Love, joy, and a new life in her 'promised land' - Aster's Easter story
Through many challenges – including fleeing from Iraq and living as a refugee in Jordan – Aster says she has felt God’s love and care for her family. This Easter, Aster – who is now a Salvation Army Doorways case worker and a member of Fairfield (NSW) Salvos church – shares her story of faith, love and hope which led to a new life in Australia, which she calls her ‘promised land’.
Life as a refugee family in Jordan was full of challenges. Aster, her husband Essam and their two young daughters had left everything behind after the Iraqi Gulf War of 1990-1991. As refugees, there was no work, no money, constant stress and a deep sense of powerlessness.
For two years in Jordan, Aster’s nights were full of tears. She says: “Most people don’t understand the life of a refugee in the ‘waiting’ country – how stressful it is in every way!”
A cry from the heart
As a young girl growing up in Basra in Southern Iraq, as part of an Orthodox Christian family, Aster had been fascinated by Australia, as had her father. They dreamt of one day moving to Australia after family members moved in the 1960s.
Aster says: “When we first arrived in Jordan [as refugees] we applied for the Australian embassy and got rejected. I used to pray all night crying, crying, weeping saying, ‘Lord, you got us out of the mess of our country. You saved us from the war, you saved us from all the danger’.
“I prayed, ‘Lord, I will follow you. If it is not to be Australia, please take that love from my heart and my family’s heart and close the door, but if Australia is going to make me and my family grow more in your love, then please open the door.’”
Just a week after her heartfelt prayer, the family was contacted by the United Nations.
“They said, ‘Congratulations, you are going to Australia’,” Aster says. “Oh my goodness! I cried and I started to say, ‘Thank you, Jesus, thank you, Jesus’ in front of them all. I didn’t care. At that moment I experienced so much joy!”
Challenges in the promised land
The family arrived in Australia in 1994 and in 1995, Aster’s parents also arrived.
“We loved Australia, but it was very hard … at first,” Aster explains. “I didn’t speak much English, fell pregnant and Essam, an engineer, had to study to finish his master’s degree and find work.”
But, as time passed, Aster’s confidence grew.
She says: “When our youngest, Sarah, started preschool, I started to have more confidence and helped out at her school. As I believed in myself more, I found work and learned how to drive. I never would have done that in Iraq.”
The family also started attending church at The Salvation Army Fairfield Corps (church) – invited by a relative who attended. Almost 30 years later, she is still an active member of the same church.
Aster says: “We felt God’s love and the love of the corps from the beginning. It was different culturally, and hard in many ways, but we were accepted, respected and encouraged … The Salvation Army became our family.”
Reach out for practical support, read personal stories of hope, or learn more about Easter.
In 2007, Aster was asked by her local Salvos to help with the increasing number of Assyrian and Arabic-speaking community members needing material support and casework.
She began as a volunteer, and was then offered paid hours, as she completed a Certificate 4 in Community Services. In 2013, when The Salvation Army Doorways program was introduced, she was asked to apply for a case worker position – on the condition that she completed a Diploma of Community Services.
“With God’s help, I did this, and I was so happy. I got the job, finished my studies and am now a case worker encouraging and helping others as I was helped,” she says.
In the role, Aster supports community members in a range of ways, including referrals to Salvo services such as Moneycare free financial counselling, homelessness services and alcohol and other drug services, and external agencies. She also runs The Salvation Army Positive Lifestyle Program (PLP), an eight-part, one-on-one program looking at issues such as grief, anger and stress.
Easter love and joy
A part of the same Salvation Army church for almost 30 years, Aster says her faith and community give her great strength and joy, and that Easter is a special time for her family to celebrate the love of God in Jesus.
She says: “I don’t push my religion on anyone I care for or work with, but when they ask me, I tell them. Easter means a lot to me and my family. It is a very important season, celebrating the death of Jesus and the resurrection. Jesus is the mediator between me and my God.
“Going to our Salvos church is a very important part of our Easter. My girls are all married and involved in their churches. In our culture we do colourful eggs and then the rules of our family are a leg of lamb in the oven and my family come to our home to celebrate after church.
“I am so thankful for the Lord’s blessing, the support and encouragement from The Salvation Army, and all the opportunities in this great land … Jesus’ love has been with us in this whole journey. I pray for the government, I pray for the Salvos, for Australia and I always say, ‘Lord, bless this country.’ I love it!”
*Portions of this story first appeared in Salvos Magazine.
Find a place to experience life in its fullest – celebrate Easter with your local Salvos.