Refugee's, a presence of hope for all....

Refugee Resettlement is a daily part of life in our land. We forget all of us come from immigrant blood at some time in our history. This is a reflection as I drive newly arrived refugees to their doctors’ appointments, health checks and shots. World Relief works at this wonderful task in the Fox River Valley and beyond. By ko shin Bob Hanson, Volunteer World Relief, Oshkosh, WI

Oh my, snow everywhere, lots of it

And it is cold, real cold

Especially if you have just arrived from Uganda

From a Civil War

From a place of violence

Where there are piles of bodies of human beings killed in this violence

Rather than piles of snow

People killed and injured old, young, male, female, children, sons and daughters….

Blood of the people cover the ground

The Colonial times never seem to leave the minds of the people or the land

Now, the oppressed become the oppressor of their own

In the back seat of my car are two very active children, after shoveling the snow to get to the car

Dressed warmer than their mother sitting in the passenger seat next to me

Laughing, talking in their native tongue

Watching, hearing, seeing, wondering, questioning,

Just like young children everywhere

Imagine what they have seen, experienced

Their mom, a strong looking woman, beautiful, silent

So many girls and women like her,

Raped, abused, beaten in her homeland, camps, everywhere

Sitting silent

Taking it all in

Safe for now

Even from having to chat with an old volunteer about snow or whatever

I wonder now, as I wait for the children to have their vaccinations

Why does it take us so long to get it

The violence against women and girls, and our boys

Did they experience this in their village, a refugee camp or on the road somewhere?

It is hardly any different here? We have ways to hide the truth, the reality….

It’s strange isn't it?

We can often be aware but not always to the point of action

The care begins not with solving an issue, but in the midst of the pain and suffering

Soon I will take them back to their apartment, talking again in silence

With the children a bit more quiet now, the shots hurt a little.

Again, I wonder, what goes through their minds as we stop, get some snow out of the way

I wanted to tell them, your presence is a great gift to all of us. Some day we will be able to chat,

About more than snow…for now just in the moment, I can sense the pain, the suffering and the hope….