Blog

A Different Pond is author Bao Phi's dedication to his childhood and the part his parents played in seeking safety and providing for their family of eight.

Over the last year, TSOS has developed close relationships built on mutual trust with many of the families we help. We know their names, their personal stories, and their individual needs. We are fully aware that our donations are only a temporary band-aid for a larger problem. A bag of groceries only goes so far, and they will be back the following Saturday for more. Sometimes, though, we can make a bigger impact in someone’s life.

Selfies with friends. Shurooq and Sasha enjoy shopping together.

Suzanne Kaufman’s colorful illustrations are a delightful pair to Alaxandra Penfold’s narrative stating “all are welcome here,” no matter one's appearance or background.

There are currently 26.4 million refugees in the world. Over half of them are children; hundreds of thousands of them are children traveling alone. These three boys fled violence and persecution in Afghanistan, undertook perilous journeys with their families, and landed in the refugee camp in Greece where I met them. Their future is uncertain, and their past is gone forever. This precarious position could understandably inspire fear, mistrust, and despair. Yet so often it is the children who are able to rise above the rhetoric of fear and show us all what humanity really means.

Their Story is Our Story stands with those suffering in Afghanistan. As we witness the clogged airport runways in Kabul we seek to clear the runways in our own communities and welcome our Afghan brothers and sisters as our new neighbors and friends.

In response to a great need and many who have asked how to help, our friends at Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (LIRS) have put together an urgent plea for volunteers and donations to help newly arriving Afghan Allies.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Malala Yousafzai, is best known for her book "I am Malala" and her role advocating for the education of girls. "We Are Displaced" shares the stories of refugee girls from around the world.

In an era where technology is so prominent and information is available to us at the simple click of a button, sharing experiences has never been so easy, yet it has left meaningful connections to sometimes be difficult. We are sometimes disillusioned into imagining that we can progress in our personal and professional lives best on our own, but I have found that is anything but true.

Come join us as we Educate, Integrate, and Advocate for Refugees in our Communities. One Story at a Time.