Last week, Clint, one of MCLA’s volunteer attorneys, and I traveled to Chicago with a client and her family for an interview with the United States Custom and Immigration Services (USCIS). I had filed an asylum petition with USCIS based on our client’s fear of returning to her home country due to past persecutions she had undergone and her fear of future persecution for herself and her family if she was forced to return. Asylum is a special protection granted to those who have a well-founded fear of returning to their home country due to past or future persecution. The process of filing for asylum is complex, with various steps, one of which is attending an “interview” before an Asylum Officer at the closest Asylum Office of USCIS – in our case, Chicago.
After receiving notice of the time and place for our client’s interview, all seven of us (our client, her husband and three children, and us two attorneys) loaded up in Clint’s SUV and began our road-trip to the Windy City. After a few stops, including dinner at McDonalds at the request of our client’s children and over my unheeded objections (I wanted Chick-fil-a), we arrived in Chicago for the night. The next morning, we walked through the bitter cold to the USCIS’ offices to wait for our client’s interview. Once our client’s case was called, we walked back to the Asylum Officer’s office. During the next hour, our client shared her heart-gripping story of the past persecution she endured and her fear of returning to her home country – both for herself and her family. After the interview had concluded and we had a brief coffee-stop, we loaded the SUV back up and headed home, singing songs and telling stories to each other until Louisville appeared in the distance.
While we prayerfully await a decision from USCIS in the next few weeks, this experience has made me reflect on how THANKFUL I am:
THANKFUL to live in a country where I do not have to worry about my wife or daughter suffering the type of persecution my client endured;
THANKFUL to serve in a ministry where I can love my neighbor and help people like my client navigate a complex immigration system to give them a chance at a better life here in the United States;
THANKFUL for people like Clint and MCLA’s other wonderful volunteers and supporters who give of their time, talents, and treasures; and
THANKFUL that as Christians we are reminded that our citizenship is in heaven and that one day our Savior will return and make things anew!
After we had gotten out of the elevator from the USCIS office and had paused to regroup before walking back to the car, my client turned to me and, through a hug, said, “thank you, Matt. God used you today.” While those words still encourage me today, we both knew in that moment that our thankfulness was towards a God who uses each of us towards His good and His glory.
As we enter this season of thanksgiving, we at MCLA are thankful for our clients, our wonderful volunteers, and our generous supporters. Most of all, we give thanks to the Lord for His continued blessings on this ministry and for the ultimate blessing of Jesus Christ.
May God bless you and your family,
Matt
“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
—Lamentations 3:21-23
After receiving notice of the time and place for our client’s interview, all seven of us (our client, her husband and three children, and us two attorneys) loaded up in Clint’s SUV and began our road-trip to the Windy City. After a few stops, including dinner at McDonalds at the request of our client’s children and over my unheeded objections (I wanted Chick-fil-a), we arrived in Chicago for the night. The next morning, we walked through the bitter cold to the USCIS’ offices to wait for our client’s interview. Once our client’s case was called, we walked back to the Asylum Officer’s office. During the next hour, our client shared her heart-gripping story of the past persecution she endured and her fear of returning to her home country – both for herself and her family. After the interview had concluded and we had a brief coffee-stop, we loaded the SUV back up and headed home, singing songs and telling stories to each other until Louisville appeared in the distance.
While we prayerfully await a decision from USCIS in the next few weeks, this experience has made me reflect on how THANKFUL I am:
THANKFUL to live in a country where I do not have to worry about my wife or daughter suffering the type of persecution my client endured;
THANKFUL to serve in a ministry where I can love my neighbor and help people like my client navigate a complex immigration system to give them a chance at a better life here in the United States;
THANKFUL for people like Clint and MCLA’s other wonderful volunteers and supporters who give of their time, talents, and treasures; and
THANKFUL that as Christians we are reminded that our citizenship is in heaven and that one day our Savior will return and make things anew!
After we had gotten out of the elevator from the USCIS office and had paused to regroup before walking back to the car, my client turned to me and, through a hug, said, “thank you, Matt. God used you today.” While those words still encourage me today, we both knew in that moment that our thankfulness was towards a God who uses each of us towards His good and His glory.
As we enter this season of thanksgiving, we at MCLA are thankful for our clients, our wonderful volunteers, and our generous supporters. Most of all, we give thanks to the Lord for His continued blessings on this ministry and for the ultimate blessing of Jesus Christ.
May God bless you and your family,
Matt
“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
—Lamentations 3:21-23
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