Jim and Jeanne Slaughenhoup had a surprise for Hasan when they showed up at his Atlanta-area apartment recently.
Since he arrived in Georgia amid a storm of controversy in early December, the 4-year-old Syrian refugee had been pestering his parents about going to school. His grin spread from ear to ear when the pair of volunteers from Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta arrived and announced they were taking him on a tour of the private preschool they had found.
The Slaughenhoups are among many evangelical Christians — generally reliable Republican voters — who are helping Syrian refugees like Hasan resettle in the U.S., despite objections from GOP political leaders. The Slaughenhoups voted for Republican Gov. Nathan Deal, but they have disagreed with his efforts to block Syrian refugees from coming to Georgia. They also reject GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump's proposal to bar Muslims from entering the U.S.
The couple say their Christian faith compels them to help those in need, including refugees.
“Jesus said when you help someone in need… it is like serving him,” said Jim Slaughenhoup, who owns a janitorial business and who has been helping refugees with his wife since 1999. “It is like we are serving Christ when we are helping people — plus building relationships with them.”
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