Dale and I have been friends with this sweet family for over a year. Aziz and Krishma are refugees from Afghanistan. Aziz worked as a civilian contractor for the US military and had to flee with his family before the Taliban took over their country. He had a very responsible job as a project manager and supervised more than 100 men. Aziz is fluent in English, Farsi and several other languages. Here in the US, he has been severely underemployed. Primarily, he has worked as an Uber and Lyft driver. Recently, he got a job as a car salesman. Then disaster struck.

Aziz was driving for Lyft in Denton County with a passenger in his car on Saturday night, May 25th, when he received a notification on his phone of a tornado nearby. Aziz and his passenger parked and took shelter in a Shell Station in Valley View, Texas. Moments after they got inside the station, the tornado hit.

Here's a video of Aziz entering the gas station that was shot by another person taking shelter. He is the big man in the pink shirt.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/y8h7TCSfcEj8yXVX/?mibextid=UalRPS

Here is what remained of the Shell station after the tornado:

https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/100-people-sheltered-in-valley-view-gas-station-destroyed-by-tornado/

Here is a video of some of Aziz's injuries immediately after the storm:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/WFboHDwRvGChT8PA8

This is Aziz's car after the tornado struck:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Z1MQ4uMEUFMWqQAN8

Miraculously, all 125 people inside survived even though the building was almost completely destroyed. Aziz was hit by flying debris causing multiple lacerations in his arms, legs, and back. He still has small pieces of glass and wood coming out from under his skin and he has ongoing neck pain. To make matters worse, his car was destroyed in the storm. They are waiting for an insurance settlement on that. They have a second car, but it is not in good shape and isn't suitable for highway driving. It needs the brakes and rotors replaced as well as other repairs. Due to his injuries and the lack of transportation, he has been unable to work, so he lost his job at the car dealership. Meanwhile Krishma has been diligently applying for part time jobs - so far with no success. All this to say that Aziz and his family are without any source of income right now because he has no suitable vehicle to drive for Uber or Lyft.

We hope to raise enough money to repair their remaining vehicle, add some funds to the insurance settlement to help replace the totaled car, and pay their current bills since Aziz has been unable to work. Please help us show this family the love of Christ in a tangible way in the midst of this major setback in their lives. It is so hard to get started in a new country even without encountering this kind of disaster. God bless you for any amount you can give.

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