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My Feed https://blue.feedland.org/?river=http://data.feedland.org/blue/feeds/MrDon.xml It's just a feed for now Tue, 10 Dec 2024 04:56:47 GMT feedland v0.6.43 https://cyber.harvard.edu/rss/rss.html Tue, 10 Dec 2024 04:56:46 GMT http://rpc.rsscloud.io:5337/pleaseNotify Mon, December 9, 2024 11:56 PM EST <p> 🧵🧵 I just got a request for some wood work for an artist friend from Syria I will call Amal (means "hopeful"). She and her husband and 3 boys came here in 2016 in that 10,000 refugee mad dash Obama did as the specter loomed of tfg possibly beating HRC. Resettlement agencies were swamped; Amal's family got assigned to an agency focused on folks from S. Sudan & Congo, and were placed in housing not near any Arabic speaking folks. My daughter in Tucson called; HER Syrian friends just recently arrived told of friends placed in Chicago with no US contacts. "Dad, would you go meet them?" They had moved from Chicago to a house near me, so it worked out. And thus was born my 8-year activity to meet and assist incoming families. I took training at World Relief, have been assigned as Friendship Partner to 3 different families, have self-assigned to 5 more, and provided spot assistance to another 6 or 8. I found a place for Amal's family to share Iftar with others at a local Masjid their first Ramadan here. I joined them there and was a guest at their house the next few Ramadans until COVID19. I assisted them in preparing for and passing the citizenship test. I taught her to drive.</p> <p>Once when I went to their house to fix something she opened up briefly about their last day at home. With a few words to explain she pantomimed running, crouched over, holding her 1-yr old, as bullets flew around her. Last year she asked me to help make a decoration for Ramadan, which I did. It was a large crescent moon cut from 1/4" plywood. She added the star to make the classic Muslim symbol for a wall hanging. </p> <p>SOOOO, with all the excitement, jubilation, euphoria today, she wants a cutout of the state of Syria. She will paint it, I expect with the flag colors. I could not be more thrilled for Syrians, both in country and scattered around the world mostly across Europe and US, But especially my three Syrian families and Amal especially. Photo is a proof-of-concept for making a template. It will be bigger, using most of the board (it is what I cut the moon from) and I'll white out most to save ink. This may be an all-nighter! EOM</p> Tue, 10 Dec 2024 04:56:47 GMT https://blue.feedland.org/?item=787770 https://blue.feedland.org/?item=787770 🧵🧵 I just got a request for some wood work for an artist friend from Syria I will call Amal (means "hopeful"). She and her husband and 3 boys came here in 2016 in that 10,000 refugee mad dash Obama did as the specter loomed of tfg possibly beating HRC. Resettlement agencies were swamped; Amal's family got assigned to an agency focused on folks from S. Sudan & Congo, and were placed in housing not near any Arabic speaking folks. My daughter in Tucson called; HER Syrian friends just recently arrived told of friends placed in Chicago with no US contacts. "Dad, would you go meet them?" They had moved from Chicago to a house near me, so it worked out. And thus was born my 8-year activity to meet and assist incoming families. I took training at World Relief, have been assigned as Friendship Partner to 3 different families, have self-assigned to 5 more, and provided spot assistance to another 6 or 8. I found a place for Amal's family to share Iftar with others at a local Masjid their first Ramadan here. I joined them there and was a guest at their house the next few Ramadans until COVID19. I assisted them in preparing for and passing the citizenship test. I taught her to drive. Once when I went to their house to fix something she opened up briefly about their last day at home. With a few words to explain she pantomimed running, crouched over, holding her 1-yr old, as bullets flew around her. Last year she asked me to help make a decoration for Ramadan, which I did. It was a large crescent moon cut from 1/4" plywood. She added the star to make the classic Muslim symbol for a wall hanging. SOOOO, with all the excitement, jubilation, euphoria today, she wants a cutout of the state of Syria. She will paint it, I expect with the flag colors. I could not be more thrilled for Syrians, both in country and scattered around the world mostly across Europe and US, But especially my three Syrian families and Amal especially. Photo is a proof-of-concept for making a template. It will be bigger, using most of the board (it is what I cut the moon from) and I'll white out most to save ink. This may be an all-nighter! EOM <p>🧵🧵 I just got a request for some wood work for an artist friend from Syria I will call Amal (means "hopeful"). She and her husband and 3 boys came here in 2016 in that 10,000 refugee mad dash Obama did as the specter loomed of tfg possibly beating HRC. Resettlement agencies were swamped; Amal's family got assigned to an agency focused on folks from S. Sudan & Congo, and were placed in housing not near any Arabic speaking folks. My daughter in Tucson called; HER Syrian friends just recently arrived told of friends placed in Chicago with no US contacts. "Dad, would you go meet them?" They had moved from Chicago to a house near me, so it worked out. And thus was born my 8-year activity to meet and assist incoming families. I took training at World Relief, have been assigned as Friendship Partner to 3 different families, have self-assigned to 5 more, and provided spot assistance to another 6 or 8. I found a place for Amal's family to share Iftar with others at a local Masjid their first Ramadan here. I joined them there and was a guest at their house the next few Ramadans until COVID19. I assisted them in preparing for and passing the citizenship test. I taught her to drive.</p> <p>Once when I went to their house to fix something she opened up briefly about their last day at home. With a few words to explain she pantomimed running, crouched over, holding her 1-yr old, as bullets flew around her. Last year she asked me to help make a decoration for Ramadan, which I did. It was a large crescent moon cut from 1/4" plywood. She added the star to make the classic Muslim symbol for a wall hanging.</p> <p>SOOOO, with all the excitement, jubilation, euphoria today, she wants a cutout of the state of Syria. She will paint it, I expect with the flag colors. I could not be more thrilled for Syrians, both in country and scattered around the world mostly across Europe and US, But especially my three Syrian families and Amal especially. Photo is a proof-of-concept for making a template. It will be bigger, using most of the board (it is what I cut the moon from) and I'll white out most to save ink. This may be an all-nighter! EOM</p> Tue, 10 Dec 2024 04:54:21 GMT https://blue.feedland.org/?item=787769 https://blue.feedland.org/?item=787769 🧵🧵 I just got a request for some wood work for an artist friend from Syria I will call Amal (means "hopeful"). She and her husband and 3 boys came here in 2016 in that 10,000 refugee mad dash Obama did as the specter loomed of tfg possibly beating HRC. Resettlement agencies were swamped; Amal's family got assigned to an agency focused on folks from S. Sudan & Congo, and were placed in housing not near any Arabic speaking folks. My daughter in Tucson called; HER Syrian friends just recently arrived told of friends placed in Chicago with no US contacts. "Dad, would you go meet them?" They had moved from Chicago to a house near me, so it worked out. And thus was born my 8-year activity to meet and assist incoming families. I took training at World Relief, have been assigned as Friendship Partner to 3 different families, have self-assigned to 5 more, and provided spot assistance to another 6 or 8. I found a place for Amal's family to share Iftar with others at a local Masjid their first Ramadan here. I joined them there and was a guest at their house the next few Ramadans until COVID19. I assisted them in preparing for and passing the citizenship test. I taught her to drive. Once when I went to their house to fix something she opened up briefly about their last day at home. With a few words to explain she pantomimed running, crouched over, holding her 1-yr old, as bullets flew around her. Last year she asked me to help make a decoration for Ramadan, which I did. It was a large crescent moon cut from 1/4" plywood. She added the star to make the classic Muslim symbol for a wall hanging. SOOOO, with all the excitement, jubilation, euphoria today, she wants a cutout of the state of Syria. She will paint it, I expect with the flag colors. I could not be more thrilled for Syrians, both in country and scattered around the world mostly across Europe and US, But especially my three Syrian families and Amal especially. Photo is a proof-of-concept for making a template. It will be bigger, using most of the board (it is what I cut the moon from) and I'll white out most to save ink. This may be an all-nighter! EOM <p>🧵🧵 I just got a request for some wood work for an artist friend from Syria I will call Amal (means "hopeful"). She and her husband and 3 boys came here in 2016 in that 10,000 refugee mad dash Obama did as the specter loomed of tfg possibly beating HRC. Resettlement agencies were swamped; Amal's family got assigned to an agency focused on folks from S. Sudan & Congo, and were placed in housing not near any Arabic speaking folks. My daughter in Tucson called; HER Syrian friends just recently arrived told of friends placed in Chicago with no US contacts. "Dad, would you go meet them?" They had moved from Chicago to a house near me, so it worked out. And thus was born my 8-year activity to meet and assist incoming families. I took training at World Relief, have been assigned as Friendship Partner to 3 different families, have self-assigned to 5 more, and provided spot assistance to another 6 or 8. I found a place for Amal's family to share Iftar with others at a local Masjid their first Ramadan here. I joined them there and was a guest at their house the next few Ramadans until COVID19. I assisted them in preparing for and passing the citizenship test. I taught her to drive.</p> <p>Once when I went to their house to fix something she opened up briefly about their last day at home. With a few words to explain she pantomimed running, crouched over, holding her 1-yr old, as bullets flew around her. Last year she asked me to help make a decoration for Ramadan, which I did. It was a large crescent moon cut from 1/4" plywood. She added the star to make the classic Muslim symbol for a wall hanging.</p> <p>SOOOO, with all the excitement, jubilation, euphoria today, she wants a cutout of the state of Syria. She will paint it, I expect with the flag colors. I could not be more thrilled for Syrians, both in country and scattered around the world mostly across Europe and US, But especially my three Syrian families and Amal especially. Photo is a proof-of-concept for making a template. It will be bigger, using most of the board (it is what I cut the moon from) and I'll white out most to save ink. This may be an all-nighter! EOM</p> Tue, 10 Dec 2024 04:49:49 GMT https://blue.feedland.org/?item=787768 https://blue.feedland.org/?item=787768 🧵🧵 I just got a request for some wood work for an artist friend from Syria I will call Amal (means "hopeful"). She and her husband and 3 boys came here in 2016 in that 10,000 refugee mad dash Obama did as the specter loomed of tfg possibly beating HRC. Resettlement agencies were swamped; Amal's family got assigned to an agency focused on folks from S. Sudan & Congo, and were placed in housing not near any Arabic speaking folks. My daughter in Tucson called; HER Syrian friends just recently arrived told of friends placed in Chicago with no US contacts. "Dad, would you go meet them?" They had moved from Chicago to a house near me, so it worked out. And thus was born my 8-year activity to meet and assist incoming families. I took training at World Relief, have been assigned as Friendship Partner to 3 different families, have self-assigned to 5 more, and provided spot assistance to another 6 or 8. I found a place for Amal's family to share Iftar with others at a local Masjid their first Ramadan here. I joined them there and was a guest at their house the next few Ramadans until COVID19. I assisted them in preparing for and passing the citizenship test. I taught her to drive. Once when I went to their house to fix something she opened up briefly about their last day at home. With a few words to explain she pantomimed running, crouched over, holding her 1-yr old, as bullets flew around her. Last year she asked me to help make a decoration for Ramadan, which I did. It was a large crescent moon cut from 1/4" plywood. She added the star to make the classic Muslim symbol for a wall hanging. SOOOO, with all the excitement, jubilation, euphoria today, she wants a cutout of the state of Syria. She will paint it, I expect with the flag colors. I could not be more thrilled for Syrians, both in country and scattered around the world mostly across Europe and US, But especially my three Syrian families and Amal especially. Photo is a proof-of-concept for making a template. It will be bigger, using most of the board (it is what I cut the moon from) and I'll white out most to save ink. This may be an all-nighter! EOM <p>🧵🧵 I just got a request for some wood work for an artist friend from Syria I will call Amal (means "hopeful"). She and her husband and 3 boys came here in 2016 in that 10,000 refugee mad dash Obama did as the specter loomed of tfg possibly beating HRC. Resettlement agencies were swamped; Amal's family got assigned to an agency focused on folks from S. Sudan & Congo, and were placed in housing not near any Arabic speaking folks. My daughter in Tucson called; HER Syrian friends just recently arrived told of friends placed in Chicago with no US contacts. "Dad, would you go meet them?" They had moved from Chicago to a house near me, so it worked out. And thus was born my 8-year activity to meet and assist incoming families. I took training at World Relief, have been assigned as Friendship Partner to 3 different families, have self-assigned to 5 more, and provided spot assistance to another 6 or 8. I found a place for Amal's family to share Iftar with others at a local Masjid their first Ramadan here. I joined them there and was a guest at their house the next few Ramadans until COVID19. I assisted them in preparing for and passing the citizenship test. I taught her to drive.</p> <p>Once when I went to their house to fix something she opened up briefly about their last day at home. With a few words to explain she pantomimed running, crouched over, holding her 1-yr old, as bullets flew around her. Last year she asked me to help make a decoration for Ramadan, which I did. It was a large crescent moon cut from 1/4" plywood. She added the star to make the classic Muslim symbol for a wall hanging.</p> <p>SOOOO, with all the excitement, jubilation, euphoria today, she wants a cutout of the state of Syria. She will paint it, I expect with the flag colors. I could not be more thrilled for Syrians, both in country and scattered around the world mostly across Europe and US, But especially my three Syrian families and Amal especially. Photo is a proof-of-concept for making a template. It will be bigger, using most of the board (it is what I cut the moon from) and I'll white out most to save ink. This may be an all-nighter! EOM</p> Tue, 10 Dec 2024 04:47:05 GMT https://blue.feedland.org/?item=787767 https://blue.feedland.org/?item=787767 🧵🧵 I just got a request for some wood work for an artist friend from Syria I will call Amal (means "hopeful"). She and her husband and 3 boys came here in 2016 in that 10,000 refugee mad dash Obama did as the specter loomed of tfg possibly beating HRC. Resettlement agencies were swamped; Amal's family got assigned to an agency focused on folks from S. Sudan & Congo, and were placed in housing not near any Arabic speaking folks. My daughter in Tucson called; HER Syrian friends just recently arrived told of friends placed in Chicago with no US contacts. "Dad, would you go meet them?" They had moved from Chicago to a house near me, so it worked out. And thus was born my 8-year activity to meet and assist incoming families. I took training at World Relief, have been assigned as Friendship Partner to 3 different families, have self-assigned to 5 more, and provided spot assistance to another 6 or 8. I found a place for Amal's family to share Iftar with others at a local Masjid their first Ramadan here. I joined them there and was a guest at their house the next few Ramadans until COVID19. I assisted them in preparing for and passing the citizenship test. I taught her to drive. Once when I went to their house to fix something she opened up briefly about their last day at home. With a few words to explain she pantomimed running, crouched over, holding her 1-yr old, as bullets flew around her. Last year she asked me to help make a decoration for Ramadan, which I did. It was a large crescent moon cut from 1/4" plywood. She added the star to make the classic Muslim symbol for a wall hanging. SOOOO, with all the excitement, jubilation, euphoria today, she wants a cutout of the state of Syria. She will paint it, I expect with the flag colors. I could not be more thrilled for Syrians, both in country and scattered around the world mostly across Europe and US, But especially my three Syrian families and Amal especially. Photo is a proof-of-concept for making a template. It will be bigger, using most of the board (it is what I cut the moon from) and I'll white out most to save ink. This may be an all-nighter! EOM <p>🧵🧵 I just got a request for some wood work for an artist friend from Syria I will call Amal (means "hopeful"). She and her husband and 3 boys came here in 2016 in that 10,000 refugee mad dash Obama did as the specter loomed of tfg possibly beating HRC. Resettlement agencies were swamped; Amal's family got assigned to an agency focused on folks from S. Sudan & Congo, and were placed in housing not near any Arabic speaking folks. My daughter in Tucson called; HER Syrian friends just recently arrived told of friends placed in Chicago with no US contacts. "Dad, would you go meet them?" They had moved from Chicago to a house near me, so it worked out. And thus was born my 8-year activity to meet and assist incoming families. I took training at World Relief, have been assigned as Friendship Partner to 3 different families, have self-assigned to 5 more, and provided spot assistance to another 6 or 8. I found a place for Amal's family to share Iftar with others at a local Masjid their first Ramadan here. I joined them there and was a guest at their house the next few Ramadans until COVID19. I assisted them in preparing for and passing the citizenship test. I taught her to drive.</p> <p>Once when I went to their house to fix something she opened up briefly about their last day at home. With a few words to explain she pantomimed running, crouched over, holding her 1-yr old, as bullets flew around her. Last year she asked me to help make a decoration for Ramadan, which I did. It was a large crescent moon cut from 1/4" plywood. She added the star to make the classic Muslim symbol for a wall hanging.</p> <p>SOOOO, with all the excitement, jubilation, euphoria today, she wants a cutout of the state of Syria. She will paint it, I expect with the flag colors. I could not be more thrilled for Syrians, both in country and scattered around the world mostly across Europe and US, But especially my three Syrian families and Amal especially. Photo is a proof-of-concept for making a template. It will be bigger, using most of the board (it is what I cut the moon from) and I'll white out most to save ink. This may be an all-nighter! EOM</p> Tue, 10 Dec 2024 04:43:32 GMT https://blue.feedland.org/?item=787766 https://blue.feedland.org/?item=787766 🧵🧵 I just got a request for some wood work for an artist friend from Syria I will call Amal (means "hopeful"). She and her husband and 3 boys came here in 2016 in that 10,000 refugee mad dash Obama did as the specter loomed of tfg possibly beating HRC. Resettlement agencies were swamped; Amal's family got assigned to an agency focused on folks from S. Sudan & Congo, and were placed in housing not near any Arabic speaking folks. My daughter in Tucson called; HER Syrian friends just recently arrived told of friends placed in Chicago with no US contacts. "Dad, would you go meet them?" They had moved from Chicago to a house near me, so it worked out. And thus was born my 8-year activity to meet and assist incoming families. I took training at World Relief, have been assigned as Friendship Partner to 3 different families, have self-assigned to 5 more, and provided spot assistance to another 6 or 8. I found a place for Amal's family to share Iftar with others at a local Masjid their first Ramadan here. I joined them there and was a guest at their house the next few Ramadans until COVID19. I assisted them in preparing for and passing the citizenship test. I taught her to drive. Once when I went to their house to fix something she opened up briefly about their last day at home. With a few words to explain she pantomimed running, crouched over, holding her 1-yr old, as bullets flew around her. Last year she asked me to help make a decoration for Ramadan, which I did. It was a large crescent moon cut from 1/4" plywood. She added the star to make the classic Muslim symbol for a wall hanging. SOOOO, with all the excitement, jubilation, euphoria today, she wants a cutout of the state of Syria. She will paint it, I expect with the flag colors. I could not be more thrilled for Syrians, both in country and scattered around the world mostly across Europe and US, But especially my three Syrian families and Amal especially. Photo is a proof-of-concept for making a template. It will be bigger, using most of the board (it is what I cut the moon from) and I'll white out most to save ink. This may be an all-nighter! EOM <p>🧵🧵 I just got a request for some wood work for an artist friend from Syria I will call Amal (means "hopeful"). She and her husband and 3 boys came here in 2016 in that 10,000 refugee mad dash Obama did as the specter loomed of tfg possibly beating HRC. Resettlement agencies were swamped; Amal's family got assigned to an agency focused on folks from S. Sudan & Congo, and were placed in housing not near any Arabic speaking folks. My daughter in Tucson called; HER Syrian friends just recently arrived told of friends placed in Chicago with no US contacts. "Dad, would you go meet them?" They had moved from Chicago to a house near me, so it worked out. And thus was born my 8-year activity to meet and assist incoming families. I took training at World Relief, have been assigned as Friendship Partner to 3 different families, have self-assigned to 5 more, and provided spot assistance to another 6 or 8. I found a place for Amal's family to share Iftar with others at a local Masjid their first Ramadan here. I joined them there and was a guest at their house the next few Ramadans until COVID19. I assisted them in preparing for and passing the citizenship test. I taught her to drive.</p> <p>Once when I went to their house to fix something she opened up briefly about their last day at home. With a few words to explain she pantomimed running, crouched over, holding her 1-yr old, as bullets flew around her. Last year she asked me to help make a decoration for Ramadan, which I did. It was a large crescent moon cut from 1/4" plywood. She added the star to make the classic Muslim symbol for a wall hanging.</p> <p>SOOOO, with all the excitement, jubilation, euphoria today, she wants a cutout of the state of Syria. She will paint it, I expect with the flag colors. I could not be more thrilled for Syrians, both in country and scattered around the world mostly across Europe and US, But especially my three Syrian families and Amal especially. Photo is a proof-of-concept for making a template. It will be bigger, using most of the board (it is what I cut the moon from) and I'll white out most to save ink. This may be an all-nighter! EOM</p> Tue, 10 Dec 2024 04:39:43 GMT https://blue.feedland.org/?item=787765 https://blue.feedland.org/?item=787765 🧵🧵 I just got a request for some wood work for an artist friend from Syria I will call Amal (means "hopeful"). She and her husband and 3 boys came here in 2016 in that 10,000 refugee mad dash Obama did as the specter loomed of tfg possibly beating HRC. Resettlement agencies were swamped; Amal's family got assigned to an agency focused on folks from S. Sudan & Congo, and were placed in housing not near any Arabic speaking folks. My daughter in Tucson called; HER Syrian friends just recently arrived told of friends placed in Chicago with no US contacts. "Dad, would you go meet them?" They had moved from Chicago to a house near me, so it worked out. And thus was born my 8-year activity to meet and assist incoming families. I took training at World Relief, have been assigned as Friendship Partner to 3 different families, have self-assigned to 5 more, and provided spot assistance to another 6 or 8. I found a place for Amal's family to share Iftar with others at a local Masjid their first Ramadan here. I joined them there and was a guest at their house the next few Ramadans until COVID19. I assisted them in preparing for and passing the citizenship test. I taught her to drive. Once when I went to their house to fix something she opened up briefly about their last day at home. With a few words to explain she pantomimed running, crouched over, holding her 1-yr old, as bullets flew around her. Last year she asked me to help make a decoration for Ramadan, which I did. It was a large crescent moon cut from 1/4" plywood. She added the star to make the classic Muslim symbol for a wall hanging. SOOOO, with all the excitement, jubilation, euphoria today, she wants a cutout of the state of Syria. She will paint it, I expect with the flag colors. I could not be more thrilled for Syrians, both in country and scattered around the world mostly across Europe and US, But especially my three Syrian families and Amal especially. Photo is a proof-of-concept for making a template. It will be bigger, using most of the board (it is what I cut the moon from) and I'll white out most to save ink. This may be an all-nighter! EOM <p>🧵🧵 I just got a request for some wood work for an artist friend from Syria I will call Amal (means "hopeful"). She and her husband and 3 boys came here in 2016 in that 10,000 refugee mad dash Obama did as the specter loomed of tfg possibly beating HRC. Resettlement agencies were swamped; Amal's family got assigned to an agency focused on folks from S. Sudan & Congo, and were placed in housing not near any Arabic speaking folks. My daughter in Tucson called; HER Syrian friends just recently arrived told of friends placed in Chicago with no US contacts. "Dad, would you go meet them?" They had moved from Chicago to a house near me, so it worked out. And thus was born my 8-year activity to meet and assist incoming families. I took training at World Relief, have been assigned as Friendship Partner to 3 different families, have self-assigned to 5 more, and provided spot assistance to another 6 or 8. I found a place for Amal's family to share Iftar with others at a local Masjid their first Ramadan here. I joined them there and was a guest at their house the next few Ramadans until COVID19. I assisted them in preparing for and passing the citizenship test. I taught her to drive.</p> <p>Once when I went to their house to fix something she opened up briefly about their last day at home. With a few words to explain she pantomimed running, crouched over, holding her 1-yr old, as bullets flew around her. Last year she asked me to help make a decoration for Ramadan, which I did. It was a large crescent moon cut from 1/4" plywood. She added the star to make the classic Muslim symbol for a wall hanging.</p> <p>SOOOO, with all the excitement, jubilation, euphoria today, she wants a cutout of the state of Syria. She will paint it, I expect with the flag colors. I could not be more thrilled for Syrians, both in country and scattered around the world mostly across Europe and US, But especially my three Syrian families and Amal especially. Photo is a proof-of-concept for making a template. It will be bigger, using most of the board (it is what I cut the moon from) and I'll white out most to save ink. This may be an all-nighter! EOM</p> Tue, 10 Dec 2024 04:38:09 GMT https://blue.feedland.org/?item=787764 https://blue.feedland.org/?item=787764 🧵🧵 I just got a request for some wood work for an artist friend from Syria I will call Amal (means "hopeful"). She and her husband and 3 boys came here in 2016 in that 10,000 refugee mad dash Obama did as the specter loomed of tfg possibly beating HRC. Resettlement agencies were swamped; Amal's family got assigned to an agency focused on folks from S. Sudan & Congo, and were placed in housing not near any Arabic speaking folks. My daughter in Tucson called; HER Syrian friends just recently arrived told of friends placed in Chicago with no US contacts. "Dad, would you go meet them?" They had moved from Chicago to a house near me, so it worked out. And thus was born my 8-year activity to meet and assist incoming families. I took training at World Relief, have been assigned as Friendship Partner to 3 different families, have self-assigned to 5 more, and provided spot assistance to another 6 or 8. I found a place for Amal's family to share Iftar with others at a local Masjid their first Ramadan here. I joined them there and was a guest at their house the next few Ramadans until COVID19. I assisted them in preparing for and passing the citizenship test. I taught her to drive. Once when I went to their house to fix something she opened up briefly about their last day at home. With a few words to explain she pantomimed running, crouched over, holding her 1-yr old, as bullets flew around her. Last year she asked me to help make a decoration for Ramadan, which I did. It was a large crescent moon cut from 1/4" plywood. She added the star to make the classic Muslim symbol for a wall hanging. SOOOO, with all the excitement, jubilation, euphoria today, she wants a cutout of the state of Syria. She will paint it, I expect with the flag colors. I could not be more thrilled for Syrians, both in country and scattered around the world mostly across Europe and US, But especially my three Syrian families and Amal especially. Photo is a proof-of-concept for making a template. It will be bigger, using most of the board (it is what I cut the moon from) and I'll white out most to save ink. This may be an all-nighter! EOM