Refugee Welcoming Committee: The First 70 Days with the Gurungs

St. Peter’s is supporting a family (Chandra and Runchi Gurung) who arrived in Philadelphia after living in a refugee camp in Nepal. 

By Sharon L. Haynie, member of the St. Peter’s Refugee Welcoming Committee

A question often posed to Refugee Welcoming Committee members: “How is it going?”

My impression is that our relationship with the Gurungs is going fairly well. Any new relationship requires some tweaks and we have made adjustments; we are taking cues from Chandra and Runchi to assess their critical needs and how best to provide them. We are so fortunate that the St. Peter’s parishioners have offered their time and provided talent such as English tutoring and navigating social services and community engagement.

I have not contributed much to the English tutoring, but I have visited the Gurungs in their home and accompanied Runchi and Chandra on medical visits—serving as an escort and possibly a “medical pal” in the future. I truly can’t imagine the Gurung’s challenges in moving some 7,500 miles from their homeland and settling in a very different country and culture. However, I have tried hard to frame my Gurung visits through a lens of being centered on their vulnerabilities and needs as was informed by Rev. Claire’s March 6th weekly Lent message that reminded me: “… the [Lent] season…is intended to reconnect us with God. For some of us that means deliberately engaging in acts of compassion and service, things that take us out of our self-centered tendencies and connect us with others and with our own vulnerability and dependence….”.

From what I’ve witnessed of Chandra and Runchi I feel great hope for their future. Yes, I have some worries about challenges ahead, but I feel that both Chandra and Runchi—each their own way—is finding a way to move forward. It looks different for each individual. Chandra as the head of household is absorbing English like a sponge. She expressed that she will work hard on her English to be a better “interpreter” than her cousin Meena—I think she can! Runchi is primarily home-bound but she has begun short 2-block trips with a family friend to Southeast-by-Southeast ESL classes; she is learning English words at a slower pace but she is moving forward.

I now look forward to my visits and I no longer set off with trepidation about what can I bring that will help them. When I remember some of the sojourns with the Gurungs what lingers most are the delightful peals of spontaneous giggles or laughter that have erupted at a point of recognition engaging with something familiar that cuts across barriers of language and culture.

Chandra repeatedly has expressed her gratitude for having this “church family” [as she describes us in her note book]—a resource that many refugees do not receive. But I feel more blessed that I have Chandra and Runchi as a part of my life. From this brief journey with the Gurungs, I have lived into yet one more tangible witness of my faith and belief that there are no borders in God’s world.

The St. Peter’s Welcoming Committee now includes:  Caroline West, Beverly Woods, Gail Trimble, Peter Ross, Jay Newlin, Sanjay Nath, Sean Lanigan, Laura Lane, Alyssa Jacobsen, Sharon Haynie, and Andrew Field. If you’d like to be part of the team that is assisting this family as they adjust to life here, please contact Rev. Sean at [email protected]