Walking together: Healing and hope for Colombian refugees

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w a l k i n g t o g e t h e r 79 “In Colombia, helping people, working in the children’s feeding centre, brought meaning to my life. The women’s group that I helped lead was important for me. I don’t believe that I have found satisfaction in my life in Canada yet. There isn’t really anything that fills me spiritually. Even though I have stability, the most important things are not the material things. The most important is to be able to go and help others. To discover the stories of those women’s lives. I think that until I know English I may not find satisfaction in my life here...no. I would like to support a community where I could be useful. Here in the church they have spoken about volunteer work that people do in India...there have been times when I have said to my self ‘if God permits me, I would like to do voluntary work.’ It would be a very important experience, to meet with people who need you.” - Dora “I’d like to create an organization in Canada that would think about the people that are being victimized in Colombia. I’m not sure how or even what the Canadian laws are and if I’d be allowed to do something like that. But it’s something I’m thinking about.” - David “I feel happy when I’m in church. On Sundays when I’m at church - I don’t understand the English yet - but when they worship God, I feel really happy during the worship. I feel happy in the church because I have many friends there. I go to a Spanish Bible Study for an hour before the service and I feel happy there.” - Adriana “The church picks up the youth every wednesday for a youth activity - it’s been really good for me, it has helped me to be less shy and to relate to others.” - Cecilia connections includes the sense of isolation that they will feel in Canada. Many Colombian refugees may have lived with extended family members before displacement, however in Canada they are separated from remaining family; some may have even been killed. Cold weather, transportation problems and Canadian individualistic culture also present challenges for forming relationships. Other challenges that may be harder to overcome are more subtle: refugees’ trust in other human beings has often been eroded by their past experiences. Trusting again, especially strangers, may be a frightening leap of faith for many refugees. Nonetheless, Colombian refugees that are sponsored by a church community often come with a sense of confidence that they will be able to trust in the church community, and this is a gift for both the church and the refugee family as they set out constructing friendships together. Rediscovering innate strength and resiliency: Refugees are incredibly strong people, having protected their families and navigated through foreign systems or countries on their path to refuge. Nonetheless, in the midst of the burden of their loss they may forget how strong and resilient they actually are. Feelings of guilt regarding their inability to prevent what has happened to them along with the humiliation and setbacks they suffer in adjusting to a new and confusing cultural context can create misleading feelings of inadequacy or weakness. Rediscovering their own innate strength and resiliency
80 w a l k i n g t o g e t h e r can be an important step in the refugee’s path to integrating and recovering hope for the future. When you talk to the refugee, be it about their past, the present or their hopes and dreams, help them to see how strong and competent they really were - and still are. Affirm their resiliency and encourage them to reflect on their strengths and past achievements. Focusing on strengths rather than weaknesses promotes healing, and is also a good way for you to learn about the refugee’s life before the trauma. Faith and Spirituality: Colombian refugees and displaced people repeatedly attribute their survival and ability to carry on despite all odds to their faith in God and divine protection. Faith and spiritual practices have been found to be very meaningful for trauma survivors as they cope with trauma symptoms and journey towards restoration. As a church, you have so much to offer in this area. Participating in services, small groups, Bible studies, prayer meetings, worshiping together and having personal visits with pastors or church ministry leaders can be life-giving for the refugee as they process their trauma and the stresses of fitting into a new world. Intentionally invite members of the refugee family to participate in any of the above-mentioned activities. If the refugee family has a church background and expresses that they would feel comfortable, take time to pray with the refugee family. Even when the language barrier still exists, the experience of praying together will likely be welcomed and greatly appreciated by the family. Perhaps you could find out if devotional material or books or recordings on themes related to faith and spirituality are available in Spanish in the local library or in church libraries in your community and could be lent to the refugee family. Finding new meaning in life: Refugees who have suffered the traumas of the loss of their livelihood, home, family members, culture and country may often experience a loss of meaning in life. The overwhelming task of fitting in to a new society, forming a new identity, and coping with the fact that they will not likely be able to practice their same profession or trade as before can add to their sense of hopelessness. In the face of these challenges, the church community can be an important source of support to the refugee family, helping them find ways to recreate meaning in their lives. Churches are ideal locations from which refugees can participate in purpose-giving activities such as volunteerism, political advocacy, giving talks on their experiences or helping to ease the suffering of others. These activities can all help trauma survivors rebuild a sense of purpose in life. Helping others: Studies have shown that helping others has a distinct healing effect on oneself. In his book The Healing Power of Doing Good 25 Allen Luks explains the results of his studies on the reciprocal relationship between helping others and good health. Some of his most significant findings include the following: the effects of even serious psychological and physical diseases and disorders. 25. Luks, A., (2001) The Healing Power of Doing Good: The Health and Spiritual Benefits of Helping Others. New York, NY: iUniverse. http://allanluks.com/home, http://www.melbabenson.com/articles_files/Healing%20Power%20of%20Doing%20 Good.pdf,
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WALKING TOGETHER: Healing and Hope
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Shalom Wiebe serv
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Walking together: Healing and hope for Colombian refugees

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