Mohammad and his wife, Rona, are seen at their home in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The couple are Afghan refugees who’ve resettled in the Lehigh Valley. (Emma Reed/The Morning Call/TNS)

Mohammad, Rona and their three kids had only a few words to describe seeing America for the first time — the destination of their resettlement journey away from Kabul, Afghanistan.

“Beautiful,” Mohammad said, sitting at a table with family members, a landlord turned lifelong friend, a reporter and lots of Afghan tea.

The family left almost everything behind in Afghanistan, bringing with them only clothes and anything that could fit in a large duffle bag.

The family, who asked to withhold their last name for safety reasons, lived in Kabul for decades. As refugees, their journey took them to Germany and eventually Allentown, Pa. The resettlement process lasted a few months before they moved to Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley in February.

After fleeing a country just over two years after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, the family have assimilated to the United States and are rebuilding their lives. Through the challenges of navigating a new culture, they’ve made connections along the way and built a lifelong friendship with John Siegfried, their landlord.

“If I can get them help, get them pointed in the right direction of succeeding in life in America, financially, culturally, every way to give them that chance … that’s what we’re trying to do,” Siegfried said.

The beginning of a long journey

Kate Woodward, community engagement coordinator for Bethany Christian Services in the Lehigh Valley, helped finalize the approval process for the family to enter the United States.

“Work is very scarce (in Afghanistan),” Woodward said. “So they’ve been in a very desperate situation and have very much wanted to leave.”

Nonprofits like Bethany Christian Services get requests for assurance, meaning the refugees are willing and prepared to accept the case for resettlement instantly. The notifications for assurance come from Global Rescue, one of the largest resettlement agencies in the United States.

“We always say yes,” Woodward said on assurance requests. A spokesperson said that Bethany Christian Services helped resettle 2,101 refugees in the United States in 2023.

Once the assurance was processed, Mohammad and his family had to leave Kabul instantly.

“There’s not a lot of security,” Mohammad said of Afghan living conditions. He had an esteemed job — he didn’t want to divulge details, again due to safety concerns — but said it was difficult to find access to health care among other essential services. Since the Taliban took over three years ago, many families have dealt with economic hardship.

They spent one month at a base in Germany after some layover stops throughout the Middle East. Mohammad and Rona described the refugee camp as the size of “20 football fields.”

“It had air conditioning,” their youngest child said in translation. All three of Mohammad and Rona’s children, who were kept anonymous, are in or around their teenage years.

‘We just crossed our fingers and hoped it was a good family’

As Bethany Christian Services looked to find housing for the family, they eventually turned to Siegfried, a landlord in Allentown.

“Prior to their arrival, we secure housing that is safe and secure. And that is where I met John,” Woodward said.

At first, Siegfried had to dabble with the boundaries of his job.

“It was difficult because I’m not supposed to be friends with tenants,” Siegfried said.

“We didn’t know what to expect,” he continued. “We just crossed our fingers and hoped it was a good family.” Siegfried has been a landlord since 2021, and this was his first time working with refugees.

Woodward and Siegfried helped finalize the furniture and layout of the apartment.

“We kind of drew up some parameters about being their landlord and him volunteering, and it has really worked out to be honestly one of the best volunteering situations I have ever dealt with,” Woodward said of Siegfried.

The family’s arrival to a new home

An assigned case worker from Bethany Christian Services picked the family up from New York on Feb. 6. The family would first meet Siegfried in Allentown.

Mohammad’s first question for Siegfried: “How much is the payment?”

“Can you do better?” was the follow-up question — the family kindly asked for a lower price. Quickly, a friendship was born.

“A very good man who helps (us) for a living,” Mohammad said of Siegfried at his table full of food and tea, nearly four months later. “I thank you very much.”

“Very good man,” their youngest son said.

Siegfried spends multiple hours a day with Mohammad and his family. In addition to teaching them ways of American life, he’s become a close friend.

“I drive on Friday to the mosque,” Siegfried said, recounting his responsibilities with the family. “English class twice a week, finance class on Wednesday.” He’ll take them to the grocery store and help them deal with the nuisances of cell phones and technology.

Siegfried also stops regularly for some food and conversation. Mantu, aushak and samosa are common foods that the family treasures.

“It’s for all the table,” Mohammad said, while Rona finished preparing more tea. Siegfried added that he learned that everyone in Afghanistan uses their hands to eat food, in a communal, familial setting.

Woodward helps the family get to doctor’s appointments. She’s taught them the ways of the medical system and opened bank accounts for them.

“They are a wonderful family,” she said. “They are very modern, yet they are very devout as well.”

The family has also embraced the learning curves of studying English. Siegfried is teaching them some words, and he’s taken the family to more formal English classes in the Allentown area.

“When we first started I was acting out words,” Siegfried said. He said that teaching the word “egg” especially made the family laugh.

“It’s difficult. For me I like English because I like the challenge,” Rona said, with translation.

“They are so committed to learning, getting jobs, moving ahead, being a productive member of our community, and I’m very proud of the progress they’ve made,” Siegfried said.

Siegfried had to navigate getting the family funds for important, but expensive, services. He started by getting bikes for the family, which was their primary form of transportation during their first months in Allentown.

“My son likes to bike to school and the market,” Mohammad said.

For larger trips, such as to mosques, they’ll get rides from Siegfried or partners in the community. Finding a mosque was a challenge for the family, especially during Ramadan — it was one of Siegfried’s first tasks as their landlord.

When discussing the process of finding a mosque, Mohammad turned to Siegfried.

“You found it.”

The two youngest kids currently attend school, making friends and learning with an emphasis on English studies. They’re also studying Spanish. At school, they love to play soccer — their youngest son plays every day.

Rona, meanwhile, helps keep the house in order and cooks.

Siegfried, with donations from various organizations, including a GoFundMe, recently purchased a car for the family. They’ll now look for working opportunities in the area, while their eldest child, who graduated from high school in Afghanistan, currently works at a restaurant. He wants to be a dentist someday.

As for Mohammad’s future goals, “I want to do some work,” he said. Siegfried acknowledged how difficult it is to find jobs without English or Spanish proficiency.

So while the family continues to assimilate, they keep on striving to learn the language and make friends along the way.

“All (Mohammed) does is learn English all day long. And Rona,” Siegfried said, laughing. “And, you know, because this is the kind of people they are.”

“What have I done in my life that I deserve to meet these wonderful people?” Siegfried said.

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