Class finished and Aziz buckled his youngest daughter into her car seat. He is the proud father of four daughters, now living in the Midwest of the USA. Through my role as an ESL teacher, I had the privilege of learning his story. Aziz is one of the lucky ones.
After being trafficked to a more prosperous Southeast Asian country, he was able to find work and to make connections with the Rohingya community there. His marriage was arranged to a gifted young woman still living in Myanmar. She joined him and they were blessed with healthy children, registration with the UNHCR, and eventually the opportunity to be settled to a third country.
Six years later, the family was settled in America. Aziz was now father to four beautiful daughters, had a strong marriage, and had advanced through a number of night shift jobs to be able to buy his own home. Although setbacks still occur (medical bills and traffic accidents), Aziz and his family are firmly established in their new country. Citizenship is within reach and the four girls have many opportunities ahead of them.
In spite of the open doors for his family, being an immigrant with limited English in a foreign culture and harsh climate creates ongoing stress for Aziz and his wife.
Please pray for Aziz and other Rohingya men like him who have settled in the West that bridges of love would form with people who love the Rohingya so that the love of Christ could be demonstrated to them in word and deed.