From Refugee to US Soldier: A Story of HOPE

Twenty-two-year-old Ali knows fear like few of us will ever understand. He was born in Iraq and grew up fleeing catastrophe and persecution.

“A lot of things bad happen in my country,” he recalls. “We went to Syria for almost four years. Very bad things in Syria, just like Iraq, so we come back to Iraq. Then we went to Jordan, maybe for three months, then back to Iraq. Then we go to Lebanon for one year.”

Finally, in October 2013, he and his family made it to America — only his father remains back in Lebanon. Ali has a family member who now serves in the US Army and he has plans to follow in her footsteps serving his new homeland after he acquires his GED. Ali only ever completed middle school. HOPE Literacy is helping him reach his dreams by giving him a place to experience God’s love, learn English, and grow into the person God created him to be. HOPE Literacy is helping to transform Ali's story of tragedy into a story of HOPE.