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USA
The most tragic consequence of the forcible displacement of millions of persons around the world is the loss of home and all that this embodies. Refugees lose everything. Their movement is violent, involuntary, and filled with painful uncertainty. But with the loss of one's home, refugees lose connectedness to all that nourishes and sustains them. Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) is the refugee and immigration assistance arm of the Episcopal Church USA. With generous help from parishes in the 26 dioceses in which it operates, EMM moves hundreds of refugees each year from a place of despair to a place of hope. And as church sponsors reach out to refugees in friendship, they find their lives transformed by strangers who became their friends.
Of the over 12 million refugees in the world, only a small number are given a chance for resettlement. Yet the resettlement experience of a few sends the powerful message that new beginnings can emerge from the devastating experience of being a refugee.
A consequence of the tragic events of September 11th, 2001 was a significant downturn in the number of refugees moving to the United States. While the doors have opened a bit, the Episcopal Church - committed to the transforming ministry of resettlement - adds its voice to that of the larger American faith community in urging the U.S. government to return to a more generous time when doors were opened widely to persecuted persons. This stance reflects both the urgent need to rescue refugees and the belief that church communities are capable of moving families to safety and recovery and, in fact, seek the spiritual enrichment which this ministry offers.
The sharing of journeys is a compelling way to allow the experiences of displaced refugee families to become a part of our understanding of what it means to be uprooted. These journeys also relay accounts of incredible hospitality and transformation. The stories reflect the diversity of ethnicities and traditions embraced by the resettlement programme. They also offer a glimpse of the different types of parish experiences that sustain this ministry and its impact on both guest and host.
Sharing a family's journey
The Episcopal Cathedral of Saint James in South Bend, Indiana has always been committed to social causes. We decided to take on another challenging project when we agreed to sponsor a refugee family from Liberia. The Zeon family arrived on a cold and foggy day early last December. We realised how great their needs were when we saw that their luggage consisted of a small duffel bag for the four of them.
We have experienced the joys of getting to know people from a culture very different from our own. We have tasted new, spicy foods; we have listened to the cadences of an English dialect we cannot understand; and we have learned about their life on the farm which they had to abandon. We have also had the fun of introducing them to new experiences in the U.S.
The congregation has been very generous in responding to a lot of the Zeons' material and financial needs. Of course, the challenges faced by our congregation pale in comparison to the challenges faced by the Zeons. The disruption of war has resulted in a number of health and nutrition problems for them.
The congregation of St. James would encourage any church to prayerfully consider sponsoring a refugee family. Scripture is full of admonitions to provide for those who are in need, especially the stranger. Despite the many challenges, we have been blessed by the opportunity to serve as the hands and feet of Christ to this family in our community.
Rhonda Culbertson, a member of St James Cathedral, South Bend, Indiana.
One family, many roads
Around the world, there are so many different kinds of refugees who, not of their own choice and whether they like it or not, are living in many different countries. I am one of those refugees who left my beloved country, family and friends to seek shelter for my life because of my political beliefs.
I left Burma in 1996 and stayed in New Delhi for five years under a UNHCR mandate. While I was living in India, I met my wife, Biak Chin Sung, and we married there.
My wife came to New Bern, North Carolina, on February 13, 2001 and Interfaith Refugee Ministry took care of her and provided whatever she needed. They also helped her to fill out family reunification petition forms and send them to the the U.S. immigration authorities office. Biak was pregnant when she came to the United States and our petition for reunification became an urgent case because she had no way to support herself when the baby was born.
While I was waiting for a letter from the Embassy, the unfortunate news about the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks broke and all my hopes became a nightmare. The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi was closed and all cases were stopped. I could not even contact the U.S. immigration authorities office for a while and then I learned that all the cases they held were to be inspected carefully from the beginning because of the terrorist alert and would then be processed.
As the time for my wife giving birth was coming closer, I could do nothing except pray to God, as I was a long distance away. In the right time, God provided more friends and supporters for my wife and she gave birth to a lovely son called Benjamin. God continued to bless our family and I was able to to go to the U.S. on February 8, 2002, and be reunited with my wife and new baby. It was so great and God had done remarkable things for our lives.
Now we are blessed and saved to stay in the United States and enjoy new food, a new culture, and more. It is a real freedom of life that we never experienced before. I believe that God will bless those who help the needy.
Van Bawi Ven.
“Jesus came from Vietnam”
Little did Janet Dawson of All Saints Church in Atlanta, Georgia know that volunteering to teach English to a Vietnamese family would dramatically alter her.
Janet was introduced to Quy and Tuyet Dang, along with their children, Ngoc, Hoang and Tan through the All Saints' Refugee Ministries tutoring programme. Her first visit in their bare apartment behind the Federal Penitentiary was eye opening. They had mattresses on the floor and few pieces of furniture. “They had nothing,” Janet recalled.
Janet began visiting the family on a regular basis and soon began planning small outings with Ngoc, Huang and Tan. “I can't change the circumstances, but I can show them what's possible,” she recalls thinking. The stories flow from her as they would from a proud mother or aunt. This past summer they loaded up the Dangs' van and drove to Ottowa. Last year Janet and Ngoc went on a jaunt to New York City. Her stories also point to the growth Janet has seen within herself.
A key moment in their relationship came shortly before the death of Janet's mother during a visit she arranged with the Dang family. “Quy took my mother by the hand and he and his wife and children were so kind to her,” recalls Janet. “So it's me who's had lots of support from the Dangs”, says Janet. When articulating the depth of her experience with the Dang family, she tells people that “Jesus came from Vietnam.”
Robin Harp, Co-ordinator of Refugee Ministries, All Saints Church, Atlanta, Georgia.
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