Elder Kevin W. Pearson, President of the Pacific Area of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and his wife June Pearson hosted a luncheon Wednesday at the Church’s main meetinghouse in Christchurch to spotlight the needs of people new to New Zealand.
They were joined by Church leaders Sister Linda K. Reeves, of the Relief Society General Presidency of the Church and Sister Carol F. McConkie of the Young Women’s General Presidency who together are visiting areas of the South Pacific from Church Headquarters in America.
Unprecedented populations of refugees, migrants and asylum seekers are on the move around the world, and the humanitarian arms of the Church are at the forefront of providing aid and assistance.
“Central to our doctrine is that each of us as spirits lived with Heavenly Father before this life. We are literally children of God,” said Sister Reeves. ”Everyone is our brother or sister and we love them. We follow Jesus Christ and know that if we serve others we are serving Him.”
While the severe stresses felt elsewhere due to the sheer number of displaced people are not felt in New Zealand, there are still many people who are in great need.
The purpose of the luncheon was to learn from local experts the community needs, learn what is being done to help, make friends with others engaged in the effort, and explain what the local Church members can and are doing through the Church’s “I was a Stranger” initiative which encourages members to reach out directly to refugees and migrants.
The needs of refugees, migrants and asylum seekers are seemingly endless. Imagine being dropped into a place where you can’t understand what people are saying, what the business and roadside signs say, how to ride a bus, get medical help, read the prescription drug dosage instructions, find a landlord who will accept you, find a job, understand the cultural and social norms so you are safe and you don’t alarm the native people, and where to go for help. Yes, the list does go on and on.
The plight of refugees, displaced from their homeland, can be frightening.
To help emphasize the struggles refugees experience and why they are dependent on the help of others, Thi Phan of Hagley College, who came from Vietnam three years ago, recounted to those gathered at the luncheon several of the frightening frustrations she experienced as a refugee,
“If a landlord learns you are a refugee, no to you! If an employer knows you are a refugee, no to you!”
She wanted to learn to drive, but couldn’t find anyone to sit beside her and help her learn. Putting a note at a supermarket asking for help resulted in offers, but exclusively from men who wanted improper favours in return.
Shirley Wright, general manager of Christchurch Resettlement Services, a government sponsored organization providing help to refugees and migrants, shared what her group and others are doing to help.
It includes language instruction, which she calls the essential foundation, parenting classes, social services on family violence and mental health, basic New Zealand law education, health education that can focus on simple things like proper use of medications to prevent overdoses, health days for ladies and children, and even swimming lessons for women and children to prevent drowning and build self-confidence. Fortunately, this list also goes on and on.
Wright shared that those she serves often need help with the simple things needed to live in a new country as well as how to deal with the ups and downs everyone experiences in life, which are compounded by the fear and isolation they often feel.
Through all the challenges, Wright says one of the positive threads is that these newcomers are resilient. “They have usually faced worse things.”
Laura Hunter, a New Zealand member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, volunteers with a group helping asylum seekers. She is a Jill-of-all-trades, doing whatever is needed on the day she volunteers, usually Thursday.
“This has opened my eyes to the great suffering that goes on all over the world. These people have experienced terrible things in their lives, which is what brought them here.”
Although those groups and agencies helping refugees, migrants and asylum seekers always need volunteers and financial assistance, one thing that Church members, and all who live in the Christchurch area, can better provide is true friendship.
“The Church’s “I was a Stranger” initiative encourages us to share our lives with people, and not just on Thursdays,” said Hunter.
“I learned of a woman in my neighbourhood. I believe God placed her in my neighbourhood.”
“I wasn’t sure how to reach out in the beginning. I asked myself how I could help bring her into my community,” she continued.
“I was stumped. Then I spoke with a friend and the answer came – food!”
It has worked out wonderfully according to Hunter. She not only befriended her new neighbour, but brought this new friend into her circle of friends. Now whether one-on-one or as a group, they gather, socialize, share their lives, offer support and experience different foods together.
She said, “I think of what Sister Neill F. Marriott of the Young Women’s General Presidency said: ‘Love is making space in your life for someone else.’
“I really believe that.”
Wubet Ahmedin, a former Ethiopian refugee currently working for Christchurch Resettlement Services, also expressed to those in attendance the value of having a friend.
“As a refugee you want to make New Zealand your land,” she said. “When you know someone cares, then you feel human, and this place then belongs to you.”
At the conclusion of the luncheon, Sister Reeves explained the plea that has been extended specifically to women of the Church across the globe.
“To the women of the Relief Society, we desire you prayerfully go to your Heavenly Father and seek his guidance on how, under your personal circumstances, you can help refugees and migrants.
“Please look around when you are at school, at the grocery store, in your neighbourhood, wherever you go, for those who need assistance.
“Offer friendship, be involved in their lives. We are no more strangers, but brothers and sisters.”
She then gave thanks and offered a blessing. “To those who are already assisting in this important work in Christchurch, we express our love and gratitude. We support you and ask God to bless you.”
Although she did not formerly speak at the luncheon due to time constraints, following the event Sister McConkie embraced the Church’s guests and privately expressed her appreciation to them for the valuable work they do and for inspiring others by sharing their stories.
The Relief Society is one of the oldest women’s organizations in the world with more than 6 million members. The Young Women’s organization is for girls ages 12-18.
Sister Reeves and Sister McConkie were joined at the luncheon by their husbands Mel Reeves and Oscar McConkie. Another senior Church leader in attendance was Elder David J. Thomson, Area Seventy, who among other duties presides over Church affairs on the South Island.