Sala

It is always so exciting to see progress in one of our clients/friends. They become family to us. This story that I am going to share with you is about Sala.

When Sala was hired for her new job, she first had to give two weeks notice to her current job. If she didn't pass the test than she was without a job. The pressure was on. Sala was sent home with a booklet to study and that was about it. She had to study all about security for the airport to become an employer for housekeeping.

You can't imagine all that she needed to learn. The hardest thing for Sala was not only learning about the new English words but to say them, understand their meaning and the consequences of someone breaching the security of the airport security. Sala and I studied hard for two weeks. We even did a field trip out to the airport so that she could visually understand what she was studying. We made note cards, practiced over and over again. Her whole family got involved with helping her to study as they began to understand a new way of what it meant to study. New words of security, restricted, sensitive, identification, administration: these were big words for a person to comprehend, to say with confidence and understanding.

When the big day came for Sala came to take the test she missed the test by one point. She was devastated! The next day, one of our board members and her befriender cleared his schedule ~ Pastor Monte Slaver and took her back out to the airport and again Sala missed the test by one point! Monte went over with Sala the importance of understanding the English language and how sometimes in a True and False statement some things are true and some things are false and you have to decide what parts are true and what parts are false. Sala knew the material but she was getting confused with the T/F questions, with this new information on how to understand the English language and how to decipher the question Sala was ready to go back on her own and tackle the test one more time.

This time she got all the questions correct!! That is why befrienders are so important to the refugee! To help guide, assist, advocate, encourage, pray and be there to help them along the way. Someone just to say "You will make it"!!

So many times Sala would say, "I just don't know if I can do it" and then we would stop right then and pray and ask the Lord to help her understand the material. The Lord is so good for providing for her and for friends like Monte! We are so thankful for her new job and that Sala has progressed in working so hard in learning more English! Way to go Sala! Thank you to her family for encouraging her in the process! We are extremely grateful for her new job!