The Nigerian family being helped by four members of our ministry have accomplished a great deal during their first three months in our country. Our volunteers, John and Maureen McCarthy, and Tom and Pat Stack, have seen language barriers diminish and the bond between the family and the volunteers grow. 

 

Over the past eight weeks, the family of eight from Nigeria has reached many milestones as they acclimate to their new surroundings in the suburbs. The youngest son attended a summer day camp, beaming each time he came home. The father and oldest son started jobs at the end of May. Another son and the oldest daughter began working in August. The jobs are vital because support from the World Relief Agency is reduced after three months. 

 

Other practical matters are being resolved, with the three school-age children getting their placements for the coming school year while other family members are enrolled for their next ESL sessions. The 26-year-old son is also taking driving lessons so that he can obtain a US driver’s license. 

 

These are important aspects of the family’s acclimation, but more rewarding for the volunteers are the bonds formed during the weekly visits. The family has delighted in playing word and number games to improve their word and language skills. The volunteers learned more about the importance of food as part of Nigerian hospitality. One highlight was sharing the homegrown sorrel that the volunteers had planted from the seeds the family had given them. The mother demonstrated how the sorrel is prepared, then brought out plates of cooked sorrel and a scoop of semolina, which is similar to cornmeal. The real surprise was when the father brought out a bowl of water for finger washing. He explained that you eat the meal by pinching off some of the semolina and using it to pick up the sorrel. 

 

In addition to making cultural connections, the meals have provided opportunities to learn more about the family’s background and their journey to America. Exodus instructs volunteers in the New Neighbor program not to inquire about a family’s past. However, in the course of sharing food and fellowship, members of the family have spontaneously revealed information about their harrowing escape from Boko Haram, the 10 years they spent in a refugee camp in Cameroon, and the extended vetting process before they were resettled. Vetting is often complicated by a lack of documents or records. For example, the lack of birth certificates leads to refugees being given a birth date of January 1 along with the year they believe they were born. 

 

Although the initial three months of the Exodus New Neighbor program are over, our volunteers are eager to continue visiting with the family. The ministry members have found it to be a rewarding experience and look forward to helping with the family’s transition.