IAFR summer intern Elli Halloran recently graduated from Wheaton College with a master’s in Humanitarian and Disaster Leadership.
My name is Elli Halloran. I graduated this spring with a master’s degree in Humanitarian and Disaster Leadership from Wheaton College (IL). This summer I had the wonderful privilege to continue the learning and growth from my studies by interning with IAFR Jonathan House. My role included working on administrative projects and helping develop an effective structure for program monitoring and evaluation. Primarily, I spent time with asylum-seeking residents, sharing life and learning so much from them and the Jonathan House staff.
Incarnational Community
This internship has taught me what incarnational Christian community looks like. Jesus embodied his love and compassion for his people through relationship and his physical presence on earth. Rather than communicate his love through words, God demonstrated his love through action and the sacrifice of his only son.
The people that make up the mission and lived-out work of Jonathan House evidence this same love and compassion. Jonathan House staff demonstrated incarnational presence to me in the ways their faith transcends words. It manifests so powerfully through the sacrifice of their comfort, time, and space for the wellbeing of asylum seekers. Their desire to be in relationship with the residents they serve in order to provide a safe, welcoming, and dignifying home for asylum seekers beautifully represents how God’s family and presence transcend circumstance, borders, culture, and language.
Open Hands of Welcome
The residents at Jonathan House have also exemplified incarnational presence to me this summer. They extend their love and care through time, generosity, and hospitality, even in a place so far away from home. Asylum seekers in the United States are met with unjust systems rather than open hands of welcome. Yet the ease and joy in which residents invited me into their space showed me what welcome and sacrificial love look like regardless of circumstance. They shared food, faith and stories with me and treated me as family. The Jonathan House residents contribute powerfully to the image of incarnational presence so evident within this family.
Interning at Jonathan House this summer has taught me that practical presence and relationships are core to God’s heart and manifestations of his love. I’m grateful for how this community taught me to reflect God’s character and live out my faith to better love, serve, and welcome others.
Former Jonathan House resident Stephen shares his journey of surviving and recovering from forced displacement.
“When you are in the process of seeking asylum, it’s as if nobody wants you here.” This was Stephen’s experience when he first arrived in the United States having fled persecution in his country of origin. “It was very, very scary.”
Thankfully, Stephen found safe, stable shelter and supportive community at IAFR Jonathan House. Originally trained as a medical doctor in his home country, Stephen took it upon himself to learn computer coding while in the asylum process. After two years at Jonathan House, Stephen has moved on into a new career as a computer coder with Cisco. “I was able to use Jonathan House’s resources to forge another path,” Stephen says. “This is something I am always grateful and proud of.”
In honor of World Refugee Day on June 20th, International Association for Refugees (IAFR) did a video interview with Stephen. He reflects on his story of having to rebuild his future in the wake of forced displacement.
We’re so honored at IAFR Jonathan House to walk with people like Stephen, to learn hope and resilience, compassion and kindness, mercy and justice from those who have risked it all to find a safe place to call home.
Watch Stephen’s interview to get an in-depth look into the life-changing impact your partnership with Jonathan House makes.
Jason Lukis, IAFR Jonathan House’s Church Engagement and Development Lead, joined the team in August 2020.
What’s your main role as staff at IAFR Jonathan House?
As the Jonathan House Church Engagement & Development Lead, my role involves connecting with congregations and larger church bodies.
The International Association for Refugees, of which Jonathan House is a part, sees itself as a tool in the belt of the church for doing ministry with forcefully-displaced people; in that respect I consider my role to be about sharing how congregations might utilize that tool, particularly with respect to congregations in the Twin Cities partnering with Jonathan House.
The other half of my position is focused on development and donor relations. In my experience, there are a lot of people whose hearts ache over the plight of those seeking asylum, but they just don’t know how they can make a difference. It’s never a hard sell raising support for Jonathan House; it’s simply about inviting people to connect that heartache with a tangible opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of asylum-seeking individuals in the Twin Cities.
How did you first learn about the plight of asylum-seeking individuals in America?
It’s hard for me to pin down one moment per se; it was more of a gradual awakening. I can say that I first resonated with the plight of refugees as an adult because of the Syrian refugee crisis and had a particular awakening to the United States’ responsibility (and lack of compassionate response to this humanitarian crisis) when I spent a number of weeks in Germany in May of 2017 for the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the reformation. The pastor’s congregation who hosted me while I was staying in Leipzig had opened their doors and arms to Syrian refugees and I was incredibly moved by the faithfulness of their actions to provide hospitality to our global neighbors in need, particularly at a time when the United States was actively closing doors to Syrian refugees.
Sometime later, I learned that as the US federal government was radically decreasing the numbers of individuals and families admitted into the refugee resettlement program, the numbers of those seeking asylum in America had been radically increasing (because these are simply two different legal categories of forcefully displaced people, but often they can be the very same people). From that point on, I became dedicated to figuring out how I could make a positive difference in the lives of asylum-seeking individuals in the US.
How did you first get involved in Jonathan House?
In September of 2019, Bethany Ringdal and I began exploring the possibility of starting a new Lutheran ministry rooted in a mission to share God’s radical hospitality among global neighbors. One aspect of that ministry model was to support a housing ministry for asylum-seeking individuals. I heard about Jonathan House through the MN Asylum Network, and seeing as providing supportive housing for asylum-seeking individuals was a primary aspect of our exploration, we had a strong interest in learning more about Jonathan House. I attended one of IAFR’s “Foundations of Refugee Ministry” trainings, and later sought out a volunteer opportunity to be a resident advocate with Jonathan House.
The more we got to know IAFR and Jonathan House, however, the more it became clear that rather than starting a new ministry, we both felt called and encouraged to join IAFR to support and help expand the incredible ministry of Jonathan House. I feel truly honored to be part of this team.
What’s something that everyone can do to help the cause of asylum-seeking individuals in the US?
Get to know an asylum-seeking individual or family in your area. It may seem like a hard prospect to even find, let alone get to know, an asylum-seeking individual, but there are lots of organizations around the US that are working to support asylum seekers and refugees. A quick web search and anyone can find a starting point for meeting and supporting asylum-seeking individuals in your area. Specific needs can vary significantly from one person to another, but the human need for friendship is universal.
Is there a statistic or fact that has surprised you concerning asylum-seeking individuals?
I was pretty surprised when I discovered that there are estimated to be ~3,000 asylum-seeking individuals in Minnesota and South Dakota (with the majority concentrated in the Twin Cities metro area). I guess I had falsely assumed that the vast majority of asylum-seeking individuals were clustered near the southern border of the US. I found the concept of the refugee highway to be very illuminating, and helpful in understanding how and why we have such a concentration of asylum-seeking individuals in the Twin Cities and other large pockets all around the United States.
What is something asylum-seeking individuals have taught you?
Asylum-seeking individuals have taught me a lot about resilience and the important role of faith in remaining resilient in the face of such tremendous loss and trauma. When I started out serving as a Resident Advocate with Jonathan House I was really moved by the strength of faith and hope I heard from the resident with whom I was paired.
Any other line of work you’re in?
I am a Lutheran pastor ordained in the ELCA in 2011, though I started out as a youth minister in 2004. I served as a pastor in two congregations in WA and MN before joining IAFR, and I continue to serve on the board of a Christian outdoor high-adventure camping ministry called Amnicon, located WI on the Southern shore of Lake Superior. I also have an undergraduate degree in Computer Science and have a tendency engage in a lot of techie side-projects.
What languages do you speak?
Much to my regret, I only speak English at any kind of conversational level. I am trying to improve on my very elementary Spanish skills, but that’s been slow-going and far too regularly back-burnered. I do write some Biblical Greek and a variety of programming languages though ;^)
Do you have any hobbies?
I love playing guitar, singing, and writing music—particularly for use in the context of Christian worship. I love downhill skiing, bike-riding, and canoeing. I have a long-lived passion for inter-religious dialogue, systematic theology, and learning about other faiths. I have recently been dabbling in music recording, video editing, 3D printing, laser engraving, and mobile app development.
A former Jonathan House resident and her son come to visit their old housemates (and to reassert her Scrabble dominance!)
“You often hear, ‘In America, you don’t even know your next-door neighbor.’ Jonathan House is not like that. All the people at the house give you a feeling of belonging to a group and a place.”
Safety, Comfort, and Belonging
IAFR Jonathan House offers safe, stable shelter and supportive community to people who are seeking asylum in the US. Security and shelter are necessary for human survival. Community is equally important in affirming and healing the humanity of those who have been persecuted, isolated, and forcibly-displaced.
A former resident recently shared how she experienced community during her time at Jonathan House – and why she has stayed connected to it.
“During my time at Jonathan House, the people and the environment gave me a sense of comfort and safety. You are in safe hands with and around your housemates and the IAFR staff.”
“You are in safe hands with and around your housemates and the IAFR staff,” a former Jonathan House resident says.
Togetherness Amidst Community Difference
“Jonathan House was a positive community because of the diversified personalities. It’s not just one person. You are not even united by the same ideology, language, or culture. Still, there is that sense of belonging together.”
“I have good memories of our togetherness, sharing, and laughter at the house,” the former resident stated. “You and your housemates laugh even for the things you don’t understand, when you’re trying to communicate with each other in different languages!”
“I have good memories of our togetherness, sharing, and laughter at the house.” New memories are being made, as this resident continues to actively contribute to Jonathan House, even beyond her own time there.
Hope and Wholeness in Community
This sister has moved on from Jonathan House into her own housing. She has secured stable employment to provide for herself and her son. Even so, she continues to participate in the Jonathan House community. She attends Community Events, visits former housemates, and has helped to welcome new residents.
“I got a positive impact of the community while I was there, a sense of belonging and safety,” she said. “Staying in touch with friends at Jonathan House is also a good reminder. It’s a memorial of how far I’ve come from when I arrived. I can remember where I was, say to myself, ‘Because of this place…’ and see the shift in perspective.”
How does she characterize the shift that life in community brought about? “A lot of people come to Jonathan House feeling shattered. Jonathan House will help pick up your pieces, to feel whole again.”
Bethany Ringdal joined the IAFR Jonathan House team as a Ministry Networker in August 2020.
What’s your main role as staff at IAFR Jonathan House?
My title is “Ministry Networker.” I think of myself as a physical therapist, strengthening the connective tissue among the people and organizations that support the survival and recovery of displaced people in the Twin Cities and beyond. So far I’ve been able to do things like connecting with organizations that support our residents’ career goals and using networks to help asylum seekers find safe shelter even when our rooms at Jonathan House are full.
How did you first learn about the plight of asylum-seeking individuals in America?
Like many Americans, I started hearing really upsetting stories on the news a few years ago about families being separated at the border, the inhumane practice of detaining people seeking asylum, and the shrinking number of refugees allowed to resettle in the U.S. Like many people, I heard these stories with grief and a sense of helplessness. I couldn’t listen for long, or too closely. I didn’t know what I could possibly do to help. The situation seemed far away and impossibly big. I suppose that it is the hope of those benefiting from this harm: that people of goodwill will respond as I first did, by becoming overwhelmed and looking away.
How did you first get involved in Jonathan House?
In spring 2019, my longtime friend Jason Lukis (also now on the Jonathan House team) called me with an invitation to join him in exploring a new ministry among asylum seekers. We were both beginners to this work, but the Holy Spirit planted a vision and we began seeking connections. We knew that there was a housing crisis among asylum seekers, and thought we might be called to start a new ministry to address this, but soon learned about Jonathan House and began getting to know the team. In the summer of 2020, we decided to join the International Association for Refugees and become members of the Jonathan House team.
What’s something that everyone can do to help the cause of asylum-seeking individuals in the US?
Firstly, you can push back against harmful narratives in your community and in your own mind. The fact that asylum seekers are so often imprisoned seems normal so long as we believe that they are criminals. In fact, seeking asylum is a human right, and detention and other administrative barriers to asylum are not only unnecessary – they are hurting people.
The most important thing you can offer to an asylum seeker is your friendship. Start from a place of human connection, and allow other support that you offer to flow from that place.
Is there a statistic or fact that has surprised you concerning asylum-seeking individuals?
Based on national news stories, I expected most asylum seekers in the Twin Cities to be Spanish-speaking individuals from Central America. In fact, the asylum-seeking community here is very diverse, with people coming from all over the world, including Africa, Asia and Europe. One need not speak Spanish to get involved in relationships with asylum seekers!
What is something asylum seeking individuals have taught you?
I’ve witnessed the power of faith on a new level. I’ve been a follower of Jesus my whole life, but I am blown away by the way that a relationship with God has sustained some of my asylum-seeking friends through unspeakable difficulties. I feel like they are re-evangelizing me, teaching me how good the Good News really is.
Any other line of work you’re in?
Along with our work at Jonathan House, Jason and I continue to explore ways that our training/experience as pastors and innovators can contribute to a Jesus-shaped movement of hospitality and solidarity among global neighbors. I’m also pursuing training as a spiritual director, based on the conviction that the justice movements of our day require spiritual vigor and a keen ear for the voice of God.
What languages do you speak?
English and a tiny bit of French.
Do you have any hobbies?
Camping, gardening, foraging for wild food, and cooking what I find and grow.
B.A. participates in online worship with her church during the pandemic.
When asked what she hopes for, B.A. says, “First, our hope is always God. Second, I hope God will help me to see my family before I die, so we can be in one place and live life together.”
A Foundation of Faith
Faith has been an integral part of B.A.’s life and family history. She attended church with her family from the time she was a little girl, then raised her own children in the Christian faith. “I believe that Jesus is the truth, the way, and the life,” she says. “My kids are now involved in church back in my home country, too; some are singing, and some are preaching.”
Several years ago, however, political strife violently disrupted B.A.’s life. Close family members spoke out for democracy and political change; as a result, they were murdered by the government. B.A. herself faced imprisonment and torture. “I ran out of that country to save my life, because they wanted to kill me, too,” she recalls.
B.A. sought asylum in the U.S. – a painful journey because she had to leave her children behind. Still, local churches have continued to provide crucial support and encouragement both to her, in the US, and to her children back in her home country. “God is with me and my children in any condition,” she says.
“People who knew my history helped to hide my kids when I fled,” she says. “More recently, when my daughter became sick, her church community helped send her to the hospital to get surgery.”
“I ran out of that country to save my life.” In the midst of forcible displacement and separation from her children, both B.A. and her family back home have found support and encouragement through their faith communities.
Faith and Hope in Community
When B.A. arrived in Minnesota, she also wanted to get connected to a local church, so she started looking for information on congregations from her ethnic group. She heard about a pastor in Minneapolis that came from the same region of her country and started to attend his church. She continues to be involved even after moving to Jonathan House in St. Paul.
A life-giving faith or worldview plays an important part in recovering from forced displacement, and faith communities often provide important spiritual and relational support to individuals who are seeking asylum. As B.A. states, “Thanks be to God, my faith has helped me everywhere to live in hope.”
Because of the important relationship between faith and hope, IAFR seeks to support Jonathan House residents, as they desire, in their spiritual growth and help connect them to their local religious communities.
“Jonathan House encourages me in my faith,” B.A. says. “You enter with me into my problems to pray with me. You got me connected to my church and talked with my pastor. This is what I appreciate.”
Sheltering Hope
The pandemic temporarily closed the doors of many places of worship, including B.A.’s congregation. Headaches resulting from injuries she suffered back home have also made it challenging for her to attend church in person. “The pastor calls me and prays with me. He invites me to attend when I can; he’s an excellent pastor.” IAFR staff helped B.A. access her church’s worship online so she can still participate in the community.
B.A. crochets a beautiful multicolored blanket during a quiet afternoon at IAFR Jonathan House.
As she waits to be reunited with her local church family in person, and eventually with her own family, B.A. expresses gratitude for the community at Jonathan House. “It is a very nice place for asylum seekers,” she says, “You accept people as family.” The safe, stable shelter of Jonathan House is one more way that local churches invest in the resilience and faith-filled hope of refugee neighbors.
“My life is because of God, by his protection and care through all the difficulties,” B.A. affirms. “God is the One who kept us safe; he is the One who did it. We know how we are weak and fallen, but God keeps us safe and saved us, so we praise him.”
“When God will open the door of his house, we will go and worship.”
Sarah Miller, founder of Jonathan House, tells the behind-the-scenes wonders of how Jonathan House went from thought to action. Miller calls the idea the ‘pie in the sky,’ a little out of reach, but attainable with faith and prayer.
By Tatiana Lee, Guest Author
Sarah Miller (third from left) with the IAFR Jonathan House team in 2018. L-R: Sherry Mohamed, SJ Holsteen, Miller, Josh and Jen Levin (with children), and Pastor Jean-Pierre Gatera.
Miller was talking about Jonathan House everywhere she went, praying and asking God to provide. “I had to identify the personnel that would be needed. I knew I needed a full-time staff and one part-time staff, or something like that. The Jonathan House proposal also included a goal of raising 45,000 dollars to set-up and operate Jonathan House for 18 months,” said Miller. “Resources are what I was faced with, and I was the only person. I just thought, ‘Great, God. Now what? It felt huge.”
So, first, how to meet the funding goal: $45,000?
A couple that financially supported IAFR heard of the project and donated the first $600. It was a start, Miller explained. A donation that made funding for Jonathan House come alive.
One particular Saturday in September 2016, Miller went to a writing workshop in St. Paul. During the lunch break, Jonathan House became a topic of discussion. Another woman attending the writing class perked up at the mention of asylum seekers. Her visible interest caught Miller’s eye. Miller and the woman, SJ Holsteen, decided to meet a week later.
Holsteen volunteered to help write the first fundraising campaign that November. The online giving campaign exceeded its goal of raising 10% of the launch funds and helped give momentum to the project. Holsteen and Miller collaborated on grant proposals that also helped provide initial funds.
December of 2016 brought a couple that were working with asylum seekers in Sicily for 3 months. Josh and Jen Levin, heard of the project, met with Miller and joined IAFR to start Jonathan House.
“I never even got to recruit anyone; God just brought them,” said Miller.
During the summer of 2017 Miller continued to receive calls from organizations with asylum-seeking clients in need of housing, asking if Jonathan House had launched yet. Then Miller went to the conference in Texas and received the ultimate starting sign from Ashley Freeman, the founder of another asylum seeker housing ministry, DASH Network. Freeman ended the conversation asking, “What are you waiting for?”
The Vision Realized
After coming back from Texas, Miller met with Holsteen and the Levins to plan out and launch the vision. The first goal on the timeline for Jonathan House was to have a signed lease for a two bedroom apartment by September 1, 2017. Miller began looking on Craigslist. 24-hours within searching for a place to call Jonathan House, Miller got a call from Jenna Daniels, the Pastor for Awaken Community Covenant Church, St. Paul.
Daniels had previously been involved with helping spread word of Jonathan House. She called Miller to tell her about an opening for a house apartment owned by another Covenant church. Miller set up a meeting with Anne Vining, Pastor of First Covenant Church. Vining explained that the church had actually been hoping to have the apartment rented by September 1. They fast tracked the meetings, partnerships and lease agreement. Miller had the key in hand for the two-bedroom apartment by September 9.
The same week, before the lease with First Covenant was even signed, an email came through the MN Asylum Network about a house up for lease through St Stephanus Lutheran Church in St. Paul’s Frogtown neighborhood. Miller began talking with the St Stephanus church council; it took a year of planning and raising additional funds, but Jonathan House opened the Frogtown site in early 2019. Both of these sites are in partnership with a local church, which is one of the highest values for Jonathan House.
“We didn’t even have to go looking for church partners; they came to us,” said Miller.
A Jonathan House resident rests in the sunshine on the front steps of the house. Seventeen asylum-seeking men, women, and children have found safe, stable shelter at Jonathan House since its launch in 2017, as they recover from forced displacement and rebuild their lives in the Twin Cities..
The metaphor Miller used to explain the concept of Jonathan House was the “pie in the sky.” It all seemed like such a far reach. But the whole project was God bringing the personnel, the locations and the resources. All of it.
“For a good year there, my theme was God being all about pie in the sky,” said Miller.
Jonathan House is the first supportive housing program in Minnesota designed specifically for and uniquely serving asylum seekers. In the three years of its operation, it has provided shelter to 17 men, women and children going through the asylum process. Seven individuals have moved on from Jonathan House into stable employment and housing.
Miller ended the interview sharing that through the entire process, “We are not the saviors. We have to trust in God.”
He is the great savior and just as Miller said before, the pie in the sky.
Sarah Miller, founder of Jonathan House, tells the behind-the-scenes wonders of how Jonathan House went from thought to action. Miller calls the idea the ‘pie in the sky,’ a little out of reach, but attainable with faith and prayer.
by Tatiana Lee, Guest Author
A resident walks toward Jonathan House (2019). Sarah Miller, IAFR US Regional Leader, was dismayed when she discovered the isolation and lack of support that asylum seekers often face when they come to the US. She prayerfully researched the best way to respond.
In 2013, Miller decided to research more about asylum seekers in the US context. She wanted to compare her experiences working with asylum seekers in Germany to what happened to asylum seekers in her own country.
She was confounded by what she discovered.
In Germany, the government provided housing, food, essential medical care, and education for asylum seekers. They were not allowed to work, but the German government made sure they were provided for while their cases were being decided. The situation for asylum seekers in the US was a very different story. The federal government did not provide food, shelter or education. The asylum seekers were not allowed to work for a minimum of their first six months in the US; this wait period before qualifying for legal work authorization has recently changed to 365 days. The more shocking part was the US government often held asylum seekers in detention centers, even though they had committed zero criminal acts.
The detained asylum seekers had done one thing: crossed the border in search of asylum, a legally-recognized right by both international and US law.
Around this time, Tom Albinson, Miller’s boss at International Teams, left and started a new missions organization called International Association for Refugees (IAFR). While she stepped into a different role as International Teams’ U.S. Area Director, ultimately Miller decided to join Albinson’s small but growing team at IAFR so she could address the large gap she noticed in the US government’s response to asylum seekers.
Miller’s first assignment was to research the situation. She looked into a lot of ideas and concepts nationally, trying to figure out who was doing what with asylum seekers. Miller had an intern from Bethel University help her investigate what was happening locally, as well. They met with anyone and everyone in the Twin Cities engaged with asylum seekers in some way, shape or form. Through this process, Miller came into contact with Center for Victims of Torture (CVT), The Advocates for Human Rights, Sarah’s…an Oasis for Women, The Basilica of St. Mary and a couple other church groups.
Through this local research, Miller saw two concerns. First, the various groups and organizations were not well connected with each other. While talking to one group, they would tell Miller to talk to another group about a matter that came up. It raised a question, “What would happen if at minimum we each knew of each other and what we had to offer asylum seekers? How could that benefit asylum seekers here in the Twin Cities?”
The Minnesota Asylum Network, co-organized by IAFR and The Advocates for Human Rights, brings together organizations and individuals across the Twin Cities metro area for a quarterly “sack lunch” to collaborate in support of asylum seekers (2019).
The answer resulted in the establishment of the Minnesota Asylum Network. In 2016, Miller and an intern from Advocates for Human Rights started to gather the Minnesota Asylum Network for quarterly “sack lunch” events to discuss or learn challenges specific to asylum seekers.
Through these meetings and research, the second concern Miller became aware of was the gap in housing for asylum seekers. There are around 3,000 refugees seeking asylum in MN and only 50 beds in the Twin Cities shelters available specifically for asylum seekers.
Miller started praying, asking God about the housing issue, and asked her boss about what a solution would look like. Albinson told her to write a project proposal.
Miller wrote up a proposal for a supportive housing program that would guide asylum seekers into a safe space of shelter, practical help, and community in Minneapolis-St. Paul. A space granting asylum seekers a chance to survive and recover from the trauma of forced displacement.
But what to call it?
Miller thought of a story Albinson, IAFR’s founder, told her once. Albinson was at a refugee camp when a man came to him and asked if he could open a door for the man to get into the US. Albinson could not, but asked to pray with the man at the camp. Albinson was grateful for the opportunity of prayer he had with the man at the camp because it encouraged the man.
Josh Levin, IAFR staff person, listens to a Jonathan House resident with help from an interpreter (2019). The name “Jonathan House” reflects the desire that it be a place of compassionate community, where individuals recovering from the trauma of forced displacement experience that they are seen, heard, and cared for by God.
Albinson compared that to the story of David and Jonathan, when David was on the run for his life and was hiding in caves. Jonathan could not change the circumstances of David’s life, but he did go to him and was present with him in helping find strength through God.
Miller decided to call the project Jonathan House.
Miller submitted the proposal; the IAFR board approved. Miller was excited, but also asked herself: what was next?
Sarah Miller, founder of Jonathan House, tells the behind-the-scenes wonders of how Jonathan House went from thought to action. Miller calls the idea the ‘pie in the sky,’ a little out of reach, but attainable with faith and prayer.
by Tatiana Lee, Guest Author
Sarah Miller, IAFR US Regional Leader and the founder of Jonathan House, stands in front of the first Jonathan House site in September 2017
Sarah Miller sat on a plane the last week of July 2017, heading from Minneapolis, MN to Texas for a work conference. She kept praying, asking God if it was time to look for a house.
Not a house for herself. Miller and her team had raised $20,000 of their $45,000 goal to open Jonathan House, the first Twin Cities metro-area housing program designed specifically for asylum seekers. The team was continuously receiving inquiries about vacancies from social workers, immigration lawyers, or asylum seekers themselves. There was only one problem: the house didn’t exist yet.
During her time in Texas, Miller met up with Ashley Freeman, the founder of the Dallas Asylum Seeker Housing (DASH) Network, to discuss the project and funds for Jonathan House. DASH’s founder asked Miller how much money they had received toward the project launch.
“$20,000,” responded Miller.
Freeman was shocked. “We only had $1,000 to get started! What are you waiting for?”
Miller came home to Minnesota after the conference. A day later, she learned of an additional unexpected $10,000 donation toward Jonathan House. This donation was the green light that let Miller know: it was time.
The Call
Sarah Miller, born in Jamesport, Missouri, grew up constantly moving. After her freshman year in high school she moved from Michigan to Indiana, then two more moves within Indiana during her high school years. The constant moving during high school became a challenge; every year, a new school, new friends. In the midst of this overlapping pace of change, Miller kept another constant close to her heart: her faith in God. She grew up going to church with her parents, took part in youth group and heard constant talk of mission work.
“Church was really pivotal in my faith,” said Miller, who accepted Christ into her heart at age 16.
Sarah Miller (in the pink dress) as a seven-year-old with her family at Christmas.
Her first mission trip was to Haiti when she was 18. The vibrant faith she saw in the Haitian believers stood out to Miller. The believers had few possessions but held so much joy. It impacted Miller to see that ‘stuff’ does not make faith.
In her mid-20’s, Miller went to Germany with a team of 17 people. After Miller came back from Germany, she was wide open to the idea of missions. A group of her friends were discussing a mission trip to Austria they were about to go on with an organization called International Teams. Someone mentioned their group would be working with refugees. Miller had never heard about the issue of forced displacement in the world. When her friends described the plight of refugees, a heaviness weighed in her heart.
“No audible voice,” said Miller. “Just this heaviness that came over my spirit about refugees.”
Definitions of Forced Migration
Forced migration
A broad term used to describe those who have fled their homes unwillingly due to conflict, persecution, or human rights violations. Those categorized in this term include internally displaced people, asylum seekers and refugees, all of whom have been forced to migrate.
Refugee resettlement
The selection by the United Nation High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) of the most vulnerable refugees who cannot live safely in their birth country nor in neighboring countries for relocation from a refugee camp to permanently resettle in a third safe country.
Resettled refugee
A refugee who is transferred from the country they sought protection in to a third state that has agreed to give them permanent residence status. This process is overseen by the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR), in collaboration with the countries where the refugees are resettled.
Asylum seeker
An individual who is seeking permanent refuge in a foreign country, but whose claim for asylum has not yet been evaluated. If the individual’s asylum case is approved, they will receive a refugee status.
Based on: “A Terminology of Forced Displacement” by International Association For Refugees. To learn more, view the Terms of Displacement resource in the IAFR Toolbox.
At this time, it was the late 1980s. Miller had made a three-year commitment to serve as the VBS director at Community Gospel Church in Bremen, Indiana. But during her time at the church, the heaviness in her heart never left her. Finally, in the 1990s, Miller applied to International Teams and within a year found herself in Germany working with asylum seekers.
When an individual flees the danger of war or persecution in her country, she may seek haven and permanent residency in a foreign country; this person is known as an asylum seeker. The asylum seeker lives in the country where she is looking for refuge while she goes through the legal process to receive refugee status.
Miller was in Germany for nine years and met asylum-seeking refugees from all over the world. “Depending on what was happening in the world, then you would see a wave of people from those countries,” said Miller.
Sarah Miller (on the left) with Maria and Petra, asylum seekers from Croatia, during her time as a missionary in Germany.
Finally, it came to a point where it seemed that God was closing the door on Miller’s time overseas. In April of 2001, she came back to the United States, waiting to see what God had next. Eventually, she moved to Minnesota to work with the International Teams’ Refugee Ministry Director.
In Minnesota she connected with resettled refugees through ESL and literacy training. In the early 2000s more individuals joined International Teams, and they partnered with Arrive Ministries in helping resettle Bhutanese refugees.
According to the United Nations, resettlement is the transfer of the most vulnerable refugees from a hosting country to another State, upon agreement, for permanent resettlement. Compared to asylum seekers, the resettled refugee has been given a stronghold, because when they arrive in the country of permanent resettlement, like the United States, they have the assurance of security.
But what about the asylum seeker that has not yet been granted refuge,Miller wondered. What was their journey like when they came to the United States?She decided to investigate.
Amanda Sixta, senior English and Theater major at University of Northwestern, St. Paul, served as a communications intern with IAFR Jonathan House this summer. Photo: Jonathan Horn
My name is Amanda Sixta, and I am a Senior English and Theatre student at the University of Northwestern – St. Paul. I have had the privilege of working with Jonathan House this summer as a Communications and Writing Intern. In this role, I have primarily worked with SEO strategy for Jonathan House; I was also able to work on the Jonathan House Facebook page and website. While this may have looked a bit different during COVID-19, I was uniquely blessed to witness the work that God has been doing during this strange season we find ourselves in.
Micah 6:8 says, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” I have been meditating on the concept of justice the past few months. The world has been crying out for racial justice in a world so fraught with systemic racism, and we need Jesus-seeking, life-renewing justice to bring relief. This is an integral part of our mission as followers of Christ.
The staff and residents of Jonathan House have shown me that following Christ’s example of justice and compassion is more essential than ever. This summer, I was able to attend two socially-distanced, outdoor Community Meals with the staff and residents of Jonathan House. The way these Community Meals take place look a lot differently with COVID-19, but everyone responded to changes cheerfully, and the relationships I saw there were full of strength and hope.
Because of this, being an intern at Jonathan House has shown me that justice-seeking can be an everyday act, a simple output of living life faithfully in the day-to-day. The mission of Jonathan House demonstrates this very fact: providing stable and supportive housing to asylum seekers and living in community with them is seeking justice in the everyday. Asylum seekers are facing some of the most difficult times in the history of the United States, and they often experience imprisonment, homelessness, and restrictions on employment when they arrive. Seeking justice in this world means having compassion for and listening to asylum seekers and advocating alongside them for their human rights.
I want to share one more verse that I have been pondering lately: “The foreigners residing among you must be treated as native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” – Leviticus 19:34
In the United States today, foreigners are not being treated as native-born, as God commands. But we can all be a voice for change and help elevate voices that may have been silenced. When Christ gave His life on the cross, He showed us what love really is: giving your life for your neighbor. Following His example is what He desires for us: to seek justice and to love mercy.
