One of the pleasures of this job is that I get to meet new people everyday and to hear their stories. Yesterday was especially good because I went to Bridge Refugee Services and met a very special person, Drocella Mugorewera the Executive Director. It opened up a whole new prospective for me. I guess I had not given a lot of thought about the difference between a refugee and an immigrant. Refugees had fled for there lives from countries where had they stayed would have been killed. Imagine arriving in a new country not knowing the language, having no job and probably with the clothes on their back. That is where Bridge Refugee Services comes in. They help the refugee get settled into housing, help getting a job, help learning English and so much more. As I sat in the hallway waiting for the meeting, their was a video playing that was in several languages and it was explaining that in the US, it is illegal to hit your wife, mother, daughter or any other female. The cultural differences are great and each refugee must learn to live in the US under our laws. I got to hear Drocella’s personal story and was overwhelmed with what she had gone through.
Several churches in the area support Bridge Refugee Services and hopefully my church will soon be another to give a helping hand.
As with any non-profit, it takes money to provide all these services. If you are interested in helping, you can go to their website to make a donation.
Hope I get to meet a lot more people with the compassion and caring that Drocella has for all people
