You Welcomed Me: Seven Days to Better Welcoming Refugees and ImmigrantsExemplo

This is Our Story

Stories can conquer fear, you know. They can make the heart bigger. -Ben Okri

There is the dangerous tendency to make the story of welcoming about us, about our experience, how we’ve changed in the process, etc. While this is a danger, the truth is, on some level it is our story, too. When we listen deeply to experiences of refugees and immigrants, they invite us to be part of their stories and to live a better story ourselves. We should be changed. But we shouldn’t make ourselves the center of the story. 

God calls us to be a part of the restoration work done here on earth. We see this reflected in the words of Isaiah: “do away with the yoke of oppression...spend yourself on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,” (9-10). When we follow Jesus, we join a story of death being raised to new life and, as the prophet Isaiah goes on to say, of belonging and hope in which “your light shall break forth like the dawn and your healing shall spring up quickly...The Lord will guide you continually...you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in” (Isaiah 58:8,11,12). This is not a quid pro quo arrangement. We don’t solely act in order to get a desired outcome. Rather, the very act of engaging in justice work changes us and opens our hearts. It is transformational. 

We listen because the stories of refugees and immigrants deserve to be heard. We listen because the oppressed and marginalized help us remember our common humanity. Their story is our story. And we listen because when we do, we’re transformed by the image of God before us.

Practice:

Do you have a friend from another country? Ask them, if they are willing, to share their story with you. You could say something like, “we’ve known each other for a long time and I know you are from _____ but have never heard your story. With all the division and fear in our country, I want to learn to better listen and understand so we can build unity.” It’s important to note that you should have a shared trust with this person and that they only share if they want to. It can be difficult for refugees and immigrants to share their story and there is often a certain (understandable) level of distrust in people asking to hear them.