Family2Family

salena, trenika, kelly and bishnu (grandma) katuwal

The CFNA Family2Family ministry, now in its second year, pairs a St. Louis family with a recently arrived New American family. Here Kelly Jacob shares her experience, especially as regards relationship building with a New American family.

“My name is Kelly Jacob. I'm a second year deaconess student at Concordia Seminary, as well as a second year student in the Masters of Social Work program at St. Louis University. This year I have been blessed to be working with Christian Friends of New Americans for what is referred to as field work in the deaconess program.

“That being said, as part of the Family2Family ministry I've been blessed and privileged to spend time visiting and getting to know a refugee family from Nepal. They have been so gracious in welcoming me and the Schelp family from Concordia, Kirkwood into their homes and lives. We have shared some special moments ranging from family photos to watching Nepalese shows together to reading books about Jesus and His love. These times have provided great opportunities to learn more about the family's needs as well as to connect them with other resources that CFNA has to offer, such as Adult ESL, After School Tutoring and health screenings.

“On Sunday - Valentine's Day! - I had fun sharing with the kids the Valentine's I made for them. It was neat to be able to talk about love - not only the love that people have for their spouses, families and friends, but also about God's love for them. I also was able to share that one of the reasons I visit is because it is a way I can show God's love for them, and my care for them as well.

“This has been a wonderful and enjoyable experience, and I greatly look forward to our meetings! I encourage anyone interested, to prayerfully consider participation in this ministry, as it has been a true blessing not only for the immigrant/refugee family but also for me!” If interested call Carol at 314-517-8513.