In 2005, I lived in Uzbekistan for 4 months with my newlywed, Taryn, as Peace Corps volunteers. 

The first thing I learned in my Uzbek language class was how to tell the driver to stop the marshrutka, an unofficial taxi van that transported me to the next village over. If I didn’t yell “shu yerda toktating”, the van would keep driving past my stop and I’d be lost.  

I’m grateful for my Muslim host family to welcome me into their family and teach me about their culture, which included festivals, a wedding, and parties.

During our class sessions with the other Peace Corps volunteers, we were warned not to talk to our host families about democracy or their government. We were told that this could put them at risk to be thrown in jail if they spoke poorly about their president. Revolutions were happening in neighboring former Soviet countries.  

Something was happening beneath the surface in Uzbekistan. Our visas weren’t getting renewed on time and phone calls home would often get “dropped” if we shared too much. It was unsettling. By May, we decided to return to Minnesota. 

Soon after, on May 13, 2005, the Andijan Massacre happened. As we heard the news, we weren’t surprised. The remaining Americans were evacuated from the country.

Thankfully, a civil war didn’t break out. If this were like present day Afghanistan, the allies and educators who helped me and the other Americans in the country would have been targets. Our teachers and host families were perhaps only a few steps away from getting displaced and becoming refugees.

And what about me? As soon as we felt uncomfortable, we were on a plane back to everything we knew and to family that loved us.

Now, as a pastor, my congregation is asking about helping the refugees fleeing Afghanistan. Faith Lutheran has hosted refugees in the past—welcoming families to Forest Lake and walking alongside Hmong and Latvian refugees in previous generations. In recent years, we’ve provided immediate support with supplies and household items.

We are discerning a partnership with Lutheran Social Service (LSS) of Minnesota to become a Circle of Welcome church. Our congregation would help with initial financial commitments to settle a family in St. Paul—near other refugees and close to resources. Additionally, and the part I love the most, we would have a team of 5-10 volunteers function like a “host” family—teaching the family how to get around and befriending them.  

LSS provides social work and behind-the-scenes leadership. As the US government completes the vetting process for refugees—which is thorough and takes time—more people will begin to move into Minnesota.

Our middle school-aged students at Faith are the most excited to help. They’ve paid attention to the news and put themselves in the place of the refugees—what would it be like if THEY were in that situation? How would they want someone to help?

Have you been asking yourself the same questions? Have you wondered what you can do? Are you friendly and interested in getting to know someone from a different culture? Email me—I’ll tell you more!  

I’m also aware of the anxiety and fears that might be present about refugees—we fear the worst or don’t trust the intentions of someone from a foreign country. Remember, there’s a significant process these neighbors go through just to get placed in a settled community.

It’s my hope that we don’t let those fears blind us to the needs of people who have truly abandoned everything to find safety and start a new life. I hope we can provide the faces of friendship and invitation that welcome our new neighbors.   

Pastor John Klawiter is the senior pastor of Faith Lutheran Church, an ELCA congregation in Forest Lake. For more information, email him at     This article is published in the October 28th Forest Lake Times issue.