I have met some amazing “strangers in a strange land”, people who have escaped not simply hard economic times in their home countries but abject persecution, immense fear for their livelihood (if not their very lives), and in some cases, unimaginable torture for their race, religion, nationality, or opinions. Some have had to flee, leaving their children behind. Having lived an average of 7 years in out-of-the-country refugee camps and being surreptitiously spied upon to ensure they meet strict guidelines, they have finally arrived as refugees in North Texas.
They are assisted by private agencies like Refugee Services of Texas and are cared for by WC Refugee Initiative Welcome Team coordinated by Holly Walsh. Holly and her team greet them at DFW airport and escort them to government-provided apartments that the Team has transformed from bare and empty to warm, inviting, and fully-furnished from donations, the pantries stocked with nourishing food. The Team provides them with a warm, welcoming meal and spends some time with them that first day.
But, the support and love does not stop there. The White’s Chapel Refugee Initiative (WCRI) helps the families acclimate by helping them acquire drivers’ licenses, find doctors, by driving them to appointments, and much more. Landlords sometimes try to take advantage of these tenants; members of the WCRI act as advocates on these refugees’ behalf. Some of the refugees are seeking asylum from the U.S. government. WCRI helps them find attorneys, like the ones at Justice for Our Neighbors, a United Methodist Immigration Ministry.
Although these refugees might have been lawyers, farmers, or factory workers,they often limited to menial jobs like those mandating graveyard shift hours. In order to sustain a minimum life style, many have found it necessary to work several jobs just to survive. Amazingly, most are self-sufficient within 4 months.
The most significant challenge they face is their language skill. They must improve their English. So, the Refugee Initiative holds English classes for adult refugees. The program is called the WCRI English Language Learning (ELL) and Laura Bussell is the Coordinator. Classes are held on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to noon. The curriculum is Cambridge Publishing’s Ventures. There are 6 levels and American culture is infused within each unit. But, ELL volunteers enrich it with other cultural events, like history lessons about the wacky tradition of Halloween and Thanksgiving, trick-or-treating down the hallways, reading Luke 2 at a Christmas party filled with Christmas cookies and carols and a lively game of Christmas bingo, potluck Friendsgiving celebrations, and patriotic picnics. In addition, they emphasize important habits for becoming a good employee like on-time attendance and participation by awarding incentive “dollars” that can be used periodically in “stores” filled with donated items.