Focus on Partners
Lutheran Family Services
in the Carolinas: Handling Largest Montagnard Arrival Ever
Although LFS/Carolinas has helped to resettle Montagnards
in the past, the numbers this year are exceptional. "In our more
than two decades of 'welcoming the stranger' we've had strong community
participation. We are confident that 2002 is no different and that the
generosity of compassionate people throughout North Carolina and the United
States will result in successful outcomes for the refugees we serve,"
said Priest.
Have you ever been around someone that has so much energy that everything around them feels alive? Have you ever heard your name yelled out from the other side of the room, to find someone smiling, waving and eager to tell you something? Have you ever met someone who seems to do a million things in one day, yet manages to have a calming essence that is shared with others? Have you ever met someone like Bev Plathe? Bev is the volunteer parish nurse for the refugee resettlement program at Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota (LSS/Minnesota). An employee at Minnehaha Communion Lutheran Church, she came to LSS/Minnesota through a 2001 grant from the Good Samaritan Fund. This fund, which is provided through a partnership between LIRS and Wheat Ridge Ministries, supports Lutheran congregations that extend their hands to refugees and immigrants through social ministry. Minnehaha Communion Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, led by Pastor Harry Mueller, has been active with community concerns. Pastor Mueller is a member of the LIRS Ambassadors Circle and applied for the Good Samaritan grant because he "wanted to link the parish to the resettlement program." His knowledge of refugee needs in the community, along with Bev's enthusiasm, has led to a wonderful experience for both their church and the refugee resettlement program. Bev began her volunteer experience in July 2001. When she started she expected to provide weekly "health orientations" to newly arrived refugees. She was going to accompany families to their medical screenings and provide one-to-one service to as many refugees as possible. These plans were in effect for a while, but when September 11 changed the refugee resettlement program and the number of refugee arrivals, Bev's plans changed as well. New ideas were founded and new goals were created. Looking back Bev said she feels "like the bottom fell out" after 9-11. But change comes best to people who are flexible, and Bev is grateful for the many things she has experienced that she probably wouldn't have been able to before our nation's tragedy.
One of the most moving and memorable connections made by Bev was with a refugee from Liberia. After coming to the United States to join her husband and three children, Elfreda was lonely, depressed and struggling to make ends meet. Her caseworker contacted Bev, asking her to talk with Elfreda and perhaps take her to a medical appointment. Bev agreed, and a beautiful friendship was born. Bev and Elfreda spent numerous hours together talking about life in Liberia, family, work and the transition to a new life in Minnesota. Bev would take Elfreda to her medical appointments for her pregnancy and every now and then take her and her children someplace a little more fun—to the zoo, to the park or simply for a walk around their neighborhood. Bev not only helped Elfreda with her medical needs but helped her learn to smile and feel secure again. Bev's amazing energy and love of life gave Elfreda a sense of hope and assurance that everything would be OK for her and her family. "She's come to trust me," Bev said with a heartfelt smile. So much trust in fact, that when it came time for Elfreda to deliver her baby, Bev was the first person she called. Bev dropped everything and rushed to the hospital to witness the birth of baby Philip! Bev continues to stay in touch with Elfreda and her
family. She continues to attend the medical checkups for the baby and
continues to be a friend. Elfreda's life in the United States will be
better because of this connection. Elfreda smiles more and feels more
at home in this new land. Both Elfreda and Bev have learned a lot from
their friendship. Bev states, "Elfreda taught me you don't need a
lot. You need just be safe and with people you care about". When
Elfreda talks about Bev, she smiles and says, "Bev has helped us
a lot. She is a good person and that makes me happy."
St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Springfield, Va., began in 1953 in response to the development of this Washington, D.C., suburb. Over the nearly 50 years since the church in turn has developed into a strong and vibrant Christian community offering varied opportunities for worship, fellowship, learning, service and outreach. The Rev. Michael H. Taylor is the senior pastor. In endorsing St. Mark's to receive a 2002 grant from the Good Samaritan Fund of LIRS and Wheat Ridge Ministries, Bishop Theodore F. Schneider of the Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America noted that the neighborhood of the church "has changed from those moving to the 'new' suburbs as residents to residents 'new' to the United States." The newcomers are primarily from El Salvador with several thousand Salvadorans living in an apartment complex next to St. Mark's campus. Both parents usually work, so most of the children are latchkey kids. The Good Samaritan grant supports the latest in a series of ways St. Mark's has sought to serve its Hispanic neighbors over the past five years. Directed by Associate Pastor Rafael Arteaga, a native of El Salvador who joined the church staff last September after a seminary internship there, and set to start this summer, the new two-part project consists of Campamento Amigo (Camp Friendship) and the Friendship Computer Lab. The hope-giving camp will operate after school, providing a safe and constructive environment and reinforcing formal classes and good citizenship for neighborhood children. It will expose them to the use of English in a non-classroom setting and help them learn to navigate American culture. Organized outdoor games and sports will develop teamwork skills and discipline. The children will operate a small store where snacks, school supplies and crafts can be purchased with token St. Mark's coins the children have received for commendable efforts and good sportsmanship. The store will provide a basic lesson in how the U.S. economy works. Set up in cooperation with nearby Lynbrook Elementary School, the computer lab will give camp attendees the chance to learn and practice basic computer techniques, do school work, and play educational computer games. Plans call for making the lab, which has six computers, available to adult members of the community who have need of a computer. Provider and equipment costs prohibit Internet access at this time. Estimates are that Campamento Amigo will start with 10 children and grow to some 60 in three or more months. The camp will initially operate one day a week and then expand to five days within four to six months based on the number of participants and volunteers. The camp will be offered 10 months a year, with breaks in July and December. The computer lab will operate in conjunction with the camp from 4 to 8 p.m. St. Mark's first outreach to its Hispanic neighbors
was through ongoing English classes. Other ways include a Montessori School
for children who speak a language other than English at home; Spanish
worship services; Spanish language classes that help members and others
to communicate with the Hispanic population; a "Food for Others"
program offering free food to needy neighbors; co-founding and supporting
ECHO, an ecumenical helping organization for people in the community with
special needs; and buying an adjoining house to serve as a neighborhood
activity center.
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An
unprecedented resettlement of over 900 Montagnard refugees in North Carolina
began in June and will continue through July. Since April LIRS affiliate
As
these 604 men, 100 women and 201 children arrive with little but the clothes
on their backs, they are greeted at the airports by caring volunteers
and crowds of their countrymen. North Carolina has a vibrant, successful
Montagnard-American community of nearly 3,000 that came in waves from
the late '70s through the early '90s. "The largest concentration
of Montagnards outside Vietnam is in North Carolina. The newcomers will
have familiar faces and old Green Beret friends to help them adjust to
their new home," remarked Pat Priest, director of the LFS/Carolinas
refugee resettlement program and LIRS regional consultant.
Since
late last year Bev has spent her time providing health information and
free blood pressure checks to refugees applying for their green cards.
She organized a school backpack project for her church, providing young
LSS/Minnesota clients with needed school supplies. Bev went to all possible
medical appointments with our clients and communicated with them the importance
of health care. She helped the refugee resettlement staff with medical
resources in the community and became a trusted confidante for our clients.
She has brought what she has learned at LSS to her church, bringing awareness
and building connections. As Pastor Mueller writes, "Bev was the
source of information that became the focus of prayers in worship as well
as a cause for letters to Congress and the president."
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