detainees W
From seafarers to
Seafarers International extends its ministry of hospitality By Wendy Healy
hen the first baby was born at Seafarers & Interna- tional House (SIH) in New York City last year, her parents—asylum-seekers from Mali with nothing to
their name—chose to call her Joy.
Annelouise and Mahmoud said the name expresses the joy they felt for the help received at SIH, an ELCA ministry of advocacy and hospitality for asylum-seekers, sea- farers and others needing an imme- diate place to stay.
The couple landed in New York in early 2012. After being in a deten- tion center for months, they were cleared and sent to a shelter. When their time at the shelter was up, they were referred to SIH. There they received comfort, support and temporary housing at the 84-room guesthouse in the trendy Union Square section of Manhattan.
“Though it was a few months before Christmas, we called them our Mary and Joseph,” said Marsh Drege, SIH executive director and an ELCA pastor, “because they were pregnant and seeking room at the inn.” The couple fled their war-torn African country, Drege said, because of violence and religious intoler- ance. Annelouise is Christian and Mahmoud is Muslim—an interfaith marriage that never would have worked in Mali. “Their own rela- tives back home were fighting each other,” Drege said.
For nearly four weeks the couple called the SIH guesthouse home.
Healy is a freelance writer and a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Brewster, N.Y. 32 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
Now almost a year old, Joy is living up to her name. The family lives in a transitional housing shelter. SIH social work intern Jamila Hammami, a graduate student at the Hunter School of Social Work, helped Annelouise and Mahmoud get settled. She also assisted Mah- moud in obtaining work papers. Today he is employed in the com- puter field. “They couldn’t be happier,” Hammami said. “They have their own room in a shelter and a kitch- enette. Joy has a nice crib. … They come and visit SIH all the time with baby Joy, and they hope she grows up keeping the tradition of calling Marsh Drege, ‘Uncle Marsh.’ ” Late last year, Uncle Marsh did a baby blessing for the couple. It’s this type of genuine concern for those in need that distinguishes SIH, Drege said. Besides provid- ing an immediate place to stay, the staff helps asylum-seekers find transitional and long-term hous- ing, get work authorization permits and referrals to other services like Lutheran Social Services of New York, Catholic Charities and others. Success stories like this aren’t
unusual. The agency has nearly a 140-year history of assisting seafar- ers. It expanded its mission in 2009 to include asylum-seekers, and there has been a rapid rise in those requir- ing assistance. In 2012 it helped about 30 asylum-seekers with free rooms in its guesthouse. Didier came to New York City from Rwanda to attend college. He had to work to send money home to his mother and brother, which forced him to drop out of school. His student visa expired. But with SIH’s help, he is back on track and in school again.
“This is part of our mission,” Drege said. That’s even though revenue for its overall mission is
SHUTTERSTOCK
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52