One thing that the recent global crises (Myanmar, Afghanistan, Ukraine) have taught us is that much of the world still does not hesitate to lend a helping hand. Over the years as well as the recent months, many of us have met so many new people; each of them with a different personality, a different home, and a different story.
In the fall of 2021, GoTEN was contacted about a small Afghan family in need of resettlement, but under very unique circumstances. Rizza and his wife were lawyers in Afghanistan and worked regularly with the U.S. embassy in Kabul. The crisis in Afghanistan left them needing a new home, and the International Rescue Committee hired them as caseworkers in the United States. The complication, however, is that the IRC could not resettle them, due to a conflict of interest. As backlogged as all resettlement agencies are, the family was expecting to wait months, or years, before another organization was able to resettle them. GoTEN stepped in. A group of private donors subsidized rent and utility bills for two months. Furniture was donated. GoTEN staff members in Phoenix stepped in to help the family establish bank accounts, buy phones, and even helped another family member register for school. Using GoTEN's truck, Bobby was able to teach Rizza to drive and take him to his driver's test, which he passed. A friendship began. Since then, the two families (Bobby's and Rizza's) have spent a great deal of time together. Meals have been shared, stories told to one another, and they have even helped each other shoulder some of life's burdens. GoTEN strives to equip people to love their neighbors, helping legally resettled refugees learn English, get jobs and experience Christian community. Sometimes it all starts with “yes, I can help!”