How do they hear about you?
When I talk with people about Jonathan House, they often want to know how asylum seekers find out about us. The most common way people find us is through someone they know. Allow me to share one of those stories with you now.
The Start of a Friendship
Hilary and Esma were neighbors who lived across the hall in an apartment building. Hilary noticed Esma for how she carried herself with such confidence, and because the brilliantly colored and beautiful clothes she wore were clearly from a different culture than that of her other neighbors.
They first met in the elevator on a day when Hilary had many things to carry. Esma offered to help. Over time, their friendship grew. Despite having very different backgrounds, they began to bond over shared life experiences.
Hilary had a sense that something was troubling Esma and asked about her living situation. This led to a three-hour conversation in the community room. Esma shared that she was struggling in her current living arrangement but due to her status as an asylum-seeker, she didn’t know of any other options.
Hilary knew Minnesota to be a place that was very welcoming to immigrants and refugees, and was optimistic that she could find a better solution. She offered to help. When her initial efforts didn’t pay off, she offered to pay for a bus ticket so she could live temporarily with a relative out-of-state. But Hilary promised to keep looking for a place for her in Minnesota.
She kept her promise. After some weeks, Hilary connected with Jonathan House, we had an opening, and the rest is history.
An Umbrella in the Rain
A year later Esma has become a valued member of our community. She demonstrates welcome and love to others and works hard to keep the house clean and comfortable. Now, equipped with a work permit and a job, she also contributes meaningfully to society at large, providing care for our elders.
Reflecting back, Esma used a metaphor to describe their friendship. “Hilary was my umbrella in the rain. I had no work permit and I didn’t know anyone at the time. She was a stranger who cared for me.”
Friends at Jonathan House shelter under an umbrella.
For Hilary’s part, she experienced deep joy by helping someone in a way that made such a direct and significant impact. “And it was really quite simple,” she said. “It didn’t require all that much from me.”
Who is Your Neighbor?
Hilary expounded that it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the scope of the problems we see around us. But what if, instead of focusing on complicated problems that feel unsolveable, we connect with the person next-door, and help them as we can? What kind of an impact would that make?
Today, many of our asylum-seeking, refugee, and immigrant neighbors live under a lot of pressure and fear. Will you stand beside them so that they know they are not alone? Follow the examples Esma and Hilary give us. Be a good neighbor. Who knows what good may come of it?
Written by: Josh Levin, Jonathan House Program Manager