Global Refuge: Bilal’s Holy Work of Welcome

Five years after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and the U.S. withdrawal forced tens of thousands of people to flee, Global Refuge is sharing the story of Bilal—an Afghan athlete, refugee and case manager who now helps welcome others to the United States.

Watch “Beyond the Basket: Bilal’s Holy Work of Welcome” on YouTube.

Before leaving Afghanistan, Bilal was a trailblazer. He became the country’s first sitting skateboarder, catching the attention of skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, and competed as a member of Afghanistan’s national wheelchair basketball team.

When the Taliban returned to power, Bilal was forced to leave his home, loved ones and dreams behind. “I left all my dreams behind,” he recalls, “but at least we are safe.”

Starting over in the United States brought the challenges of learning a new language and navigating an unfamiliar culture. Bilal has since earned a place on a successful wheelchair basketball team, but his deepest sense of purpose comes from helping refugees and immigrants face those same challenges.

Today, Bilal serves as a case manager at the Global Refuge Welcome Center in San Antonio. He meets newly arriving families, helps them establish their lives and offers the understanding of someone who has traveled the same difficult road.

“Whenever we face a new client, I remember my own story,” Bilal says. “That’s the holy work that we are doing.”

For Lutherans, welcome is more than hospitality. It is a response to the grace we have first received from God and a way of recognizing Christ in our neighbors. Bilal’s story shows how welcome can restore dignity, nurture hope and transform painful experience into loving service.

Congregations, ministry teams and individuals throughout the Grand Canyon Synod are invited to watch and share Bilal’s story. Consider using the video to begin a conversation: What does welcome mean to us, and how might God be calling us to welcome refugees and immigrants in our own communities?

Watch and share Bilal’s story. Learn more and support Global Refuge’s Work of Welcome.