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People of the Book Lutheran Outreach
in Texas
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A Baptism Celebration
 A new believer in Christ! After being invited to worship by friend Robert Ostrum, a member of Messiah Lutheran Church in Plano, and weeks of studying the small catechism with Rev. Karim Baidaoui, Abdul Khaksar (a Muslim convert) was Baptized and became a child of God on Sunday, June 27. He is pictured at left with Rev. Baidaoui receiving the sacraments of Holy Baptism that took place at Messiah.
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"Should I bring anything?" I asked.
"No, no," they all said.
"No, really," I said, with big eyes. "There are going to be a ton people here Friday. We're going to need a lot of food."
"Just come," they said, laughing a little. "There will be enough."
There was definitely enough for everyone at POBLO-TX's first International ESL Fellowship dinner in May. We all gathered together at Our Redeemer in Dallas to share food and practice English conversation.
It seems that every Iraqi woman is an amazing cook. Every family brought a special dish to share with the group, and I don't think I've ever been surrounded by so much carefully and skillfully prepared food. As we sat down to eat, I turned to the older Iraqi couple sitting across from me. I've been teaching the most advanced ESL class for the last year, so I have to admit that I was a little nervous about making conversation with this couple because I knew their English wasn't very good. I didn't want to make them uncomfortable, and I might not have been able to understand anything they said, but I smiled as big as I could and asked them slowly "You are from Iraq?"
They smiled at me smiles that consumed their faces, and our conversation began. We laughed and gestured and sometimes called on other Iraqis to interpret, but our conversation was real and it was good. The woman told me about the things closest to her heart, about her children who are separated from her, and about her trip to Mecca.
The next week at our second fellowship dinner, I smiled and waved as soon as I saw the couple come in. The woman came over to me, took my hand, and led me to an empty table near the back of the room. She pulled out a picture and asked me "You know?"
"It's Mecca," I said.
"Yes," she smiled. "I have special gift," she said, putting the misbaha prayer beads she brought from Mecca into my hand.
Then she put her hand to her chest and said, "I'm mama, you're daughter."
I am continually amazed with the depth of interactions that I can have with such limited words. After our second week's fellowship, I drove a mother and her three daughters home. They invited up to their apartment, and I stayed for two hours talking to them about their lives. Their English was limited as well, but we used a program on their laptop that translated everything I typed into Arabic and vice versa. They showed me pictures of the refugee camp where they lived for three years and told me about how the mother gave birth to her youngest daughter while the roof of their tent was caving in under the weight of the winter's snow. I sat with their daughter in my lap and practiced the names of all the types of furniture in their living room.
As my relationships with these Iraqi families grow, I am constantly reminded of all we share as people created by God. We all share these smiles and gestures, this want for a better life for our children, this capacity to suffer and survive. We all share a need for love and grace, and we know that through Christ there is definitely enough for everyone.
Julie Kangas
POBLO-TX / Our Redeemer ESL Volunteer
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Those who know me well are as shocked as I am. Me as an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher? Never. Never in a million years could I see myself doing that. But, life is full of surprises and unexpected turns, isn't it? Here I am teaching ESL and learning much more than I can ever teach my students.
Teaching ESL is a feast of knowledge waiting to be shared. My students have so much to teach me. I am learning new words. They laugh at my struggling attempts to roll those RRRRRRRs and get that proper iksch sound. They tell me of their culture, and I tell them of ours. One of the lessons was about commuter marriages. I had a tough time trying to explain what a "commuter marriage" was. Two of the students were aghast that there was such a thing and shook their heads in total disbelief. "That would never happen in our country," they told me.
 The other evening, one of my students came by to visit. She was so excited because her sister had just arrived, and she wanted me to meet her. Her sister is a fabric designer and they gave me a scarf that she had designed and hand painted for me. I was so moved by their generosity. Their joy at being together again was beautiful to see. The family was together again and so happy. I am so privileged to see that kind of joy.
Each week is new. Each week is different. We practice pronouncing English words, rules of grammar, writing sentences, and any other questions they may have. My admiration for these refugees is beyond measure. They tell us of some of the things that have happened to them in their country or origin. They tell of their struggles. Their joy at being here is profound. My students are my teachers. I help them learn the language, they teach me about life. How lucky can I be!
Paulette Cooper -POBLO-TX / Our Redeemer Intermediate ESL Instructor
 Can you speak English?
Can you spare 1 1/2 hours per week?
Do you want to meet some new faces?
Do you want to be a Blessing?
Come Teach English with us on Monday or Friday nights, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. We have been Blessed with more and more students from All Nations and we need volunteers to help teach and help with childcare. If you want to find out more about the program, or if you know someone who would be interested please plan on attending the Teacher Training Session, Monday, August 30th at 7:00 p.m. here at Our Redeemer in Dallas. We hope to see you there!
For more information contact the POBLO-TX office at
214-368-1371 ext 241
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