Coming to America

COMING TO AMERICA From ethnic cleansing to refugee camps to culture shock, Karen Christians brave each new challenge with courage and faith

BY DUANE BINKLEY

The news reached the village ment that continues to this day. just in time.The army was comFor many years, the Karen ing—the third attack in just two essentially had their own counyears—and it was time to run try named Kawthoolei, occupyagain. Villagers threw essentials ing a strip of rugged mountain into baskets and strapped them territory in eastern Burma, into place on their heads. separated from Thailand, at least Scooping up their babies and the for a portion of the border, by smallest children, they set off at the Moei and Salaween rivers. a brisk pace. Moments later, the Gradually, however, the Burmese Burmese army arrived, plundercut more and more corridors ing anything of value and burnthrough Karen territory. Unity ing the village and anything among the Karen and other ethremaining to the ground. Before nic groups could not be mainleaving, they placed land mines tained, further limiting the on the smoking site to prevent effectiveness of the resistance the villagers from returning. movement. In 1995, Manerplaw, This was just another raid which served as the capital of the on another unarmed village in Karen people, fell to the Burmese eastern Burma—a common army; the remaining bases of the occurrence. Just another group Karen army followed. of people living in hiding in Since the 1970s, the Burmese the mountains, joining half a military has employed the Four million or more of their interCuts Policy against the Karen Cramped quarters and poor sanitation nally displaced Karen brothers people, attempting to cut the make life at the refugee camps difficult. and sisters. resistance movement off from Formerly a British colony, their supply of recruits, food, Burma was granted independence from Britain in 1948. intelligence, and finances. The result of this policy is war By 1949, however, it became apparent that the dream of against the civilian population, which many consider to be independence for many of the ethnic groups within the an ethnic cleansing program. In recent years, a program of boundaries of Burma was not to be fulfilled. So the Karen “village relocation” seeks to force the Karen into certain sites (pronounced kah-RIN), along with many other ethnic where opportunities to make a living are few and the chancgroups, declared an insurgency against the Burmese govern- es of being used for forced labor are high. Hundreds of PRISM 2008

22

thousands opt to live in hiding as internally displaced people rather than go to a relocation site.

ity of the Christians being Baptist. So with their Baptist roots, the Karen often seek out the nearest Baptist church in their newly adopted American town. Congregations that might not have known the US government even had a refugee resettlement program have suddenly found themselves hosting not just a family but an entire new congregation fresh from a refugee camp in Thailand. Other churches, already international in their makeup, find themselves making room for a new language and cultural group.

After years of being stripped of everything but their faith, the Karen put finding a church home at the top of their list of priorities. As a community-oriented people, finding a place where they can worship together is also important. But imagine a pastor’s and congregation’s surprise when 40 to 50 non-English-speaking Karen in their traditional garb come

The Karen in America With less and less room to hide in Burma, hundreds of thousands have fled into neighboring Thailand. Of these, some 142,000 live in one of nine refugee camps along the Thai/ Burmese border. With no apparent hope for change within Burma on the horizon, the United States has begun to accept the Karen, officially registered as refugees for resettlement under the US Refugee Resettlement Program. In 2006, resettlement was offered in the Tham Hin refugee camp in Thailand. In 2007, resettlement was also offered in the Me La camp, the largest of the camps. Nearly 13,000 Karen have already been placed in 136 cities across the United States. As resettlement is offered in more camps, tens of thousands of Karen are expected to come, in addition to other persecuted groups in Burma, such as the Chin, Karenni, and Rohinga.

While many churches in the United States have long been active in refugee resettlement, the influx of Burmese is affecting some churches in new ways. Baptists of several stripes are being particularly affected as they are often the first choice when Christians among the Karen look for a church home in the West. Christian roots in Burma go back to Adoniram Judson, a Baptist missionary who landed in Burma in 1813.

It took some six years to lead the first convert to Christ, but the church has experienced dramatic growth over the years and continues to grow today.

The Karen church grew particularly fast.A traditional Karen story handed down through the generations depicts the Karen as the oldest of several brothers. Each brother was given a book with the answers to life, but the Karen lost their book.

But one day, their bue day wah (younger white brother) would return with the golden book that would give them the answers they needed. For many Karen, Judson and the other early missionaries who followed represented the return of the younger white brother. Even today, Karen will often retell this legend to Western visitors in thanking them for bringing the gospel to their people.

As the Karen and other churches were growing in Burma, Baptists back in America got excited about missions. Independent churches began to band together, first in mission societies and then in groups of societies so they could engage more effectively in international and national mission enterprises.These groupings were the beginning of a number of the Baptist denominations in the United States today. Like the Karen and many of the Burmese ethnic groups, many Baptists in America still think of Adoniram Judson as a central father figure of their church.

About 35 to 40 percent of the residents of the Karen refugee camps in Thailand are Christian, with the vast major-

What can my church and I do to assist the Karen?

Always start by finding and contacting the local resettlement agency (or agencies) in your area. (The Refugee Admissions Program Reception & Placement Voluntary Agency Affiliate Directory can be accessed at refugees.org/blog/themes/USCRINet work/network/resources/FY2004VolagDir.pdf.)

They already provide many services but often have gaps you can fill. Needs are great and varied, so there is no point in duplicating a service that is already offered by someone else.

Interacting with people whose language and customs are different from us requires us to step out of our comfort zones, to be flexible and willing to laugh at ourselves.When discomfort arises (you can’t understand or make yourself understood, or you or they commit an inadvertent social blunder), put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself how you would like to be treated if you were settling into a foreign culture and didn’t yet know your new neighbors’ ways or language. Crossing cultural boundaries in love is one of the most challenging—and rewarding—adventures of incarnating Christ.

For a list of ways you can help the Karen succeed in their new lives here in the United States, go to karenkonnection.org and look under “Helping Karen Refugees.”

PRISM 2008

23

walking into their church one Sunday morning. Some Karen groups have church leaders among them and will conduct their own services. Other groups join English services even though they don’t understand much. Others do a little of both.

Karen services look and feel very much like a traditional Protestant service. Many of the traditional hymns sung in the United States were translated by missionaries in the 1800s and are still sung by the Karen today in a lovely, old-style, four-part harmony. Even in an English service, if a hymn they know is sung, they will join in Karen, adding their own praise to God. In addition to translated Western hymns, the Karen have written their own songs, many with a syncopated harmony that gets traded and exchanged from village to village. Not to be left behind, the young people have taken to writing Christian songs accompanied by electric guitars and keyboards, creating some of the same debates about the merits of traditional hymns versus more modern songs that we entertain in many US churches.

The Karen face a significant transition as they begin life in America. Most have never lived with electricity or dealt with utility bills, had a bank account, held a regular job, paid rent, seen snow, or experienced temperatures below freezing.

Not knowing English makes the transition that much more challenging.

So in addition to providing the Karen a space for worship, many churches are teaching them English and helping with homework, providing transportation assistance to take new arrivals to appointments, collecting warm clothes, helping set up apartments, explaining how appliances work, giving driving lessons, and showing how to maintain/repair their new belongings. But the most important thing churches do is embrace the Karen as friends and fellow citizens. After years of being

Snow is just one of the many novelties refugees must adjust to as they start a new life in the US.

driven from their homes and their homeland, and having not been accepted in Thailand, mere acceptance and recognition as a person of value is a tremendous gift to the Karen.

What we can learn from the Karen The villagers we met at the beginning of this article were severely discouraged after that third attack.They had no choice but to flee and find a new location for their village. This time, however, before rebuilding, they first had a worship and prayer service during which they surrendered their village—and their lives—to God.To remind them that both they and their homes were the Lord’s, they cut down a tree, painted it blue, and erected it as a large post in the center of the site of their new village. They are now only a mile or two from their former location, only a few miles from the nearest Burmese military outpost.Yet after they dedicated themselves and their homes to the Lord, they have now been in this same place, with no reoccurrence of the attack, for over six years. Even if it were to be destroyed tomorrow, this reprieve already constitutes a miracle.

It is also a lesson for us all.With the foundation of our lives built firmly on Christ, we can meet any challenge. For the

A Karen choir is a regular part of Sunday worship services at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Utica, N.Y.

PRISM 2008

24

As mission workers through the International Ministries of the American Baptist Churches, Duane Binkley and his wife, Marcia, have lived off and on in Thailand since 1982. From their then-home in Mae Sariang, they often heard the rumble of artillery as Karen and Burmese forces exchanged fire.They also worked with Thailand Baptist Missionary Fellowship, during which time Duane served on the board of the Thailand Burma Border Consortium. Returning to the United States for a respite, the Binkleys found themselves running into hundreds of Karen being resettled, which led to their most recent assignment—staying stateside to encourage churches around the country to become involved in assisting the Karen as they adapt to American life. Duane and Marcia live near Akron, Ohio, which is home to almost 300 resettled Karen.

Karen living in hiding inside Burma, physical survival is a challenge. For the Karen in the refugee camps, living in a state of limbo is a challenge; deciding whether to relocate to America, to go to another country, or to remain in the refugee camp is an extremely difficult decision. For the Karen coming to the United States, the challenges of culture shock—adapting to a new language and way of life—are daunting.

For the rest of us, our challenge is how to effectively minister to these newest Americans. God has brought them here for a reason, and we can trust him that in connecting with, partnering with, and serving the Karen, we, too, will experience a deepening faith and a refreshed spirit (Prov. 11:25). ■

How Do the Karen Get to America?

The Karen being resettled in America come through the Federal Refugee Resettlement Program of the United States, a combined effort of the US government and private nonprofit organizations around the country. The program grew out of the need to deal with people displaced after World War II. The president establishes a quota each year for the maximum number of refugees entering the United States.

For fiscal 2008, the quota is 70,000 people from among the 14 million refugees worldwide.

Resettlement is voluntary.The refugee camps in Thailand are not closing, so it is not known just how many camp residents will eventually come to the United States or go to other countries offering similar programs. At a minimum, the total number of Karen refugees coming to America is likely to number in the tens of thousands.

After applying for resettlement, each refugee is thoroughly interviewed and screened by the Department of State and Homeland Security’s Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. They also are screened for active or communicable diseases by the International Organization for Migration or the Center for Disease Control. After a process of interviews, those approved for admission are allocated among the 10 National Voluntary Agencies that operate throughout the United States.

The 10 National Voluntary Agencies are Church World Service (churchworldservice.org);Domestic & Foreign Missionary Society, Episcopal Migration Ministries (ecusa.anglican.org/ emm); Ethiopian Community Development Council (ecdcin ternational.org); Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (hias.org); Bureau of Refugee Programs, Iowa Dept. of Human Services (dhs.state.ia.us); US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants

(refugees.org); International Rescue Committee (theirc.org); Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (lirs.org); US Conference of Catholic Bishops (nccbuscc.org/mrs); and World Relief Refugee Services (wr.org).

After all approvals and medical clearance are granted, air tickets are purchased on behalf of the refugee family. With tearful farewells, they board a bus with other refugees and head to the airport in Bangkok. For many this is their first glimpse of a large city, not to mention their first airplane ride; 24 hours later, they land in their new city.

The local resettlement agency has arranged for housing based on the number of family members and provides basic essentials for the home.When the family arrives at the airport, the agency sends representatives and an interpreter to greet and take them to their new home. Arrangements to visit the Social Security office, schools, social service agencies, English classes, etc. are also made, and life as an American begins.

Resettlement in America isn’t easy. The cost of a refugee’s air ticket is a loan, and payments start just four months after arrival. Initial benefits given to new arrivals, which vary according to location, run out in a matter of a few months. New arrivals of working age are expected to get a job as soon as they can.

The local resettlement agency helps new arrivals find work, but to begin working with little or no English or job skills is challenging to say the least. Most jobs are in the service industry or entry-level factory positions, so pay is near minimumwage levels.

That so many former refugees can come to the United States and thrive is a tribute to the resiliency and determination of the incoming people and the dedication of the workers and volunteers at the resettlement agencies.

PRISM 2008

25