Getting Started with Refugee Resettlement
I was just asked an interesting question… “I have 5 minutes to talk about refugee resettlement at a Bible study. What should I be sure to say?”
Hmm. There’s so much that can be said about refugee resettlement. How do you make an impression in just 5 minutes?
Certainly it’s good to know the audience. In this case the group is studying the Bible, so they’re a Christian group. That’s good, because the way I see it, refugee resettlement is a way to fulfill our God-given mission to help the less fortunate.
Sometimes we may question whether or not someone is less fortunate. Are they really a victim? Is the poorly dressed guy begging on the corner homeless because of choice or bad decisions? Or is he doing just fine because he’s turned begging into a career? If not in real life, we’ve probably all at least seen these scenarios on TV. And that can make you wonder who really needs your help.
But refugees are clearly victims of circumstances beyond their control. They are forced to leave their homes fearing for their lives. They flee to a country that probably doesn’t want them. And they’re stuck for an undetermined amount of time, unproductive, waiting, wondering, wishing for a change that may or may not come.
So, yes, these are the less fortunate, especially by our own standards.
The Reasons to do Nothing
In college I took a philosophy class. I don’t remember much from it, but there was one side comment that stands out for me. “Knowledge IS responsibility.” Once you are aware of something, once you know it, the next step is your responsibility. What are you going to do with that information? What action will you take?
The main reason people do nothing to help refugees is that they have no idea that the possibility exists. Until someone first told me that we could help a refugee family by supporting them in our own city, I had no idea. But when I knew, there was the knowledge. What was the responsibility? For me it was to help.
But that brought me to the next problem, the second big reason to do nothing. I really had no idea what to do or where to begin. You need to know the first step to take. In our case we guessed, and everywhere we got stuck, we guessed again. We took our best shot at coming up with the best answer we could think of. And we went with it.
But Now You Know, So You Are Responsible
You don’t have to start out by guessing. I wrote 10 Million To 1 so that you would have the steps, the checklists, everything you need to do to get started. The book solves the problem of where to begin. It covers everything an interested person must know to get started and be successful in the resettlement process.
