Flu season
Many of our kids in the refugee program are just recovered from bouts of the flu. It has hit them pretty hard. Hungarian dorm food is not great. Fresh fruits and vegetables are rare. But in general their resistance is low. I visited one of our students a few times because her dorm is very close to my apartment. Also, I know what it is like to be be sick and alone. Even though she is around other students and there are adults in the dorm looking after her, it's not the same. I visited with her and told her to eat and drink lots of fluids, this time around, I took her some juice. A few days later I took her some toast and tea. She was also taking the wrong medicine, so I convinced her to stop and let her body fight the disease naturally. We had a good visit together, we read from the Bible and prayed. It was good and she really appreciated me visiting her.
The Flu avoided me, thank God but I never get sick anyway. But I am struggling with feelings of loneliness. It's been a really fight to not let those feelings take over. I realize I need to make an effort to seek fellowship with others. It's difficult though, in many ways because of my age. Most people my age are busy raising their families and aren't out there forming clubs and seeking fellowship. The church I go to also does not have much in the form of Bible studies or small groups. I will suggest something soon but I am still new there so it will take time before I know who to suggest things to.
I was suprised this past week when I was looking for any sort of PR materials from the various ministries within the Reformed church and found that there weren't any. Well, there was one booklet but it was a template for which the writers merely changed the words according to the ministry. For example, "It is the aim of the homeless ministry to proclaim the good news of the love of Christ to the homeless." and then "It is the aim of the prison ministry to proclaim the good news of the love of Christ to the homeless." and on and on it went for drug addicts, roma gypsies and families in crisis. So, I decided to ask whether there was anything else available. The answer I was given was no. So, I have my task for the next weeks. It's good because it is easy to get lost in the work with the refugees (which I really enjoy) and forget about this other assignment which is not so exciting (in my mind).
We started doing a self-awareness class for the refugee kids. It was very encouraging to have them open up a little this past week and respond to the given topic. They got into it and began to bring examples from their own lives which is the point. I want this class to be a forum where they can talk about their problems and joys. At the end, of the class one of the boys commented that he really enjoyed the class. Praise God!
The issue of Unaccompanied minors seeking asylum is not addressed at all in Hungary. In the past month, my colleagues and I have been to a series of organizations(including the UNHCR) and lawyers. It seems that nobody really knows what to do. It looks like God is leading us(the church) to be the ones to advocate for these kids. The Hungarian authorities don't want to deal with them at all and their attitude is that these kids go home. This is an ignorant statement to make, because most of these kids have no home to go to. Many are orphaned. It's a complicated issue.
There is no one in Hungary who seems to want to listen and help and so we are planning to go to Brussels and ask the European Parliament for advice on this.
For example, Unaccompanied minors should not be held in the same quarters as adult asylum seekers. There is no provision for this here. In fact I discovered from on of our students that she was offered the "opportunity" to be the refugee camp prostitute as it promised "good money". Thankfully she refused, the offer but it seems that she was harassed frequently to reconsider. So much for protecting minors!!
Nobody informs them of their legal rights when their initial statement is taken. These sorts of things. It's truly a shame because minors at least have a better shot at integrating into society in many ways. They can learn the language easier and train for professions and trades. But unfortunately Hungarian society is extremely xenophobic and discriminatory - sadly this also includes church people as well.
The Flu avoided me, thank God but I never get sick anyway. But I am struggling with feelings of loneliness. It's been a really fight to not let those feelings take over. I realize I need to make an effort to seek fellowship with others. It's difficult though, in many ways because of my age. Most people my age are busy raising their families and aren't out there forming clubs and seeking fellowship. The church I go to also does not have much in the form of Bible studies or small groups. I will suggest something soon but I am still new there so it will take time before I know who to suggest things to.
I was suprised this past week when I was looking for any sort of PR materials from the various ministries within the Reformed church and found that there weren't any. Well, there was one booklet but it was a template for which the writers merely changed the words according to the ministry. For example, "It is the aim of the homeless ministry to proclaim the good news of the love of Christ to the homeless." and then "It is the aim of the prison ministry to proclaim the good news of the love of Christ to the homeless." and on and on it went for drug addicts, roma gypsies and families in crisis. So, I decided to ask whether there was anything else available. The answer I was given was no. So, I have my task for the next weeks. It's good because it is easy to get lost in the work with the refugees (which I really enjoy) and forget about this other assignment which is not so exciting (in my mind).
We started doing a self-awareness class for the refugee kids. It was very encouraging to have them open up a little this past week and respond to the given topic. They got into it and began to bring examples from their own lives which is the point. I want this class to be a forum where they can talk about their problems and joys. At the end, of the class one of the boys commented that he really enjoyed the class. Praise God!
The issue of Unaccompanied minors seeking asylum is not addressed at all in Hungary. In the past month, my colleagues and I have been to a series of organizations(including the UNHCR) and lawyers. It seems that nobody really knows what to do. It looks like God is leading us(the church) to be the ones to advocate for these kids. The Hungarian authorities don't want to deal with them at all and their attitude is that these kids go home. This is an ignorant statement to make, because most of these kids have no home to go to. Many are orphaned. It's a complicated issue.
There is no one in Hungary who seems to want to listen and help and so we are planning to go to Brussels and ask the European Parliament for advice on this.
For example, Unaccompanied minors should not be held in the same quarters as adult asylum seekers. There is no provision for this here. In fact I discovered from on of our students that she was offered the "opportunity" to be the refugee camp prostitute as it promised "good money". Thankfully she refused, the offer but it seems that she was harassed frequently to reconsider. So much for protecting minors!!
Nobody informs them of their legal rights when their initial statement is taken. These sorts of things. It's truly a shame because minors at least have a better shot at integrating into society in many ways. They can learn the language easier and train for professions and trades. But unfortunately Hungarian society is extremely xenophobic and discriminatory - sadly this also includes church people as well.
posted by MaryG | 2:55 PM
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