Often we are experts on subjects until we are directly involved. Whether it was parenting, our first job or the first time we experienced grief, we thought we knew all the answers until we were engaged in the real experience. I travelled to Hungary, Ukraine and Romania in September for my Moderator’s trip. We had been reading in the press about the unfolding humanitarian crisis centred at that time in Hungary and we formed certain opinions. They quickly washed away as we spent time with the refugees fleeing their homelands by the thousands and as we met with local communities trying to cope with this challenge.
Upon my return, I have been startled by the sweeping generalizations people continue to make. Some suggest that this is a terrorist plot. Others comment that migrants with cell phones and the ability to pay smugglers should not qualify as refugees. Others suggest that the young men pouring out to find a safe place for their families are just economic opportunists. They should be staying at home to fight. We are such “experts” when we are miles away from the crisis!
On our very first day, we drove down to the border crossing between Hungary and Serbia. Earlier that day, Hungary had closed its border. Before the day was over we had spent time with the refugees in a temporary camp and also talked to representatives of a town called Subotica who have been dealing with the thousands of people crossing the border.
We came to understand the complexity of the crisis in a whole new way. We experienced the heartache of those who were attempting to provide immediate aid by offering tents, blankets, food, water and Wi-Fi. We appreciated anew how cell phones are the lifeline for refugees as they communicate with family back home and with one another to determine new routes to Germany and other sites. We began to understand Hungary’s desire to contain its borders given the huge numbers attempting to flow through their land and their frustration with the open invitation that Germany had first extended but was now modifying.
I spent time with a group of young men from Syria. One told me of having to pay $3,500 to a smuggler to be put on an overcrowded boat and sent out without a guide. He watched as one man was shot by the smuggler and died in the boat in spite of the efforts of the refugees to help him. This young man walked for 15 hours hoping to find safety only to arrive at the Hungarian border just hours after it was closed. He described what it was like at home. He told of the daily barrage of bullets and bombs from a variety of sources. Between ISIS, Asad’s army, freedom fighters and other nations participating in the war, his siblings and mother continue to live in constant fear. He named his confusion, hurt and disappointment that an invitation had been retracted and now he was trapped in a temporary camp with the temperatures dropping and no sense of what to do next. As we were leaving, we watched several more buses pull into the camp, each one stuffed full with new arrivals. All ages stumbled out weary and frightened. The very next day some of the refugees tried to push through the border fence and were met with tear gas and water cannons.
Many church leaders we met, like Dora Kanizsai-Nagy of St. Columba Scottish Church in Budapest and Dr. Istavan Zalatnay, a pastor of the Reformed church, indicated their commitment to the refugees. They refuse to get caught up in the battle over definitions of who are migrants, asylum seekers or refugees. They refuse to be distracted by the numbers pouring through each day. They were determined to be advocates for people seeking a safer and better life. They refuse to see the migrants as only Muslims since the crowds rushing in were not only from Syria but also Nigeria, Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan. They are very informed regarding the struggles that the EU governments are facing in dealing with the impact of these numbers yet they consciously choose to honour Christ in caring for those who need food, clothing and water.
It is easy to make assumptions and consider this to be a European problem. But as a nation we Canadians need to step up to the plate to assist people fleeing from a battle in which we are engaged. Obviously the best solution is to resolve the conflict in Syria but in the meantime we can help those who have left behind everything to try and find a safer home. We can participate in refugee sponsorship. Millions are displaced and sitting in refugee camps. We can make a concerted effort to challenge our government and our local MPs to be more generous in opening the doors to refugees and to streamline the process for applications and screening. Many of us have parents and grandparents who migrated from other lands, helping to form the Canada we know today. This is our chance to welcome the stranger as many of our families experienced in this land years ago.
Let’s dare to risk really knowing refugees instead of making assumptions about them. It should be natural for us to be in solidarity with people who have had to leave their homes and travel to a safer land; even Mary and Joseph had to flee to protect their infant son. We know what would have happened if they stayed.
The refugees we met were simply seeking a place of peace and safety and a new opportunity to work to support their families. They long for a new hope and secure future. Yes, the problem is complex and yes, there is a need to be wise in our efforts but in the end, the refugee knocking on our door could be our Saviour calling us to care for the strangers in our midst.
