It doesn’t seem possible that out of compassion for refugees who were caught up in the United States’ abrupt withdrawal in August 2021 from two decades of presence in Afghanistan, a family of two adults with five children under 9 would land in Massachusetts. Ihsanullah and Zahida Rawan escaped their country and were eventually sponsored for resettlement through an organization called Ascentria Alliance. Working with six other faith communities in Winchester, a partnership was established under the name Winchester Interfaith Resettlement Partnership. Rev. Bob Davidson shared leadership duties with a member of Shir Tikvah Temple, and together they guided almost 70 volunteers to provide support for the Rawans beginning in February 2022. Over 20 of those volunteers came from Parish of the Epiphany and tirelessly gave of their time and heart to grow to love this amazing family as we witnessed their gradual integration into American culture.
After nearly 16 months with us, on June 24, the Rawan family (which now included a six-month old U.S. citizen) boarded an Amtrak train for their new home in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Our Interfaith partnership promised to help with securing housing and shipping their household goods, allowing the Rawans to settle into a three-bedroom apartment near several of their closest family. Summer will be a time for becoming familiar with their new location, finding work for Ihsanullah, and registering the school aged children in school and preschool.
A unique opportunity for this resettlement partnership was that members of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions worked together as a witness to our shared faith. The Rawans taught us all respect and admiration of their culture and Islamic traditions. Discovering how to deeply communicate with someone whose primary language is not English encouraged volunteers to create bonds not dependent on language. Finally, to see how excited particularly the children were with the simplest gift or new gadget helped us realize how truly privileged our lives are in America.
Will this mission experience of resettling an Afghan family leave a lasting mark on our parish, in addition to the volunteers whose lives will be forever changed? Hopefully, Parish of the Epiphany will build on the experience of working with other faith traditions, will continue to welcome diverse cultures and languages into our community, and will find ways to lose our grip on the privileges and entitlements of our daily life, which in the end had little to do with the love and hope we gave as gifts to the Rawan family.
Rev. Bob Davidson, co-lead
Winchester Interfaith Resettlement Partnership
