Shoutout to our featured volunteer, Elisa Walt! Elisa manages administrative work here at Jonathan House.
“I have the privilege of working behind the scenes in scheduling and organizing things so we can work smoothly to serve our residence.”
How did you first learn about the plight of asylum-seeking individuals in America?
In growing up overseas in an environment that worked closely with refugees, I was introduced to the life of asylum seekers fairly early on in my life, learning about the journey and the hardships of those seeking asylum and now much it differed from my own life. From there there the Lord slowly but continuously opened my heart and eyes to asylum seekers globally.
I first learned about Jonathan House after reaching out to IAFR in search of ways to walk alongside asylum seekers.
What is something everyone can do to help the cause of asylum-seeking individuals in the US?
Get connected! There are so many different organizations that work one on one with asylum seekers, be a voice for many people right now that don’t have the ability to speak for themselves.
Is there a statistic or fact that has surprised you concerning Jonathan House’s cause?
One of the main statistics that surprised me to learn was that Minnesota has some of the highest numbers of forcibly displaced people who have either received asylum or are seeking it.
What is something that the Jonathan House residents have taught you?
There is a whole list of different things that I have learned from my asylum seeker friends. One of the most impactful ones has been joy in the midst of hardship. Along with how to cook some wonderful food!
What languages do you speak?
I speak German and English.
Is there any other line of work you’re in?
Along with working with Jonathan House, I work at Spyhouse Coffee, come by anytime for some coffee!
What are your hobbies?
Some of my hobbies include; making and drinking coffee, baking and cooking, being in nature, creating art and spending time at a coffee shop reading.
Photo: Jonah Broberg, senior writing major at University of Northwestern, St. Paul, served as a web content intern with IAFR Jonathan House this semester.
My name is Jonah Broberg, and I’m a senior at the University of Northwestern, St. Paul. Part of my professional writing major includes working for an organization of my choice on their communications: writing and creating content for them and helping them find their voice. For the past semester, I had the opportunity to serve as IAFR Jonathan House’s communications and social media intern.
Every week, SJ Holsteen, the IAFR Minneapolis-St. Paul Ministry Leader, and I went through The God Who Sees by Karen Gonzalez and talked through the discussion questions. It was a spiritually enriching experience that shaped my views on asylum policy both as a citizen and a Christian. It helped me see myself and all of us as citizens of the world instead of just citizens of the United States. I now understand more what the role of Christians should be in this world, as our loyalty lies not primarily to our country, but primarily to God.
One of the highlights of this internship was meeting one of the residents at a training day. I was fascinated to learn that he spoke five languages. As a student of linguistics, I have to say I was a bit jealous!
Though I could not understand French, I was able to hear his story translated into English, and I was shocked to hear that upon arriving in America, he was detained arbitrarily for five months (read more about A.S.’s story here). Through hearing his story and seeing the way that Jonathan House’s staff welcomed him in, helping him with his asylum case and English-learning, I could tell that they were fulfilling God’s role for Christians in modern America.
During my time at IAFR Jonathan House, I’ve learned more about its mission to extend shelter, hope, and healing to asylum seekers in Minneapolis/St. Paul. This has informed my own views on an increasingly complex crisis. As a Christian, this semester has been a period of strengthening for my faith and figuring out how to integrate it into my daily life and actions. I now have a renewed perspective for what it means to follow God’s commands in our political climate. I will aspire to write with the same compassion and care that I’ve seen exemplified by the staff of Jonathan House.
As I close my internship, I’d like to share a verse that especially stuck out to me throughout my internship:
James 1:27 says, “Religion that God our father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
I understand the need better now—the need to extend a welcoming hand to asylum seekers in the US, the need for a better system that doesn’t wait so long to grant people work permits and the need for a system that doesn’t detain people arbitrarily when they come over.
When the world falls into crisis, we have a choice. We can let ourselves be overwhelmed and crushed by the world’s chaos and panic, or we can remember Christ and know that, whatever may happen, He’s in control. We can remember God’s command to love one another, helping those in need.
I’m the Jonathan House Program Manager, which means I’m responsible for the day-to-day operations of Jonathan House, including the program and the premises.
How did you first get involved in Jonathan House?
Tom, the president of IAFR, told me about Jonathan House after I had just returned from Italy where I’d been doing volunteer work with another organization. At that time, Jonathan House was just an idea; it didn’t exist yet. After my time in Italy, I was looking for a way to continue working with displaced people, and the idea of working here in the Twin Cities with Jonathan House appealed to me. It just felt like a good fit.
What’s something that everyone can do to help the cause of asylum-seeking individuals in the US?
I think it’s important to be well-informed. There’s a lot of misinformation out there because the immigration and asylum-seeking issue has been a fairly hot and trendy political topic for some time now. It can lead to false perceptions of people. I think it’s important to hear firsthand experiences from asylum-seekers themselves. There’s plenty of that stuff that can be found online, in podcasts, and in books. If I were to make a shameless plug, our website is a good place to start.
Is there a statistic or fact that has surprised you concerning asylum seeking individuals?
Concerning asylum-seekers in the United States, something that surprised me is how long they need to wait before they can get a work permit. It’s a minimum of 180 days, and that’s a minimum. It can take longer than that.
What is something asylum seeking individuals have taught us?
Gratitude. Just an appreciation for life and other things that I too often take for granted. I distinctly remember a friend who, every time he prayed, he always thanked God that we all woke up this morning, and he’d continue to say, “because some people went to bed last night and never woke up.” And I knew that that had been an actual reality for him. Those weren’t just empty words, and that’s something that’s always stuck with me: an appreciation and gratitude for just being alive.
Hobbies?
I love outdoor activities. This time of year, I spend a lot of time at the family farm making maple syrup. Really, anything that gets me out in the forest: backpacking, camping, rock climbing, canoeing, snow shoeing, etc.
** All photos and details used with the permission of the individual.
A.G. reads in the living room of IAFR Jonathan House. She recalls how she found strength in her faith during an emergency hospitalization in February.
For A.G., IAFR Jonathan House has been more than a safe, stable place to stay while she rebuilds her life as an asylum seeker in the United States. It also provided a protective community when she became critically ill.
In February, A.G. started having sharp pains in her abdomen. One day she became very sick. Her housemate called their neighbor Lynn Thompson, a Jonathan House volunteer who the women know and trust.
Thompson took A.G. to a nearby Urgent Care, but when her symptoms became more serious, they decided to call an ambulance. An IAFR staff person met them in the hospital emergency room, to be present with A.G. while the doctors ran tests to identify the issue. “Everybody came together to save my life,” A.G. says.
Even beyond the physical cure, when facing illness in an unknown land far from family, community is healing. Asylum seekers often face social isolation and marginalization from basic need services like healthcare. Because of your support, Jonathan House residents like A.G. have access to community partners and resources that ensure they receive medical treatment and sustain good health.
IAFR staff and Thompson continued to visit A.G. during her hospitalization. A.G. asked staff to pray with her before she went in for procedures. She gets teary-eyed as she recalls it. “You were with me night and day,” she says. “You were such an encouragement to me; you helped me more than the doctor.”
A.G. gives thanks to God that she was able to receive the medical care she needed and return healthy to IAFR Jonathan House. She was recently granted asylum and is working toward finding independent housing. She hopes someday to be reunited with her family.
A.G. wraps herself in the multicolored blanket she has crocheted to “record” her time at IAFR Jonathan House.
The current global pandemic clearly shows the tie between being able to “shelter in place” and safeguarding our health. But what if you have been forcibly displaced? What if you have no shelter? This is the reality for many asylum-seeking individuals in Minneapolis-St. Paul. The importance of housing and quick, easy access to healthcare becomes ever clearer, particularly for vulnerable populations such as asylum seekers.
Because of supporters like you, asylum-seeking individuals can have their healthcare needs met in safe, stable shelter with supportive community.
“Jonathan House helped me a lot with my health when I was sick. They help fulfill all my needs. Even when I move to my own home, I want to stay connected with Jonathan House.”
In the meantime, A.G.’s place is woven into the fabric of IAFR Jonathan House. She is quick to laugh with her housemates, helps care for her roommate’s infant, and enjoys crocheting in her downtime. She recently completed a large colorful blanket crocheted from various sources of yarn, including some knitted clothes she unraveled and repurposed.
She wraps herself in the blanket like a hug. “It’s my ‘record’ of Jonathan House,” she says. “It is really a Jonathan House memory for me.”
Kelsey is our Community Coordinator here at IAFR Jonathan House.
“I oversee our trainings, volunteer system, and overall engagement. I also work pretty closely with our residents regarding some aspects of our programming, such as goal meetings. During this time, I meet with residents to discuss their ambitions for the future and together we work through steps to get where they want to be.
I really like this aspect of the work because it is a tangible way to provide support (and maybe some hope), and it gives me a chance to get to know our residents better. It has also become a way to just share life. We all have hopes, dreams, disappointments, insecurities, and so forth, and when our residents are willing to take time to share those intimate feelings with me, I feel a deep sense of connection and joy. I hope they do too!
How did you first learn about the plight of asylum-seeking individuals in America?
I don’t remember exactly, but the first time I was really struck by the situation I was interning with a Boston based nonprofit. Through my work there I ended up becoming close friends with a displaced family that was in a really horrible situation at the time. Even in the midst of it, they were constantly taking time to care for me physically, mentally, and spiritually and I was touched by the mutual benefit of sharing our lives.
How did you first get involved in Jonathan House?
I first got involved with asylum seekers in Rome, Italy. I was studying there and volunteering at a drop-in center, which I later learned was run by IAFR. I ended up really loving the work there and went back to Italy for a time with IAFR before returning to the United States to work with Jonathan House. In between my two stints in Italy I was interning at a nonprofit in Boston where we were exploring community style housing options for displaced people and I connected with Jonathan House at that time to interview them for a research project. I never would have imagined I would end up working with them at the time!
What’s something that everyone can do to help the cause of asylum-seeking individuals in the US?
I guess I would say that all people who have been displaced are far more than people in need. There is a temptation to label people in a certain manner when we read only one part of their story. At Jonathan House for example, our residents are not only seeking asylum, they are also doctors, language gurus, international finance managers, parents, expert knitters, basketball and soccer fans, incredible chefs, curious, funny, bright, and a million other things. They are full humans who have, due to circumstances out of their control, found themselves in a hard spot.
Something everyone can do is be aware of both of those things when they meet an asylum-seeker. Sensitivity to the fact that seeking asylum in the U.S. genuinely puts you in a very vulnerable situation that sometimes requires tangible help, and sensitive to the fact that “asylum seeker” is one title of many.
Is there a statistic or fact that has surprised you concerning asylum seeking individuals?
I think one thing that is surprising is that, according to the most recent statistic I have seen, asylum seekers are waiting an average of 1,000 days to have resolution on their cases. That is nearly three years of living in uncertainty, sometimes with lack of access to services to help meet the most basic needs, let alone sustaining “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
What is something asylum seeking individuals have taught you?
I have learned a lot from the willingness of my asylum-seeking friends to open their lives to me. They have shared stories and wisdom that they have collected along their lives journeys, they have shared practical advice and perspective in my moments of difficulty, they have shared hugs and tender moments of laughter, they have fed me, given me clothing, then given me more food! I guess to sum it up, they have taught me a lot about what it means to love someone openly, and without condition, in a way that invites you to let your guard down, knowing you are safe enough to come as you are.
What languages do you speak?
English and Italian. I also studied German in school, but it would be a stretch to say I speak it now. I also have built my Oromo vocabulary to a solid 5-10 words, so it seems that should count for something.
Do you have any hobbies?
Reading, studying Italian, yoga, going to the gym, and cooking.
** All photos and details used with the permission of the individual.
A.S. takes a walk at a park near to IAFR Jonathan House, where he’s found safe, stable shelter while seeking asylum. Photo: Grace Ogihara
A.S. didn’t know what would happen when he reached the US to seek asylum. “I thought that they would receive me as a refugee,” he said, “but instead I found myself in prison.”
A.S. was held in immigration detention for a total of five months. He would remain there unless he had someone willing to welcome him to a home outside his prison walls. But he didn’t know anyone in the U.S. – how was he going to find help?
“I didn’t know how to apply for asylum. After I passed the credible fear interview, the judge gave me the application form, but it was in English and I didn’t know how to fill it out. I was given a list of lawyers’ phone numbers, but you have to pay to use the phones in prison. I didn’t have any funds.”
“I thought too much about what happened back home,” he said. “I kept thinking, ‘Why did I suffer back in my country and come here seeking safety just to be put in prison?”
A.S. displays the “prison sweatshirt” distributed to him at the detention center where he was held before coming to Jonathan House. Many asylum seekers face immigration detention when they arrive in the US to seek protection from persecution and human rights violations, even though seeking asylum is a human right protected by international and US law. Photo: Grace Ogihara
Thankfully, a group of pro bono immigration lawyers visited the prison one day, and two of them agreed to represent A.S. for his bond release. They then reached out to see if IAFR Jonathan House would sponsor A.S for release from detention.
“I will go on from Jonathan House to live my life. It’s my desire that many asylum seekers after me would be able to receive the same welcome and love that you have shown me.”
~ A.S., Jonathan House resident
Jonathan House believes that access to safe, stable Shelter is critical to survival and recovery from forced displacement. In particular, supporters like you allow Jonathan House to be a just alternative to immigration detention, so asylum-seeking individuals can live in supportive community, with access to the resources they need to win asylum, heal from trauma, and rebuild their lives.
Every day A.S. walks from IAFR Jonathan House to take free English classes from a local neighborhood organization. He’s motivated to improve his language in order to pursue educational and vocational opportunities in his new community. Photo: Grace Ogihara
Jonathan House gladly agreed to sponsor A.S. out of detention. A local African congregation alerted by the lawyers to A.S.’s situation then mobilized to pay his bond. Nonprofits and church all played a role to secure his freedom.
“Jonathan House is the best place for me,” A.S. said. “They help me at each moment. At Jonathan House I have a place to sleep, food, water, and electricity… Thanks to Jonathan House I’m connected to new lawyers for my asylum case, and to other organizations that give me support with medical care.” He also found a supportive faith community at the church that paid his bond.
A.S.’s dream is to be able to receive asylum so he can live in peace in the US “if God wills.” He hopes that other asylum seekers who remain in detention will also be able to win asylum and be released to freedom.
A.S. thanks Dr. Linus Chan and Maddie Sheehy of the UMN Detainee Rights Clinic for their work in securing his bond and connecting him to Jonathan House. He also expresses his gratitude for individuals like you who contribute to IAFR Jonathan House.
“I will go on from Jonathan House to live my life,” he said. “It’s my desire that many asylum seekers after me would be able to receive the same welcome and love that you have shown me.”
Thanks to the contributions of donors and volunteers like you, A.S. and other asylum seekers can go from the isolation of detention to supportive community at IAFR Jonathan House. Photo: Grace Ogihara
*All photos by Grace Ogihara
============ FRENCH VERSION:
“Que vous leur recevez avec le même accueil, le même amour que vous m’avez donné…”: Un Résident de Jonathan House Trouve L’Abri Après La Détention
Photo: Grace Ogihara
A.S. ne savais pas qu’est-ce qui se passerait quand il est arrivé aux États-Unis pour demander l’asile. “J’ai pensé qu’on me recevrait comme un refugié,” il a dit, “mais je me suis retrouvé en prison.”
A.S. était détenu pour cinq mois en totale. Il resterait là-bas s’il n’y avait personne dehors du prison qui pouvait l’accueillir. Mais il ne connaissait personne aux Etats-Unis – comment pouvait-il trouver quelqu’un pour lui aider?
“Je ne savais pas comment demander de l’asile. Après que le juge a reconnu que j’ai une crainte crédible, il m’a donné l’application, mais je ne savais pas comment le compléter. J’ai reçu aussi une liste des numéros pour les avocats, mais vous devez payer pour utiliser les téléphones en prison. Moi, je n’avais pas du crédit.”
“J’ai pensé trop en ce qui m’est passé dans mon pays,” il a dit. “J’ai pensé, ‘Pourquoi j’ai souffert dans mon pays et puis je suis ici seulement pour être en prison?’”
Grâce à Dieu, un jour un groupe des avocats gratuits est venu en prison. Deux avocats ont décidé de représenter a A.S. Ils ont contacté à IAFR Jonathan House pour voir si on peut recevoir à A.S. dès qu’il soit déchargé du prison.
À Jonathan House, on croit que c’est fundamental avoir un abri sauf pour pouvoir recouvrir du déplacement forcé. En particulier, les gens comme vous qui supportez la mission de Jonathan House offrez une alternative juste à la détention pour les immigrés. Les gens à Jonathan House qui demandent l’asile peuvent vivre dans une communauté de soutien avec accès aux ressources pour gagner l’asile, guérir du trauma, et se rétablir.
Photo: Grace Ogihara
Jonathan House a dit avec joie qu’on pouvait accueillir à A.S. du prison. Les avocats a raconté l’histoire de A.S. à une église africain à St. Paul et l’église a mobilisé pour payer le lien. Des ONGs et l’église a travaillé ensemble pour libérer à A.S.
“Jonathan House est le meilleur endroit pour moi,” A.S. a dit. “Ils m’aident à chaque moment. À Jonathan House, je reçois un lieu pour dormir, de la nourriture, de l’eau, l’électricité … Jonathan House m’a connecté aux nouveau avocats pour mon case de l’asile et des autre organizations qui m’aident avec l’assurance médicale.” Il a aussi trouvé une communauté spirituelle à l’église qui a payé son lien.
A.S. rêve à recevoir l’asile donc il peut vivre à l’aise ici aux EEUU “si Dieu veut.” Il espère que les gens qui cherche l’asile qui restent en prison peuvent aussi gagner l’asile et être libérer.
A.S. remercie beaucoup à ses avocats Dr. Linus Chan et Maddie Sheehy de UMN Detainee Rights Clinic pour leur travail en obtenir le lien et pour lui connecter à Jonathan House. Il remercie aussi aux individus comme vous qui contribue à Jonathan House.
Photo: Grace Ogihara
“Un jour je quitterai à Jonathan House pour vivre ma vie,” il a dit. “Je désire que les gens qui viennent à Jonathan House après moi, que vous leur recevez avec le même accueil, le même amour que vous m’avez donné.”
** Photo and details used with permission of the individual.
“Imagine you are alone in a jungle, being chased by wild animals,” Stephen says. “And you come into a clearing with a hut. A man shouts to you from the door of his hut, ‘Come into my house to escape this danger. I’ll protect you.‘
But then as you try to enter the hut, the man says, ‘Okay, wait – you can only enter into my hut as far as your head.‘ So then, your head is in safety, but the rest of your body is still outside, exposed to the wild animals who want to eat you… This is what the US asylum process is like.”
When he arrived in Minnesota seeking asylum, Stephen experienced homelessness in a dangerously cold winter. Because of supporters like you, he has been able to pursue and receive asylum from the safety and stability of Jonathan House. He now hopes to promote safety and peace for others in his home country through political advocacy. Photo: Grace Ogihara
“I don’t see any government support for asylum seekers in the US,” Stephen continues. “For anyone who declares asylum seeker status, you are on your own. You are rejected. You can’t work. You don’t have a work permit. You’re already fleeing from danger, you basically ran for your life, you come with nothing, and then in the country where you seek protection, there’s nothing to help you.
“For asylum seekers who have traveled thousands of miles, a safe place to stay is the most important thing. This is what I would say to the US government: Let the whole person in.“
All the asylum-seeking individuals who come to IAFR Jonathan House experience the same obstacles as Stephen did: legal restrictions that unnecessarily keep them in a place of extreme vulnerability and dependence while they seek safety from the persecution or trauma they have fled.
Security, the first item on IAFR’s Continuum of Response, is crucial to helping an individual survive and recover from forced displacement. Without access to security, refugees will not be able to survive.
For asylum seekers who have traveled thousands of miles, a safe place to stay is the most important thing.
Stephen, Jonathan House resident
IAFR Jonathan House steps into the gap so asylum-seeking individuals are protected from outside dangers while they seek asylum in the US. In Stephen’s words, we ‘let the whole person in.’
“Thankfully, I didn’t have to be on the street. I could be on the street if not for Jonathan House,” he says. “With shelter, I have actually been able to move forward. My stress and worry-level decreased.”
Since coming to Jonathan House, Stephen has received asylum, giving him the crucial promise of security that he will not be sent back to persecution and personal danger. He has dedicated himself to learn computer coding so that he can now get a job to rebuild his life here in the US. He is also motivated to use his own sense of security to politically advocate for those still trapped in war and danger in his country of origin.
Through your partnership with IAFR Jonathan House, you make a life-changing impact for change-makers like Stephen by ‘letting the whole person in.’ You help provide security to our asylum-seeking neighbors by making sure they have access to safe, stable shelter.
IAFR’s mission is to help people survive and recover from forced displacement.
The categories listed on the red line of the diagram are what people need to survive. The categories on the green line are what help people recover from forced displacement.
Jonathan House encompasses both.
Each month we’ll take a look at the different categories of the Continuum by seeing how the play out at Jonathan House. So, stay tuned for stories of real impact in the lives of asylum-seeking residents.
