A farewell letter from Aziz Sadaghiani serving in Germany
December 2015- 44 years of service
You may be aware that I will retire on 31 December 2015. Looking back at the 44 years I have been a social worker, 17 of those years with the Presbyterian Church, I have cause to be thankful for the people I have supported as well as working with great colleagues. Despite the current refugee crisis in Europe, the Presbyterian Church has always been there to assist and support refugees and I hope the church will continue to do so.
I would like to say a big thank-you to all my colleagues around the world in the Presbyterian Church who are working tirelessly to spread the gospel and support the vulnerable, who especially need our help. A special thank-you to my friend and ex-colleague, Mr. Mehdi Abhari, who has been supportive and a close confidante for close to 60 years.
I would also like to thank Burkhard Paetzold, Regional Liaison for Central and Eastern Europe, and all my other colleagues based in Berlin: Rev. Sadegh Sepehri and Rev. Ryan and Alethia White.
To the Novato (Calif.) Presbyterian Church, thank you for the financial support for our congregation, and also other organizations that funded our work. Dr. Rev. Krebs, thank you for generously allowing us to use the premises of Evangelical Reformed Bethlehem Church in Berlin for counseling and Sunday fellowship all these years, and also Rev. Carolin Springer. Ms. Ute Weise from the Ecclesiastical Office of Administration, thank you too.
Last but not the least, I would like to thank all the refugees, solicitors, government officials, charities and everyone that I worked closely with all these years. The 44 years I worked as a social worker would not have been fulfilling without our close collaboration.
I am looking forward to my retirement and visiting countries I have always wanted to visit but did not have the time.
Finally, in all the years that I worked as a social worker, I have seen technology and communication evolve. However, no technological breakthrough or advanced medium of communication can replace the personal interaction with clients, especially when advising and supporting them on how to regularize their stay and/or settle into their adopted countries so that they can integrate and live meaningful lives.
May the peace and blessings of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ be with you all.
Azizollah Sadaghiani
The 2015 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 328
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