's family) and of course the committee replied with a prompt yes. They were further overjoyed when she arrived.

The expectation at that time was that her family was to follow not long after her, just weeks later.

But the weeks turned to months.  Time passed and hopes were dampened.  Letters were sent, phone calls were made.  Every possible step was taken to hasten the reunion.  Talika, and her family's stress, at being a world apart, grew. The committee felt their anxiety and worried with them.  As their love for Talika grew, their sadness at her loneliness without her family multiplied.  Their reassurances were many and all they had to offer at times.  It was not enough. They needed to be reunited.

Then, finally, word came that things had cleared up, the red tape unstuck, and once more they prepared.

The burden in the hearts of all was lifted when the confirmation came that their plane had arrived in Toronto. They were safely in the country and on their way. One more delay and now, eight months later, they would be, together.

Finally, the night arrived. It was an emotional meeting in Gander as they embraced. Dry eyes were a rarity as they came together. The culmination of hard work, patience and faith resulting in their joyful reunion.

Mohamad, Fatima, Rayane and Moussa arrived, on St. Patrick's Day, and are today,  safely in their home in Lewisporte! The prayer of St. Patrick's says, in part,"May the strength of God pilot them."

Now on a day in his honour, they have been piloted home.

There are no words to describe the joy of those who worked so hard to make this happen and certainly, the English language is limited in describing the happiness of Talika and her family!

After leaving Syria several years ago, they are now in a place of safety and peace. And more importantly, they are in this place together.  Three generations of the Moufleh family are ready to forge new friendships and embrace a new life in a foreign but friendly and safe land.

May every opportunity for success and happiness that Canada offers, be theirs.

Humans are made for compassion and love. They are altered sometimes and lose sight of that in this arduous journey called life, but it is their true vocation.

As the Dalai Lama said, "if you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."

They're all happy in Lewisporte.

Together at Last

The Welcoming Committee!

Welcome to Canada Moufleh Family!

Some friends with Talika as she awaits the flight!

Talika being interviewed by the CBC, Naz translates

Naz Faidullah has helped with translation since Talika arrived.

Being greeted by Committee Member Joan Russell

Finally, Mother, Son, Daughter-in-law and grandchildren! A family, reunited, in Canada!

The Lewisporte Committee was joined by friends from the Gander Refugee Outreach and some of the new Syrian-Canadian families they've brought to the town.

Introductions and a welcome from Rev. and Ruth Elliott!

Naz translates the Moufleh family's words of appreciation.

Welcome Talal and Family

This time...a video is enough.

Would You Like Some Tea?

The first welcome! Omar and his family at the airport

A diminutive woman sits in a waiting room full of people all inspired to reach for the dream of Canada.  The little woman will know only her family, grandchildren, a son and daughter in law when she lands there.  Her way of life is gone but she has learned a new one these past four years that she can tolerate. The room is small for five people, the roof leaks-no the roof is non-existent but the plastic her son has fastened drains it so that only one side of the room gets wet now.  She is going for them you know, not for herself. At seventy years old she does not care to change her lot in life but her son dreams of great things for his family so she will go too.  He firmly believes Canada will give them opportunities they cannot have in Lebanon. Life is hard for a refugee here, they are not permitted to work and hopelessness permeates the temporary shelters and camps that house those who fled from the raging Syrian civil war.

A young man and his family sit beside her.  The children are beautiful. Two boys and a sparkling little girl with enough personality for ten. This family is also going to Canada and their father's reasons are the same as that of her son's. He wants a home, a job, and most of all a future for his family. His wife is pretty, occupied with the children as they wait their appointments.

"Would you like some tea," The dad, Omar offers and the lady declines. Time passes and the  young man and family are called to their meeting. When they are done he sees the lady again and she also is finished, He offers to escort her home, again she declines. They're going to Canada if all goes well. 

They do not know where they will go in Canada until they get on that plane. When asked where he wishes to go, Omar says "Vancouver." He once had a friend go there, it's the only Canadian Place he has heard of.

The lady is told when she arrives in Toronto that her final destination is Winsor, Ontario, or as she understood, "Twinsor."

There are none of us born in this country who can understand the strength and bravery it takes to move to an entirely new country, clear across the world, where you cannot understand or speak the language and where you will know no other person save those who go with you.  That you go there because you have heard it has opportunity and freedom and a future. You go because you have no hope of these things where you are. We can never know but we must try to understand,

On Friday I met Omar again for the first time since welcoming him in at the airport.  He didn't go to Vancouver. That lucky man and his family ended up in Gander. And they're so happy about that I don't think they will leave for Vancouver anytime soon.  We had a long conversation that amazes me, partly because, in the course of a couple of months, he has learned English so well we are able to converse but mostly because I realize that, communication barrier broken, we have an exceptional new Canadian here in Gander.

This event, by the way, is a potluck for the second family who are now settled in Gander. The purpose is to welcome them and the committee members from Gander and some from Lewisporte are in attendance as well as a large number of the very important volunteers and the translator.

Omar tells me about his job, and how being at the cash and working at Louis Gees has helped his English improve. He tells me an adorable anecdote about how his five year old daughter Raghad picked up English so quickly that she was telling them what to do and where to go, translating from the English to Arabic really early. The boys, too, are learning and his wife, too and will have much more time for lessons once the kids start school in a couple of weeks.

He also tells me that his driver's licence has been renewed in Canada and he has secured a car. You can see the delight in his eyes at this.  Men love their cars no matter their heritage.  Plus people like to support their own families and while the kindness of strangers is a blessing, the ability to provide and to give is a greater one.  This kind man will provide support and companionship for the new family.

There is a fuss in a little while. The translator from the Lewisporte Committee has arrived with Talika, the grandmother of the family moving there, The family has been delayed by bureaucracy but Grandma, as we all call her,  is here already settled into Lewisporte and waiting.  She's a delightful and funny lady, always up for a bit of sport and while she's worried about her family, she has taken up some quilting and is learning English also.

"I know her," Omar tells me, his eyes alight with his story.  Yes of course, there has been another gathering I have missed.

"No," he explains, his English remarkably unbroken,"I met her in Lebanon at the office where we go to apply to come to Canada, I offered her tea and a ride home. She said no.  When I saw her last time I said to my wife, that is the lady from the office and my wife asked her and yes, she remembers I brought her tea."

I question him? His English has really improved but surely I misunderstood.

No he assures me, it is true. They met in Lebanon prior to moving to Gander and Lewisporte.

There are 1,033, 513 registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon,  30, 275 people have traveled to Canada and 18942 been processed but await final processing and travel.  hundreds of cities and towns are involved in aiding in their resettlement including Gander and Lewisporte. And these two people whose paths crossed that day now live less than an hour from each other clear across the planet.

We knew that Talika hadn't gone to Twinsor, Ontario.  We agreed to take her here with her family but she hadn't been informed of her destination until she was in Toronto.

I firmly believe that this coincidence is a sign that everything is going as it's meant to go even if it's not quite as we expected.

It is my firmest belief that Talika's family will arrive soon.  I watch her while she sits next to Omar's wife, her eyes light up as her children come up and speak, their bright eyes and animated faces delighting her grandmother's heart.

Meanwhile we also await Talal and his family from Turkey who have a travel date in late September. We are connected already through Facebook with him.

This is a big wide world with billions of people and it is easy to disconnect from a mass but at the simplest level, individual to individual we are all the same, all with the same needs and stories and always we make connections to each other at that level, some fleeting, some long lasting.

Omar was kind in his brief meeting with Talika.  He did not know he would ever see her again yet he was kind. There is lesson enough in that alone but the story of their brief meeting highlights that our interactions with others my not always be without purpose.

Plus, it is always reassuring to see a familiar face from home in a strange place.  As a Newfoundlander who spent time away I know all too well the value of that!

Enjoy your day,

Carolyn

Would You Like Some Tea?

The first welcome! Omar and his family at the airport

A diminutive woman sits in a waiting room full of people all inspired to reach for the dream of Canada.  The little woman will know only her family, grandchildren, a son and daughter in law when she lands there.  Her way of life is gone but she has learned a new one these past four years that she can tolerate. The room is small for five people, the roof leaks-no the roof is non-existent but the plastic her son has fastened drains it so that only one side of the room gets wet now.  She is going for them you know, not for herself. At seventy years old she does not care to change her lot in life but her son dreams of great things for his family so she will go too.  He firmly believes Canada will give them opportunities they cannot have in Lebanon. Life is hard for a refugee here, they are not permitted to work and hopelessness permeates the temporary shelters and camps that house those who fled from the raging Syrian civil war.

A young man and his family sit beside her.  The children are beautiful. Two handsome boys and a sparkling little girl with enough personality for ten. This family is also going to Canada and their father's reasons are the same as that of her son's. He wants a home, a job, and most of all a future for his family. His wife is pretty, occupied with the children as they wait their appointments.

"Would you like some tea," The dad, Omar offers and the lady declines. Time passes and the  young man and family are called to their meeting. When they are done he sees the lady again and she also is finished, He offers to escort her home, again she declines. They're going to Canada if all goes well. 

They do not know where they will go in Canada until they get on that plane. When asked where he wishes to go, Omar says "Vancouver." He once had a friend go there, it's the only Canadian Place he has heard of.

The lady is told when she arrives in Toronto that her final destination is Winsor, Ontario, or as she understood, "Twinsor."

There are none of us born in this country who can understand the strength and bravery it takes to move to an entirely new country, clear across the world, where you cannot understand or speak the language and where you will know no other person save those who go with you.  That you go there because you have heard it has opportunity and freedom and a future. You go because you have no hope of these things where you are. We can never know but we must try to understand,

On Friday I met Omar again for the first time since welcoming him in at the airport.  He didn't go to Vancouver. That lucky man and his family ended up in Gander. And they're so happy about that I don't think they will leave for Vancouver anytime soon.  We had a long conversation that amazes me, partly because, in the course of a couple of months, he has learned English so well we are able to converse but mostly because I realize that, communication barrier broken, we have an exceptional new Canadian here in Gander.

This event, by the way, is a potluck for the second family who are now settled in Gander. The purpose is to welcome them and the committee members from Gander and some from Lewisporte are in attendance as well as a large number of the very important volunteers and the translator.

Omar tells me about his job, and how being at the cash and working at Luigi's has helped his English improve. He tells me an adorable anecdote about how his five year old daughter Raghad picked up English so quickly that she was telling them what to do and where to go, translating from the English to Arabic really early. The boys, too, are learning and his wife, too and will have much more time for lessons once the kids start school in a couple of weeks.

He also tells me that his driver's licence has been renewed in Canada and he has secured a car. You can see the delight in his eyes at this.  Men love their cars no matter their heritage.  Plus people like to support their own families and while the kindness of strangers is a blessing, the ability to provide and to give is a greater one.  This kind man will provide support and companionship for the new family.

There is a fuss in a little while. The translator from the Lewisporte Committee has arrived with Talika, the grandmother of the family moving there, The family has been delayed by bureaucracy but Grandma, as we all call her,  is here already settled into Lewisporte and waiting.  She's a delightful and funny lady, always up for a bit of sport and while she's worried about her family, she has taken up some quilting and is learning English also.

"I know her," Omar tells me, his eyes alight with his story.  Yes of course, there has been another gathering I have missed.

"No," he explains, his English remarkably unbroken,"I met her in Lebanon at the office where we go to apply to come to Canada, I offered her tea and a ride home. She said no.  When I saw her last time I said to my wife, that is the lady from the office and my wife asked her and yes, she remembers I brought her tea."

I question him? His English has really improved but surely I misunderstood.

No he assures me, it is true. They met in Lebanon prior to moving to Gander and Lewisporte.

There are 1,033, 513 registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon,  30, 275 people have traveled to Canada and 18942 been processed but await final processing and travel.  hundreds of cities and towns are involved in aiding in their resettlement including Gander and Lewisporte. And these two people whose paths crossed that day now live less than an hour from each other clear across the planet.

We knew that Talika hadn't gone to Twinsor, Ontario.  We agreed to take her here with her family but she hadn't been informed of her destination until she was in Toronto.

I firmly believe that this coincidence is a sign that everything is going as it's meant to go even if it's not quite as we expected.

It is my firmest belief that Talika's family will arrive soon.  I watch her while she sits next to Omar's wife, her eyes light up as her children come up and speak, their bright eyes and animated faces delighting her grandmother's heart.

Meanwhile we also await Talal and his family from Turkey who have a travel date in late September. We are connected already through Facebook with him.

This is a big wide world with billions of people and it is easy to disconnect from a mass but at the simplest level, individual to individual we are all the same, all with the same needs and stories and always we make connections to each other at that level, some fleeting, some long lasting.

Omar was kind in his brief meeting with Talika.  He did not know he would ever see her again yet he was kind. There is lesson enough in that alone but the story of their brief meeting highlights that our interactions with others my not always be without purpose.

Plus, it is always reassuring to see a familiar face from home in a strange place.  As a Newfoundlander who spent time away I know all too well the value of that!

Enjoy your day,

Carolyn

A Coordinated Effort

It is early on Sunday afternoon and the storm that has raged these past two nights has begun to dwindle. I have spent much of the morning working on some things for the upcoming fundraisers (See posters below for details)

As I work here others, in their homes or out and about, are doing things related to this important effort.

Everybody has their tasks, some big, some small but all equally important and valued. As I was taking a break, cleaning up my dishes my thoughts went back these past eight weeks to when we first started to come together and to the past six weeks, two days since we were matched with our Syrian family who arrive any day.

And I was overwhelmed by a sense of gratitude.

How can one not be grateful to live in such a community? It is impossible to not be grateful for such kind and giving hearts as those that have set aside their own personal agendas to work for no money to help better the lives of people they don't even know? And those who have donated so much money to the cause. We are closing in our our fund raising goal and are confident it will be met in time. Such generosity. It's a humbling and remarkable thing to behold.

The simple meaning of "coordinate" in the Miriam Webster dictionary is

"to make arrangements so that two or more people or groups of people can work together properly and well."

Well that's happening!

I finally had the opportunity to help out at the apartment on Friday. There was a flurry of activity, of people dropping what they were doing to bring large appliances, people cleaning, painting, laying flooring, shopping and pretty much having a blast doing all of that as a team. We accomplished much and we'll finish in time. It's not where my main focus as been but it was remarkable to see things moving forward in such a fashion. I sense that once the remaining flooring is in things will accelerate and it will be complete in short order.

I was looking for photos to go along with this post and I saw something that said "Have an attitude of gratitude" and I thought, that's exactly what we have here.

That, and so much more.

49.245. and -55.0592 mark the intersection of the longitude and latitude lines of Lewisporte, NL. Pretty valuable numbers in a town that boasts the largest marina in Atlantic Canada!

These coordinates are where you can find a dedicated group of volunteers and an entire community awaiting that moment when we get to meet our new friends.

Though our attitude of gratitude is not tied specifically to our longitude and latitude, and our coordinated efforts have no connection to our coordinates(see what I did there?) it is with sincere heart I thank this community, Lewisporte, for every moment, every penny and every prayer given to this effort.

I hope to see all of you at our community breakfast and bake sale on April 2. It is my fondest hope that everyone know how much they have mattered and will continue to matter to our newest community members when they arrive.

Anytime Now!

Six weeks ago the Lewisporte Refugee Outreach received a call that a family had been matched to us. We were told then that they would arrive is six to eight weeks so..anytime now!

And the biggest development was that last week we were asked if Grandma could come with the family. I'm not sure exactly why but it seems she was going to be sent elsewhere in Canada and when they were confirming travel plans for the family a cross-reference discovered this.

So they called to see if the family could be kept together and we said yes.

We have been so busy with meetings and training and fundraising plans so time flew by.

Now the focus is on the most important piece of all. The apartment. I haven't been actively involved in the renovations but many others have.

It's close to complete and I'm confident that things will be finished in time.

We're told we'll get two days notice and then we'll be welcoming them at the airport. It is so exciting to consider meeting them and to welcome them.

Sometimes, I wonder what they're expecting and how far from those expectations will we be?   I guess we'll know...

Anytime now!

Magic and Hard Work!

There are those who sit and observe the magic of the world. And then there are those who get off their rear ends and make magic! I was fortunate enough to be taught from an early age that the magic of the world is not illusory but instead what appears to be mystical is often the result of the hard work of somebody somewhere who did something.

 I remember walking into an event once that I and many others had worked on for weeks. Somebody observed that it had all come together so quickly "like Magic." I smiled and left her there in her delusion. In my pocket was a speech designed to express gratitude to all of those who had made it all possible through weeks and weeks of time and effort and sacrifice and at that point she would understand that the magic didn't happen but that the magic was made.

 All over this province-and country-Canadians are working very hard to help people they don't know find a better life. They're participating in the fundamental lesson we were taught in kindergarten, or perhaps even earlier-that we should share.

That they would take the precious moments of their lives to do that is magical. I am constantly impressed by those who spend their lives in the aid of their fellow humans. A few of them in this town got together on Friday and made others a priority and it was an incredibly fun day.

We used our creativity to make our fundraiser special..we called it the "We Knead Dough" fundraiser and renamed some common baked goods to "Two Fam Jam Jams" and "May as well get used to the Snow..balls!" The ladies & one gentlemen(our MHA Derek Bennett) think they're baking but they're really making magic. And yes it was work but the dollars earned will be combined with other dollars raised and the total will aid in the efforts to help 25000 new Canadians get here to start their lives. These sorts of efforts are happening in communities all over the country.  It is such a heartwarming effort.  And here are the results of our day in the kitchen.

Abracadabra!

Two Fam Jam Jams

For Sale!

Well worth the effort!

Special Labels so you know who you're helping with your purchase

One of the boxes full of the delicious baked goods!

What would you Take?

We watched this video in church today. It needs no commentary.