I arrived in Atlanta for my SIP Internship on June 5th, the day after Pentecost. That evening I had dinner with my mentor, Benno Pattison (the rector at the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany) and his family and settled into my room at my host home. The next morning I reported for work at RRISA, the Refugee Resettlement and Immigration Services of Atlanta. I met with my contact, Sandra Mullins who provided me with information on my work at the agency. She showed me around the office and introduced me to several employees. Most of the introductions went something like this: "This is Safia. She is from Somalia. She speaks Somali, Dutch, and Arabic and she works with our Somali clients." The office includes people from all over the world, often refugees or asylees themselves.

After my brief introduction, I was taken out to "the field" to set up an apartment for a family of 9 coming in from Somalia at the end of the week. As we were waiting for a delivery, the Turkish neighbor, also resettled by RRISA, invited us in from the heat. As we sat, she served us traditional Turkish tea, soup and bread, an amazing and unexpected lunch. This woman, Gulishe has been in the country for three months. Her English improves every time I speak with her. She is one of the most friendly people I have ever met and insists on making conversation even though it is very difficult for her. Her hospitality of serving me, a stranger, lunch on my first day has been one of the most moving experiences I have had.

Since my first day, I have experienced a variety of tasks. I do office work, set up apartments, greet incoming refugees at the airport, shop for groceries for the clients, help to maintain the clothing closet and the food pantry, take people to apply for social security numbers, and a number of other things.

Although I love working at RRISA, my greatest joy comes from my experience at the Church of the Epiphany. I attend their Sunday services and sing in the choir at the later service. I enjoy attending community activities such as the parish picnic, the newcomers' desert and the Courtyard Cafe. The parishioners have been very welcoming and they are interested in the work I am doing. Once a week, I go to lunch with the staff, followed by an hour of theological reflection with Rev. Benno Pattison and Rev. Jim Kee-Rees in which I process the work I am doing.

My first three weeks have flown by and I look forward to the next five.