Empower U - Cyndie Ewert

Our graduates keep making a difference in the lives of others in their families and communities.

I must admit that this is not as big a step as I would have liked to have taken for my community activity, but I have taken action and that in itself is a success. I have volunteered to drive the father of the refugee family that we are sponsoring at church to his bus connection two days a week. Our first trip was quiet as he settled in and then thanked me over and over for sharing my time and helping him to make it to his bus in time to get to work in order to provide for his family.

It was a very eye opening experience as he described some of the things he and his family had been through. I forget how fortunate and blessed we are in America. I often take my home and all that comes with it for granted.

The next time I picked him up, our conversation was a little more lively. When I picked him up, I noticed that he did not have his lunch with him and I inquired about it. He then told me that he had been having plumbing problems and his family had been without running water in the house for over a week. This, of course, was extremely frustrating for him with two small boys at home. However, he went on to tell me that this problem was nothing compared to what he'd seen and been through in the wars in Iran and Iraq. There, he had gone 4 or 5 days without food and water, so missing lunch that day was nothing in comparison.

For me, it was a very eye opening experience as he described some of the things he and his family had been through. I forget how fortunate and blessed we are in America. I often take my home and all that comes with it for granted. I especially take for granted that my country is relatively safe and secure from war, famine, religious persecution, etc. I now have a renewed appreciation for all of those things.

One of his biggest concerns is that he must depend on others to help him get to work, etc. He really sees the need for his own transportation, etc. I will be exploring opportunities with my husband to see what we can do to help resolve this issue.

Cyndie Ewert (Team 205)