Step 7 - Apply for Family Reunification - 856 km
Jesus tells a number of parables emphasizing God’s concern for the separated and lost.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep: Luke 15: 3-6
So Jesus told them this parable: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’
REFLECTION: As a parent I can identify with Zahra’s concern for her daughter Nadia, son-in-law Ibrahim and granddaughter Rahma, whom they had to leave behind in Lebanon. Zahra was thankful that she and her other children had arrived here safely, but she was overwhelmed with sadness as she experienced separation from the rest of her family. Almost immediately she began searching for a way to have the family reunited. Firstly, she sought the help of the Open Door Society and after a year the word came back that Nadia cannot come to Canada through the family reunification program because of her marriage to Ibrahim. What devastating news!
SILENCE
Our loving and merciful God, who is concerned for the lost and separated. We are grateful for Zahra’s courage and determination in reuniting her family. Thank you for granting her the strength she needs to continue to seek a way to bring her family back together again. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
The Albed/Alhamad/Wahid Story
Soon after settling, Zahra worked with Saskatoon Open Door Society to bring Nadia, Ibrahim and Rahma to Saskatoon. After a year of effort and waiting, it was disclosed that Nadia did not qualify for the family reunification program because of her marriage to Ibrahim.