By Annette Ellard, CBF field personnel
When Nuay Wah left a Karen refugee camp in Thailand two years ago, it wasn’t quite as scary as it is for some refugees coming to the United States. She and her two youngest sons were joining her husband, eldest son and her daughter’s family who were already established here. Steve and I had known them for many years.
Still, since Nuay Wah arrived, we’ve been called upon occasionally for assistance and have provided encouragement along the way as we’ve shared life together. Last spring, we helped her secure a garden plot at the community center close to her apartment. In the late summer, we were there as she welcomed her first grandson. Then last fall, we supported her through the complexities as she secured her first job as a caregiver through a home health agency.
Just after the first of this year, she asked me if I could help her build credit so she could buy a house. I told her that I knew of a bank that has a special program to help people build credit, but participants need a permanent resident card (also known as a green card). She had already completed her application for the green card, which is also a steppingstone towards U.S. citizenship, but she was still waiting for it to process.
When her green card finally arrived, she immediately wanted us to know she had it. She was so excited, she hugged me and hugged me, saying, “Thank you. Thank you.” Although I had nothing to do with her getting her green card, I knew she was excited because this meant she could begin working towards her American Dream of owning her own home.
She, like every refugee we know, is thankful for the opportunity she has in the United States to make a new life where she is safe, welcomed and free. She is thankful to be where she can contribute to her community and build the life she’s dreamed of with her family. She’s thankful she can become an American.
As her cheers of celebration continued, she jumped up and down while hugging me and hugging her green card. “Thank you, America!” she shouted. “Thank you, America! Thank you, America! Thank you, America!”
And, thank you CBF, for insisting that presence matters and for allowing us to be the presence of Christ for refugees from Burma in Louisville for 19 years—cultivating beloved community, seeking transformational development and bearing witness to Jesus Christ through the everyday struggles and celebrations of refugees’ lives.