On Thanksgiving Day, more than 200 refugees and asylum-seekers were welcomed into St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Dallas. Gateway of Grace held their annual Thanksgiving celebration for newly resettled families from across the world.
"Sharing a meal together and finding out just how much you have in common, it means the world to me," Dennis Page said. Page serves as the chief operating officer for Gateway of Grace Ministries.
According to Gateway of Grace, this year refugee ministry has welcomed more than 25 new families from Venezuela, Afghanistan, Iran and Russia. The diversity, Page said, is an important element considered when preparing their Thanksgiving meal.
“When we first started, we loaded up our stoves with turkey, and turkey didn't go over well,” Page said. “So, we said, note to self, let's stick with chicken. So, there's a lot of American dishes, but there are also dishes that many of our families would be accustomed to.”
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Olimar Ramirez, her husband and their two young boys fled Venezuela this year and are seeking asylum in the U.S. They resettled in Dallas a few months ago.
Ramirez does not speak English; however, said she can feel the kindness as volunteers wish her family a Happy Thanksgiving. She said she is happy to be in the U.S. with her family and has enjoyed the meal.
“All people, all around the world, it doesn't matter what's the color of their skin or where they're from,” Bahram Josie said “They gather together in peace, and they enjoy the food. And they just appreciate God for all of the blessings.”
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Josie is one of the many volunteers with Gateway of Grace.
“I'm an immigrant myself… I’m for Iran,” Josie said.
He still remembers his first Thanksgiving meal from several years ago as it helped him deal with culture shock.
“I remember it was a mashed potato, big turkey and lots of vegetables and lots of greens. And it was a big feast. And it was really amazing. Like, all people laughing and having a good time,” Josie said. “People feel welcome and feel like they're at home again.”
The hospitality, Page said, is not just on Thanksgiving.
"The foundation of Gateway of Grace is volunteers. I often tell people that Gateway of Grace would be a concept without volunteers," Page said. "Volunteers who will help them get their children enrolled in school, volunteers who will help them learn the English language, to know how to shop, how not to get in debt in America, which is a big problem. Because when they arrive, they get all types of things that can trip them up as they're trying to start a new life."
Gateway of Grace has nearly 80 partner churches in the metroplex that help carry out the mission of helping refugees and asylum-seekers resettle. They now serve as the largest outreach service for refugees in North Texas after Refugee Services of Texas closed their doors earlier this year.
To learn more about volunteering with Gateway of Grace, click here.
