Family, Four Years Later

We met four years ago, just after the U.S. halted the refugee resettlement program under the Trump administration. At that time, they still had plane tickets along with their fully-vetted visas to arrive in the US as refugees. Part of their family had already made it to the States, and we assumed they would soon, too. But days turned to weeks, which turned to months, and now we’re nearly four years into this wait to make a family whole again.
These families are Syrian, displaced from their hometowns in the country shortly after the war in Syria made their lives untenable there. They, like so many others, never expected to be gone so long, and certainly never expected their lives to split across so many countries. They live in settlements across Jordan, places they expected to be temporary but were not, and have little control over what happens next in their lives. 
But over these years while we’ve been waiting to help reunify these families, we’ve also found another kind of family: the one that formed in the distance. Over the years, we’ve provided material support, like baby gifts, emergency food, and school supplies. And it hasn’t just been transactional- it’s been transformational. It hasn’t just been about charity and giving gifts, it’s been about learning and growing together. You all have supported these families over the last few years, being the community they’ve needed to walk through some of the darkest moments in their journeys. 
Last week, we marked nearly four years of knowing one another, and I spent time in person with these families in Jordan. We shared in the fun of sorting through beautiful jewelry, makeup and other generous items shared by this community, and we delighted in new baby clothes for new arrivals that have so recently entered the world. Most of all, we enjoyed being family- even if they’re not all together again, we celebrated standing in the gap for one another until that day comes. 

Cayce Pack