2015 - Welcome the Refugee Among Us
Families tell us that they couldn't have imagined such a place as Sorrento Centre.
They absolutely love the gifts of: a week of care for their children, wonderful food, time to reflect with other adults, casual conversations with others over meals and watching their children play freely in the Shuswap. The session held July 26-August 1, 2015, marked the fourth year the diocese of New Westminster has funded this program, inviting four families to Sorrento.
Dr. Mambo Masinda who arrived as a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the 1980’s and I co-led this program. Mambo is presently a Settlement Worker with the Burnaby School Division and I’m working with Burnaby Neighbourhood House as an Outreach Worker to isolated families with young children.
This year we welcomed two Muslim families; one Iranian, and the other Bosnian/Albanian. The other two families were from Togo and Eritrea, Africa.
Mambo was able to bring a niece and nephew who had been living in a refugee camp in
Uganda, but for the past two years have been living in BC. All together we had 7 adults and 12 children (6 of these were teenagers). The children and youth soon bonded as they went off to their morning and evening programs and hang-out afternoons at the beach. We also took a trip to Margaret Falls nearby Sorrento. Hanif, a father from Iran immersed himself in the waters of the Falls. It was a sacred moment watching him.
Mambo and I gathered each morning with the adults and welcomed them into a safe place,
building trust and inviting the sharing of stories. We have found over the past four years that this is truly a healing circle as the participants speak of their homeland and the experiences that brought them to Canada. At these sessions we looked at the values we grew up with in the lands and in the families we had been formed by, and the values we live by today. We created a sacred space in the room as we gathered each morning, and lit a candle surrounded by symbols of our faith and creation. When each person chose to speak, they were invited to take one of the symbols, signalling their opportunity to speak without interruption. Offering the gift of their story, listening, receiving and giving trust and confidentiality was a mainstay of our time together. We lived and practiced the hope within us. As well as singing together in the African languages of Mena and Swahili, we created a prayer which we recited as we gathered and concluded each day;
“God, give us the courage, guiding us with our families, to create a world of peace, as we listen to the voices coming from the wider community.”
Mambo and I are in conversation with Sorrento Centre, looking at connecting with refugee
families who live in the interior of British Columbia and are connected to faith communities. It would be a delight to see how this model of welcoming the stranger among us could be
spread.
1. Families singing in Mena and Swahali at the Sorrento Centre skit night Left to right Dorianne, Maryam. Muzit, Margaret Marquardt Mambo Masinda and Hanif PHOTO by Denis
2. Hanif immersed in the waters of Margaret Falls
3. Honey with Yasina and Albi
4. Maryam, Muzit, Honey holding Yasina, Albi
5. Mambo Masinda with Alu at Margaret Falls near Sorrento Centre Photo by Judi Cuff
6. Families enjoying a Sorrento Meal
7. Arnauld, Denis and Trésor
PHOTOS by Margaret Marquardt except where otherwise noted.