"Did you know that red is China's favorite color?"

When Sarah Snow (yes, her father's name is John) and I met for ramen, I asked her to choose the table she'd like for us to sit at. Out of the green, yellow and red table, she excitedly chose red. I had asked her why she chose that particular table out of the three. She said, "In China, the color red means joy and happiness." I was quite surprised because in the US, it was a color that usually represented power or confidence. But, to Sarah and the Han people of China, it meant something sweet. If you get to meet her, you can experience that in her personality. She's kind and passionate about getting to know people. "I don't like just seeing people in passing," Sarah said to me. In fact, one of the biggest deciding factors for her two-year trip to China was that she would go with a team she could have relationships with. Sarah's quick to pursue the opportunity to get to know you. "I'm usually best friends with people I live with," Sarah laughed. Often during these interviews I've been told that people have felt known. I think that's a gift that Sarah carries as well; she wants to know you. She does it while having fun with people or sharing a meal with someone, as they do in the Han culture. Now that she's been back in the US for two months, her next journey is living with and getting to know refugees from over 20 different countries that now inhabit one apartment complex. While she is living with and doing life with this extremely diverse group of people, she'll have the opportunity to use her gift on a daily basis. And when you stop and think about--the gift of kindness is truly power and confidence in disguise. It's easier to not tell someone, "hello." When you're kind, you risk rejection and no one likes to be rejected. Refugees are some of the most rejected people in the world. They're people who are suddenly chased out of their homes and left lost in fear. Sarah's kindness and curiosity for unfamiliar people will be memorable to a community who may feel forgotten. "I'm thankful for everything new in life right now," she said with a gentle smile. I'm thankful for the new stories she'll soon have to tell.