Posts Tagged ‘Refugee Resettlement’
The Gift of Hearing Brings New Life to a Bhutanese Refugee Couple
Any refugee entering the United States faces significant obstacles. But for Nar and Dhan Maya Ghorsai, a Bhutanese couple resettled in Aurora, silence proved to be the greatest: deaf for most of their lives, Nar and Dhan were unable to learn English, form deep relationships or pursue success in their new community. However, on June 15, 2012, their silence was broken with the gift of hearing aids. Nar and Dhan were able to speak, listen and interact with a world that had been “dull” for years prior, the couple says.
World Relief Medical Case Specialist Esther Myahla explains that deafness is a common phenomenon among the Bhutanese community. Many enter the United States with limited hearing ability, but few doctors have been able to distinguish the root cause. Of Nar, Myahla explains, “He woke up one day as a child and could no longer hear.” For years, the couple was without answers and opportunities, and like many Bhutanese, simply accepted their hearing loss and the resulting limitations.
This all changed when the family was introduced to World Relief. Through the Intensive Medical Case Management program the Ghorsai family was connected with Esther, who acted as their spokesperson, advocate and companion. The Ghorsais were given the opportunity to visit a hearing specialist who outfitted them with custom hearing aids. Since then, the family has expressed how “very happy” and excited they are to be able to hear clearly all of the sounds that they had lost.
Without the ability to hear or speak, the Ghorsais often found themselves sitting idly at home without much drive or hope. Now, they are eager to build relationships, visiting neighbors and relatives regularly. Both Nar and Dhan anticipate returning to World Relief’s English as a Second Language (ESL) classes so they can finally learn the English language, a task previously impossible as they both struggled to read lips. Nar explains, “The ear computers have given me a new life. It is like I am born again.”
Their son, Dal Ghorsai, beams with joy when describing the family’s newfound freedom. Dal says with a smile on his face: “I feel so glad that I could not express it. Since they were children, they were deaf and handicapped. But, now they can do everything. Now, they can have normal lives. I want to give thanks to World Relief and specifically to Esther because she suffered a lot for them.”
When their newfound ability to hear and speak, the Ghorsais have no doubt that they will more easily be able to communicate with the outside world, and experience an easier assimilation into American culture. Their past was marked by limited comprehension, relationships, and potential for success; the future however, is filled with hopeful ambition.
World Relief in Fort Worth: A Refugee’s Final Destination
When refugees enter the United States, they are still a long way from their “finaldestination.” Arrival marks the beginning of physical, social, financial, relational and spiritual challenges that threaten this vulnerable population’s ability to be self-sufficient in an unfamiliar culture. World Relief in Fort Worth is empowering the local Church to meet the holistic needs of this group by resettling and meeting the holistic needs of several hundred refugees a year.
There are currently 15 to 16 million refugees in the world. Less than half of one percent of these refugees is offered stable resettlement in a developed nation, but the United States resettles the largest portion of these refugees. Most are given legal residency status and permission to work upon their arrival. They come seeking security, hope and community, but are less likely to experience social connection, more likely to have physical and mental conditions and are entering a country with few economic opportunities. Too often, refugees entering the United States are resettled into spiritual and physical poverty.
World Relief in Fort Worth is seeking to change that. From the moment refugees arrive at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, they are met with the relational, physical and spiritual love of Jesus Christ. The World Relief staff provides refugees with housing, medical services, cash assistance, ESL, case management, employment assistance and volunteer involvement. Additionally, by partnering with local churches and volunteers, World Relief Fort Worth connects refugees to the greater body of Christ. Often traveling from war-torn, oppressive communities, a refugee’s need for employment, housing and food cannot be separated from his or her need for peace, community and security.
Jason, whose name has been changed for this story, is one such refugee. He grew up in Iran where he and his family practiced Islam faithfully. When he entered university and studied Islamic law in his late teens, Jason found himself drifting from particular aspects of the religion that disturbed him; meanwhile, his interest in Christianity grew. Jason worked in Iran as a human rights attorney and professor before leaving his country and spending two years as a refugee in Turkey. Because he had no family or relations at this point, the UNHCR decided to resettle him in the United States and in August 2012, World Relief Fort Worth welcomed Jason at the airport.
World Relief found him housing in an apartment and employment with AT&T upon his
arrival. He feared his Iranian heritage would create tension with Americans, but he adjusted through the friendship of a World Relief volunteer who Jason now says is “like my brother.” Later, World Relief Fort Worth offered Jason a job as a Case Manager. He says his work with refugees at World Relief is much like what he did in Iran. His experience navigating through their challenges has provided him a special understanding of refugee clients. A.C. Musopole writes, “It is a transformed person who transforms his or her environment,” a compelling truth that is evident in Jason’s life.
The same volunteer whom Jason describes as “family” invited the recent refugee to attend Gateway Church at Southlake. There, Jason made the decision to follow Jesus Christ and asked his friend to help him become baptized. During this interview, Jason’s joy was evident as he talked about the peace he has found in Christianity and how he knows that Jesus Christ is his “final destination.”
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