Nothing Short of a Miracle

This is only my second week at the Oasis, but I just wanted to share one of my favorite stories thus far. During coffee bar, I noticed a family sitting at one of the tables so I decided to go welcome them to the Oasis. As I sat down with them, the whole family suddenly lit up with smiles. I introduced myself and told them I was happy they were here. They spoke Arabic and very little English. The father of the family spoke more English than the rest, so he translated for the rest of the family. His wife began passionately trying to tell me something, but she was speaking in Arabic, so I could not understand her. Her husband then translated for me. He explained that the family had been very scared for a long time as their journey had been long and tough, but that as soon as they walked through the doors of the Oasis they immediately felt an overwhelming sense of peace. He said, “We know God is here!” I spent over an hour with this family, playing games, laughing (a lot), talking, praying, and learning a little bit about their story.

Even though I’ve only been here a short time, I have already heard many stories of families being separated somewhere along their journey. I told him that it was nothing short of a miracle that he, his wife, and their two daughters had all made it here together. The father responded, “Yes, a miracle of God.” A couple of volunteers who speak Arabic, then did a small devotional with the family from Psalm 23. Even though the entire devotional was in Arabic, it was by far one of the most memorable devotionals of my life.

It was just amazing to discover how truly thankful they were to have found a Christian community, even though they were of Muslim faith. The more time I spent with them, the more I became awestruck at the power of Christ. I had never witnessed such a peculiar combination of sheer exhaustion and pure Godly joy than what I saw in this family. They were an absolutely beautiful family and God’s hand was all over them, all over their situation, and all over our time together.

Danielle Farina