“What was the first word in English you remember learning?” I asked my Afghan friend, Farahnaz while we sipped on piping hot green tea her mom just poured for us. “The first word I remember learning was ‘nail clippers’. We were at the military base in Wisconsin, sleeping in rooms much too small for the people there, and we needed to ask someone for a pair.”

Born and raised in Afghanistan, Farahnaz, her mom (widowed just a couple of years prior to becoming a refugee), and her two sisters came to the United States in search of somewhere to establish themselves. They fled their home country in a hurry to find safety, spent two months at a military base in Wisconsin, and were later resettled here in St. Louis, MO. Since then, they’ve discovered more hope than they could've imagined.

Being a woman in Afghanistan is quite different from being a woman in the United States. There’s less opportunity in Afghanistan for women to pursue education, meaningful careers, and success. Yet, Farahnaz and her family came all as women to a country where they could find all these things and more.

We met Farahnaz’s family through the International Institute of St. Louis’ community support program: a group of dedicated volunteers from Christ Memorial Lutheran Church was paired with this family to help them in their transition as refugees. Upon meeting them, it was clear that Farahnaz was ready to jump into life as a New American! Speaking a new language in front of native speakers is no easy feat, but she was determined to practice as much as possible, even if she messed up.

For the past year, CFNA and volunteers from Christ Memorial stepped alongside Farahnaz’s family in their resettlement journey. Farahnaz and her sister, Suhayla, trudged through their junior and senior years of high school at 19 and 20 years of age, while her other 22-year-old sister, Malala, got her first-ever job to support her family. Volunteers offered ESL lessons to members of the family, showed up time and time again to support them with transportation, welcomed them into their own homes to share a meal, and helped them understand what it is to be an American - the wonderful, and the challenging. Farahnaz’s mother, who has taken me in as her “American daughter,” continues to learn English from her daughter, Farahnaz, who only mastered the language this year.

We may not know the true horrors this family has seen over the past few years, but we do know that their lives will never be the same. Talking about experiences arriving in the US isn’t easy for Farahnaz; she recalls her time in Wisconsin as frightful and hopeless. Yet, she’s found a new hope here in St. Louis: being an American means being free. The hope this family has is unmatched.

The last question I asked Farahnaz was, “What has been your favorite memory since coming to St. Louis?” To which she replied, “My favorite memory since coming to America is my freedom!”

Please continue to pray for Farahnaz and her family: for her mother’s health, for financial peace, for Farahnaz and Suhayla as they begin at STLCC this Fall, and especially for them to find true hope in Jesus.

By Amelia Oesch
Friend a Family Facilitator, CFNA

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An Afghan Story of American Freedom