Volunteer Spotlight

Written by Vanessa Lange

Beth Piwkowski showed up at the field behind Trinity Church one Saturday afternoon last summer after a friend and BHITC volunteer, Brittany Kubiak, told her about the African refugee children she’d been working with.  Beth stayed and played soccer with the kids that day and has been back almost every Saturday ever since.

The more I have gotten to know Beth, the more inspired I have become by her dedication to these children.  In addition to the Saturday classes, Beth has tutored the kids during the week, brought in reading material for them, taken them to her home and to her church, and has visited them at their homes and had dinner with their families.

Thank you, Beth, for your commitment, patience and love for each of these children!

The Dream Team

Written by Brian Upton, Assistant Director

At yesterday’s bi-weekly BHITC staff meeting, we did the usual — went around the table, shared ministry successes, synced our calendars, sought God’s guidance in prayer.  After the meeting was over, an unofficial second meeting started around the needs of African refugee children. Francois, our community worker, reported that many of the children are failing just about all their subjects in school.  “We need an international school,” Francois said, “to help these children not be illiterate for the rest of their lives.”

That got the ball rolling and, before we knew it, we were dreaming of a such a new ministry arm….a place where refugee families could bring their children for a quality education. It’s a huge dream! And I got totally excited as the conversation progressed. God, grant us Your wisdom, pour us Your grace and prosper the work of our hands!

Thank you, God, for big dreams!  They remind me that anything is possible with You!

Pictured here is only a portion of BHITC’s staff who were present today (left to right): Vicar Gary Timm, Mission Developer Francois Banyereste, Assistant Director Brian Upton (me!) , Arabic Missionary Nadia Abuamsha, Executive Director Jeff Johnson, Tutoring Administrative Coordinator Jeanne Evers, and Vicar Marc Cohen.  (Missing today were: Director of Volunteers Dawn Luecke, Arabic Missionary Nicola Abuamsha, and Director of Urban Family Learning Centers Holly Roe — you guys missed a good meeting!)

Refugee Birthday Video

Check out this video from our Refugee Birthday Party back in January!

Refugee Mentors: Sharing the Experience

Imagine you and your family are dropped off in a country halfway around the world.  You don’t speak the language, you don’t know the culture, you don’t have any friends, and somehow you’re supposed to “fit in” and adapt to your new life.

Volunteer Refugee Mentors help to make this transition easier for the refugee families who arrive here after spending years in refugee camps.  These volunteers help the families learn English, go to the grocery store, take the bus, and most importantly, they build relationships.

Because of the enormity of the task of helping these families, many volunteers choose to serve on a team of several volunteers who all work with the same family.  Right now, two of these mentoring teams have agreed to share their experiences with us on this blog.

The first team, made up of Luanne, Paul, Katie and Aimee, is working with a family from Bhutan/Nepal.  The second team works with a family from Burma.  This team includes Jen, Rick, Deb, Bob, Luanne and Helga.

We invite anyone who is involved in the Refugee Mentor program to join the discussion and share your experiences.  You can make comments on the entries we post here, or you can submit your own post to be published on this blog.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Strangers in a Strange Land

Who exactly are refugees?  Where do they come from?  How do they end up in Cleveland?  What services do they receive when they arrive here?  What challenges do they face?

These questions and more were answered at this evening’s training for Refugee Mentors hosted by Catholic Charities Migration and Refugee Services.  This year Catholic Charities will resettle more than 240 refugees in Cleveland from countries all over the world, including Burundi, Somalia, Nepal, Burma and Bhutan.

To supplement the basic services provided by Catholic Charities and the State government, Catholic Charities relies  on volunteers to guide these new families in everything from taking public transportation to using the thermostat in their apartment.  A number of BHITC volunteers have already gotten involved in this challenging and rewarding endeavor.  Check back soon for personal accounts from mentors on their relationships with their refugee families.

To learn more about refugee populations in the U.S., check out these two web sites:

Cultural Orientation Resource Center

United Nations High Commission on Refugees

Trinity Lutheran will be hosting the next Refugee Mentor training on April 18th from 9am to 1pm.  To register call 216-281-4673.

Happy Birthday!

On January 3rd, volunteers from Community of Hope Church in Lakewood helped organize an outstanding birthday bash for our African refugee friends.  The event included games for the children, entertainment provided by the Swahili choirs, a delicious home cooked African meal, and of course, birthday cake.

Many refugees don’t know their birthdays due to the volatile circumstances they are born into.  The upheaval of war and political instability lead to inconsistent record keeping, leaving many parents of only a vague idea of when their children were born.  Upon entering the United States, refugees unable to provide an exact birthday are given the birth date of January 1st for all official documents.    The January 1st birthday is both a reminder of the hardships these refugees have endured as well as a symbol of hope for new beginnings in this country.

For more information on refugee birthdays, check out this article from the Boston Globe.

Relay races in the sanctuary!

The sounds of Africa right here in Cleveland.