Helping Refugees find Jobs

I drove a young man around town for a couple hours today looking for a job. We tried the hospital (housekeeping and dining), and 4 restaurants. He took a couple of applications, and said he would fill them out on his own, at home. I hope he takes the time to do it.

Job hunting is frustrating enough when you are familiar with the neighborhood. I imagine that my self-conscious insecurities would be magnified 10 fold if I had to try and find a job with my second language in a culture I had only lived in for 4 months.

It got me wondering about the insanely difficult task it must be for refugees all across the United States to try and find jobs. Many arrive after living in refugee camps for many years. Some of them have skills that are marketable in the US, but language is always a barrier. After their initial support from the US government runs out, and they have to start paying back their airline fees and other costs covered by US taxpayers to bring them to America, I am sure they experience another life crisis not unlike the initial move from their homeland.

What can be done to help men and women establish themselves with a job in their new home? Where can you find employers willing to take a chance on someone who does not speak English well, or who may not have many marketable skills? I thought it would be cool to help start some kind of cleaning service staffed by refugee men and women. Or, to help families who lived in rural areas to find employment as farm hands in the rural USA.

Any ideas how to help a newly arrived family find a job?

Are you willing to take a chance and higher hard working men and women ready to take their shot at starting life fresh in the USA?

Gifts we thought we didn’t need

This season I met every night with friends to read through meditations on Advent. One of these, “The God we Hardly Knew” by William Willimon has refused to leave me alone-convicting and delighting me alternately throughout the season. Willimon writes:

“…We love Christmas because, as we say, Christmas brings out the best in us. Everyone gives on Christmas, even the stingiest among us, even the Ebenezer Scrooges…Dickens suggests that down deep, even the worst of us can become generous, giving people. Yet I suggest we are better givers than getters, not because we are generous people but because we are proud, arrogant people. The Christmas story-the one according to Luke not Dickens-is not about how blessed it is to be givers but how essential it is to see ourselves as receivers.

We prefer to think of ourselves as givers-powerful, competent, self-sufficient, capable people whose goodness motivates us to employ some of our power, competence and gifts to benefit the less fortunate. …[In the account of the first Christmas] we are portrayed not as the givers we wish we were but as the receivers we are.

…This strange story tells us how to be receivers. The first word of the church, a people born out of so odd a nativity, is that we are receivers before we are givers. Discipleship teaches us the art of seeing our lives as gifts. That’s tough, because I would rather see myself as a giver. I want power-to stand on my own, take charge, set things to rights, perhaps to help those who have nothing. I don’t like picturing myself as dependent, needy, empty-handed… This is often the way God loves us: with gifts we thought we didn’t need, which transform us into people we don’t necessarily want to be.”

Why do I post this on our cross-cultural blog? While Willimon is writing primarily about our relationship with God, this same sin of self-sufficient pride is present in our relationships with others. Throw in the fact that these relationships might involve those from different economic, social, or ethnic backgrounds-the physically poor and needy- and it gets even more complex. John Wesley said “Nothing is more repugnant to capable, reasonable people than grace” As people who seem to have everything together, receiving from those whom you assume had nothing to offer is incredibly humbling and convicting.

Receiving from others is risky because it intertwines us in an uncomfortable close way, suddenly we are not longer in complete control of the relationship; we are no longer setting the terms and establishing the boundaries. Suddenly we are vulnerable and exposed, forced to acknowledge our own poverty. Yet it is only here that we begin to experience the messy reality of true relationship.

Let someone you are used to serving, serve you. Allow yourself to graciously accept what is offered and be transformed.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Many internationals in the United States never get to visit an American home. I understand the desire to see into the everyday life of another culture from when I was an international student. In fact, when I was studying abroad, a national only approached me on 3 occasions: someone asked me for directions, and two different members of a religious cult approached me in different towns wanting to give me their literature!
My experience overseas has encouraged me to play host to internationals in my home in the States when possible. This weekend, I had a group of ESL students over for a Thanksgiving meal. It was a great time, and was not too difficult to plan.
Have you considered what it would take to have some friends over in the Holiday season to experience some interesting American traditions? Here are a few things that I learned from this weekend:

1. Provide good directions to your home…I happened to be outside as one carload of students drove by, and was able to wave them down! I provided each student with a turn-by-turn map to my home, using Google maps, and several phone numbers to call if they got lost. They used a GPS unit, but my home is not accurately represented on most GPS systems…One interesting thing I learned is that Koreans prefer Exit numbers on the Interstate, and not street names. I prefer street names and not exit numbers.
2. Provide side dishes your guests may be accustomed to eating. For many of my American friends, a bottle of Tabasco sauce, or good coffee is a welcome travel companion. Perhaps your guests feel more comfortable with a side of rice, Kim Chee, green tea, or other staple food from their home country on the table. Do not be bothered if it does not get much use. It could be just what a shy child needs to get comfortable eating.
3. Plan a short explanation of your dining customs and traditions before digging in. My family, at large family meals, stands to pray, then moves through the kitchen and gets their own food. Guests are welcome to go back as much as they wish. We did the same with our guests, and had “hosts”’ at each table to provide conversation and insight on the meal. Expect to lead by example as pink cranberry fluff is a strange food item…
4. Think about an easy game to play that is fun for all ages. Our guests learned how to play “Spoons”, a simple card game children can grasp. We had a lot of fun with this…
5. Take a home tour, and dig out old pictures. A chance to see the garage and a bedroom can bring up some interesting questions. Picture albums that share family stories can keep the conversation going.

Our guests stayed for about 4 hours, and I believe everyone at the meal had a great time. Friendships have grown as well as opportunities to talk on deeper levels. A few extra pounds of leftover turkey in the fridge is a plus, too!

Some issues in Africa for prayer

Across a band of countries in Africa, from Nigeria to Somalia there is a series of conflicts, often described as religious or sectarian conflicts.  Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, Somalia – each of these countries has had periodic internal conflicts in which hundreds, thousands have died.  The most famous of these is the continued carnage in Darfur, that is, in western Sudan, where local insurgencies have been crushed by government instigated gangs known as janjaweed, nomadic camel herders, many of them Arabic-speaking.  Recently the fighting spread into Chad.  In both Sudan and Chad there have long been internal tensions between Muslim “Arab” populations historically from the north and the “black” tribal populations in the south, many of whom have been Christianized.  In both countries the wars over control of strategic resources have taken on religious nuances.  While both wars have officially ended the tensions remain and the continued fighting in Darfur threatens to awaken those tensions as well.  The situation in Somalia is notoriously worse, for Somalia has had no stable administration for generations.  Currently the strongest force in the country seems to be the Islamic Courts Union, but because it is a coalition of Islamists the American government has been opposed to it.
The most recent tragic conflict in Africa as of the end of November, 2008, has been the sudden explosion of bitter hand-to-hand fighting in Jos, Nigeria, where Muslim and “Christian” gangs have fought over a disputed election.  The New York Times (12/1/08) says that
•    in “Jos, the central Nigerian city …. two days of ferocious violence between Christians and Muslims after a disputed local election has left hundreds of people dead.”
•    “[A]rmed Christian and Muslim gangs … had roamed the city, slaughtering people with guns and machetes and torching houses, churches, shops and cars, according to residents. The sudden and vociferous explosion of religious violence was the worst Nigeria has seen in at least four years.”
•    “7,000 people had fled the most violent neighborhoods and that they were living in shelters.”
•    “The clashes began suddenly, taking the city by surprise in both the swiftness and ferocity of the bloodshed, despite a long history of religious violence in the region.”
•    “a historically Muslim north and a Christian and animist south, as well as deep political divisions that cross religious lines. Beyond that there are conflicts over land and political power, which are often intertwined as a result of traditional customs that hold the rights of indigenous people over those of migrants from other parts of the country. Religion is almost always a proxy for those grievances.”
•    “Despite the history of religious bloodshed in the region, residents, officials and activists said the city had come a long way toward healing divisions. Interfaith commissions set up to improve relations between the faiths and ethnic groups after the 2001 riots appeared to help cool tensions. ‘Things had really improved in Jos,’ said Nankin Bagudu, a Christian and state government commissioner who had worked with the League for Human Rights. ‘Nobody expected this kind of violence this time.’”
Christians are enjoined to “pray for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we might lead a quiet and peaceful life, godly and respectful in every way.”  As we think about our obligation to pray for situations like these we are overwhelmed.  Pray for ourselves that we might know how to pray about these situations, in a world and a time like this when more than ever before we as Christians know what has been going on in the world around us.
Here are some ways we might pray for these peoples caught up in these conflicts:
•    Pray that God’s spirit, who is limited by no barriers, will awaken hearts to his work of mercy and love to those who are suffering.
•    Pray for the families who are caught up in these cruel wars, for the mothers and children and for the men and older sons who are often forced to fight on one side or another, that God will give them wisdom to know how to escape such brutality.
•    Pray for the women who are often the objects of the most brutal treatment:  rape, mutilation, separation from families, enslavement.
•    Pray for the men who are directly engaged in these brutal clashes, that opportunities will be afforded for them to escape those situations.
•    Pray for those in power, the administrators whose policies and activities, often for self-serving purposes, create these brutal situations, that they will be saved from such behavior, repent of their behavior and seek ways of establishing peace.
•    Pray for peace-makers at all levels of these societies.  Jesus has singled out such for special blessing; pray that such individuals will be raised up.
•    Pray for the leaders of other nations to do their part to help bring order.

Hosting a dinner party

The Simple Dollar is a blog that I enjoy very much. It has helped me gain some good perspective on using my money wisely. This post on hosting a dinner party fits in very well with the Knowing Your Neighborhood guide. It really is worth a read.

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/11/21/on-hosting-a-dinner-party/

They’re outside, I’m outside, so we talked.

From Jase:

I moved to a single-bedroom apartment close to Tower Grove Park, this past summer.  Fortunately, one of the best parts about where I currently live, is that I am friends with many of my fellow neighbors.  This happened rather quickly because of two factors.  First, I intentionally tried to spend as much time as I could outside on my front porch.  Second, many of them smoke and aren’t allowed that privilege inside their apartments.  They’re outside, I’m outside, so we talked.  We now share some recycling responsibilities, we’ve been able to have some meals together, and one neighbor has been so kind to sew up some tattered jeans for me.  This was not much work on my part, and for that I am very grateful.

Many of my neighbors are pretty diverse regarding ideology and family background.  Gay, liberal, conservative, black, hippie, white, etc. comprise much of the Tower Grove area.  Many right next door are younger, professionals or students, like myself.  Those commonalities can help take some of the work out of getting to know neighbors, or just strangers for that matter.  Commonalities are what allow people to become friends and I think that is the secret of not “forcing it”, but allowing it to happen naturally.  I really hope nobody is my friend because of guilt or some condescending arrogance.  I assume others feel the same.

So, hunker yourself down until you find people that are like you?  No.  The point is that there are commonalities that we all have and we need to identify those when we’re trying to build relationships with people.  And that’s one of the best things about neighbors, right off the bat you have something in common, you live on the same street, in the same neighborhood.  (“nobody stops at that stop sign”.  “yeah.”)  The work comes in realizing how limited we are in seeing those similarities, even though we know they are there.  That can become pretty frustrating and may require some creative ways of getting beyond some of the barriers and differences we perceive in others.  Those problems are universal (see, we keep finding commonalities) and things like Knowing Your Neighbor are such great resources.  I think this is a good way to view the balance that we try to seek with being intentional, but not pushing too hard.

Clueless traveler hopes to return kindness

I grew up about an hour outside of town, and any trips I took to St. Louis were limited to three categories: school field trips, Cardinal baseball games, and visiting people in the hospital. Now, I live in the South Grand area and am experiencing a city much different than I ever imagined. Before, St. Louis was just a destination, now it is my home.

Between my trips to the city as a child, and my current residence in St. Louis, I have had the opportunity to travel to 33 different countries. I have lived in Europe and Africa, and have spent extended amounts of time in Asia. Most of the time, I was pretty clueless about what was appropriate or inappropriate to do in a certain situation. I desperately needed people who would graciously step out of their comfort zone to help me, the clueless traveler, survive.

I have been amazed to find that many of the nations I have visited are represented here in St. Louis. My desire to help neighbors from these countries settle in St. Louis has been impacted by my opportunity to have traveled in their home country. I hope to reciprocate the kindness I received as a traveler back to them.

Sometimes, I still feel like an “outsider” moving to St. Louis from only 60 miles away. Life is different here, and I am adjusting to it. I wonder how much more difficult it must be for our neighbors that are struggling to learn a new language, adjust to winter weather, shop in a grocery store, or figure out any other aspect of life in St. Louis that so many people take for granted?

My time traveling, has helped me gain a much better perspective on the friendliness and kindness that many people display to guests in their home country. I hope that in St. Louis, our friendliness will go beyond being helpful to a clueless traveler to helping the immigrants and refugees that have moved here to integrate into their new home as best as possible.

I have seen a lot of amazing sites around the world, but my best memories will remain from the people that extended kindness to me. People have cooked food, bought medicine, given me a place to sleep, and accompanied me across entire countries (3 different places!), out of kindness. These needs are the same as many of our neighbors today. I want to return the favor. If they ever have the opportunity to return to their home I want them to have a story to tell of how their life was changed by interacting with the locals in St. Louis.

The people I must literally look over every day…

What have you been learning the last few days? Please share your insight.

“KYN has opened my eyes to the diversity around me. I live in a suburb and admittedly tend to think everyone is the same –married, parents, white, middle class, etc. After reading and praying, I started to look around more. I evaluated what was around me, talking to my neighbors on my block. Across the street are two college kids working and going to school; a single man in his 60’s three doors down with a dog that is seemingly his main companion; a single woman in her 30’s next door with a desire to be married and have kids; a Mormon couple with 3 kids living here briefly from out of state; and this was just my street. I now go on runs and take a look at the buildings and businesses that I mindlessly passed before. I noticed a Baha’i Center that I had never noticed before. Coincidentally, I had just met a woman in the city who practices the Baha’i faith. Weeks ago I would have never thought about the center or the woman. My curiosity made me look into the faith more and understand it. Again I admit, I tend to assume everyone must be protestant or catholic in my neighborhood. It makes me want to know more about the people that surround me, especially the people I must literally look over every day. The girls that just moved in on the corner, the single mom with 3 kids that I met while voting and the man that walks on a street nearby to his job at Schnucks. I made the connection watching him bag my groceries. Next time I will offer him a ride. All of them are made in the image of Christ, all broken in some way, all needing to know the message of the Gospel. The KYN has been inspiring to me.”

Ashley

They’re here.

The Knowing your Neighborhood booklet is now available. You can pick one up after the service at the Tower Grove location of The Journey. If you can’t get there then  download it here: kyn-printer6×9.

We’ll be praying for you as you start this endeavour.

Exploring Your Circle on the Map

Why do you live where you live? Have you ever thought about it? A bargain, a good school district, a central location, having family nearby? There are lots of reasons why you might chose a particular abode in a particular neighborhood in a particular city. But think beyond that… beyond your personal choices, why are you really there?

When I was visiting a mosque once, a woman asked me, “Why are you here, today?” I answered tentatively, “because I… wanted to visit, umm… because I had time today.” The woman smiled and shook her head, “Yes, but that is not the whole answer. You are here because you were invited, and you are here because you where meant to be here. God wanted you here.” She was telling me that my answer was incomplete, because there was more than one reason I was there, and maybe those reasons didn’t all have to do with me.

Around The Journey you often hear the phrase “In the city, for the city.” For me that means recognizing myself as a person who is meant to live for more than just myself or people who are just like me. Instead I need to build intentional relationships where I am. This means that I have purpose wherever I happen to be. The great poet, Hafiz, says it like this “The place where you are right now, God circled on a map for you.”

For right now, the circle on my map (and yours) is St. Louis, and more specifically our own neighborhoods. Sometime, this is the hardest place to live intentionally. The same old streets, stores, houses, and people become a blur. Ask yourself: What could possibly be my purpose in living here? Are there any reasons bigger than me? You may not know the answer to that one, yet…

This is why we are launching an interactive guide called “Knowing Your Neighborhood: Being in Your Community for a Purpose.” It’s a guided tour, a prayer book, and a treasure map rolled into one! In a four week format, it presents ideas on how to explore and engage your own little circle on the map. It will be available in the lobby following each service at the Tower Grove campus.

Knowing your Neighborhood is best done in community. Involve your family, connect with missional folks living in your neighborhood, and make sure to check the Beyond Knowing Blog often. Over the next four weeks you will have the chance to interact with other Journeyers through the blog and through a prayer gathering on November 13^th.

To acquire a copy of “Knowing Your Neighborhood”, e-mail CrossCultural@journeyon.net