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Photo of Rev. Floreal and
Haitian Child
While many of the people with whom I work have been in the U.S. for years and many are U.S. citizens, there are also new immigrants and refugees. This is the story of one man and how the Church ministered to him and his family.
Eric was born into a strong Christian family in Cap Haitian in the north of Haiti. His parents took him to church every Sunday and he remembers learning to pray and memorizing scriptures. He speaks pensively of growing up in a city with beautiful, bright colored buildings, lovely tropical beaches, good schools and roads. Things started changing. Schools were closed and roads left unrepaired. Political oppression was growing and people lived in fear of their own government. Poverty became a defining characteristic of life as jobs disappeared.
In 1991, Eric applied for a visa through the Department of Labor to work in the United States. As he prayed and waited, an angel appeared to him in a dream and reassured him, "Don't be afraid, everything will be okay." A month later, he had his green card (his work permit and visa). With his family still in Haiti, Eric began his new work in Miami.
The U.S. government requires that individuals have a certain amount of money in the bank before they can apply to bring family members to this country. So Eric worked hard, sending money home to support his family and saving all he could. In 1997, after six years of separation, Eric applied for his family to join him. He was told that he only had enough money to bring his wife to the U.S.; his children would have to remain behind. He and his wife made the decision to wait until the whole family could come.
During these years of loneliness and struggle, the church was the "solid rock" upon which he stood. He started attending Grace Haitian Church because the pastor, Rev. Preval Floreal, had been his family's pastor years before in Cap Haitian. Floreal had baptized him when he had accepted Christ as a teenager. Eric said, "I am not perfect, but I come to the church because I know the pastor will help me if I fall." The fellowship and support of the church family kept him going whenever he was ready to give up.
In July 1999, Eric was reunited with his family. It was a new beginning. After eight years apart the family had many adjustments to make. Eric's wife, Immacula had been strong and independent in Haiti, but she did not speak English and now had to depend on him for everything. Eric had occasionally visited over the years, but the children did not know their father well after being separated for so long. The church was there to help.
The pastor and other leaders helped the family find a place to live. A school teacher in the congregation helped the children get medical checkups and enrolled in school. Food from the church pantry helped during the first few weeks. Immacula was enrolled in English language classes and women from the church took her shopping and taught her about American grocery stores. The children made friends and started to learn English through the church's youth program. Shelly, the youngest child, attended the Head Start program at the church. The pastor spent time counseling the family and encouraging them as they adjusted to a new culture and way of life.
Eric had been working and paying taxes for eight years, but when his family arrived there were still some immediate needs. It was the church that reached out to welcome this family and care for them. Eric is applying for U.S. citizenship. He has a strong work ethic and knows how to sacrifice to achieve his goals. He and his wife place high priority on education for their children. Like many refugees and immigrants, they have a dream and the commitment needed to build a new life.
This story had been condensed by GBGM staff writer Brenda Wilkinson.
URL: http://gbgm-umc.org/news/2001/jan/refugeesbwbm.stm