A precious gift

There are gifts that go far beyond the material value of the item in question. I recently received such a gift.

I met Ali (name changed) at an event. At the time, I myself was helping in an initiative to find accommodation for refugees - a small contribution towards Welcoming culture. When Ali found out, he offered his help as a translator - a gift. He himself had come to Europe from Iran to work at a university.

The turnaround - a gift from heaven

He then experienced a personal encounter with God that touched him so deeply that he decided to convert to the Christian faith. Conversion is punishable by death in Iran - and if it is not carried out by the state, relatives often take on the task of transporting the apostate to the afterlife. It was clear: he could not go back.

Suddenly he went from being a well-paid lecturer to an asylum seeker without permission to work. The uncertainty was wearing on him. I helped him by encouraging him as much as I could and giving him a certificate for his voluntary work in our initiative.

That wasn't much. But he told me that it was enough to pull him out of the despair that sometimes gripped him and give him hope. In the end, the story ended well: He was granted asylum and was able to bring his wife and daughter to Berlin after years of separation.

The gift for me

He asked his wife to bring sweets from Iran for me and gave me a huge box of Iranian delicacies and precious saffron. Saffron is expensive and valuable. But what touched me far more was the gesture.

I don't know how much luggage you can take with you when you leave your home country, but it's certainly not much. Because there are no jobs, he is working without pay on a research project at the university and is doing voluntary work. He lives on Hartz IV and hopes that he will soon find a paid job and be able to move out of the one-bedroom flat in which the three of them live.

In view of all this, the treats from Iran are one of the most precious gifts I have ever received.