"There's something supernaturally special about the Oasis that just wraps itself around you like a soft warm comfort blanket, making you feel safe, loved, wanted - like you belong.
We felt it the first time we walked through the door on our first visit last year, and on Monday morning - there it was again. Safety, welcome, acceptance, compassion and overwhelming love seemed to radiate from the very fabric of the building. The past 11 months melted away, and it was just like we'd never left!
I'm certain the hundreds - nay thousands - of refugees who've walked timidly through the same front door over the past 30 some years, have felt it too. They may have no idea what 'it' is, but they could never deny its existence.
A stubborn, persistent, relentless but oh so tender love that reveals itself at first in a simple acknowledging nod of the head, a smile, a warm handshake, a gentle hug. An offered mug of hot, sweet chai or coffee, a slice of cake, a biscuit, a piece of fruit or chocolate ..... a seat at a table, a place to relax, to breathe and just 'be.'
No amount of human effort can replicate this love, because its source isn't human, it flows from the depths of the heart of God. The God who IS love. The God who longs to display his love through us. " -Lesley, a volunteer from England
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