Working with the Restoring Family Links team, I’m privy to some pretty incredible stories — stories of hope and love persevering against all odds to bring families and loved ones long thought lost back into each others’ lives.
The dedication of our volunteers is often behind some of the most touching stories, and a recent one out of the Greater St. Louis region is no exception.
In a blog post last week, Mike Pfeifer, an American Red Cross International Services Volunteer, shares about a successful reconnection the chapter helped establish between two native Somalian brothers. Here is an excerpt:
Mohamed read his message aloud. “I am your brother, Ahmed. I am greeting you with my best. If you’ve forgotten me, I have not forgotten you.” The messages are often brief, out of necessity, but a few words can fill a heart and span decades.
“He’s the one who convinced me to marry my wife,” Mohamed said. Mohamed and his wife, Mana, have seven children. His family in the Kenyan camp did not know these children existed, nor had they seen them. He knew exactly how he would reply. “We must send him pictures,” Mohamed said.
The family went through closets to put on their best clothes for pictures. Along with several family pictures, Mohamed sent a Red Cross Message (RCM) in response.
“My Dear Brother, I am hereby submitting my best greeting. Say, ‘Hi” to Mom and brothers and sister.” With a regular communication link established, the family regains the links that bind them and can enfold new members into the warmth that is family.
Visit the St. Louis region’s blog to read more about the reconnection. For more on the Restoring Family Links program and how the American Red Cross works with the rest of the global Red Cross network to help locate missing loved ones, visit www.redcross.org/familylinks.
