Most of the refugees I work with speak very little English. Communication is often difficult and awkward. The most wonderful moments for me are when they can just laugh. Last week, a refugee family piled in my car, and I tried to get them to put on their seatbelts. Just this small task, which seems so basic at first glance, felt like a monumental challenge. I mimed it, I re-buckled my own seatbelt, I broke it down into the most basic words possible....and eventually, the father of the family picked it up and started to help his daughters. When they all finally realized what I had been trying to say, they just busted up laughing. It took me by surprise so much that I had to just start laugh too. In that situation, it would be so easy to feel embarrassed or dumb, to close up and sit silently, but instead they chose to find humor in the moment....and laughter is a universal language.
Today was another surprising moment of joy in this line of work which can so often be emotionally draining. I had the rare opportunity to be with a refugee who spoke great English. She was a young wife and mother who had spent almost her entire life in a refugee camp. I asked her about life in America, and her eyes lit up. She said she could not believe how wonderful her life was here and what amazing opportunities she had now. She was so happy just to be here. I've heard this from so many refugees, and it always blows me away. Even in America, these people lead lives that most people would consider a far cry from the American dream. They often have to work minimum wage jobs for many years, live in apartments and neighborhoods that I don't think I could live in myself, and struggle just to survive and learn English. They humble me so much and redefine my definition of success.
As I talked with this young woman and she learned I was a volunteer, not an employee, she turned to me and said, "God will bless you for what you do. You have shown a great kindness to people who need you and you will be blessed." I just wanted to cry. She showed me more kindness in those words than anything I could ever do. I told her, "God does bless me, He blesses me through you. You show me strength and courage." When I get scared about my future, these precious people show me what true hope and endurance looks like.
