Making a Difference

 I love staff meetings because it is a wonderful to hear about the many ways that City of Refuge is helping the refugee community in our area.

Recently one of our care coordinators realized that an elderly woman was postponing doctor's visits because she did not realize what her Medicaid was.  Her doctor's office did not even have record of insurance on file!  The language barrier most likely played a large role in the confusion.  The lady was living on a small, fixed income but was paying out of pocket for her visits and medicines.  The care coordinator was able to explain and now the lady can fill her meds and visit the doctor at no cost.  She won't have to do without food to get the care that she needs.

We also heard that there are three families moving to Columbia specifically because of the support that they can find here.  Families and friends talk to each other; many of our refugees have come from other states because they do not get the level of support in the area where they were settled.

Another woman called her friend, and care coordinator, because a baby was not breathing right.  When the care coordinator asked more questions, she realized that the baby was blue!  The family was able to meet the care coordinator at the hospital and get immediate care for the baby.

Another man called his care coordinator for advice.  He had lost his key and could not get into his apartment.  The care coordinator was able to coach him to visit the building manager for a copy of the key.  It sounds like a small thing to us, but some things are not intuitive to people from other cultures.

Can you imagine having car trouble and not knowing which shop is reliable and reasonably priced?  What if you did not realize that your insurance company would provide you with a rental car?  What if you did not know what a rental car was?  What if you did not realize that you could shop around to get a different insurance company with better rates?  What if you did not realize that your older car could qualify for a different insurance package that was cheaper?  There are so many parts of US culture that are confusing and tricky to navigate...even for native born citizens! 

Please keep Burma in mind.  It was brought up in staff meeting that many of our Burmese friends are sending money home to family who are hiding in the jungles.  The only way that these people can buy food is when their families send money.  Often the corrupt governments will take a portion straight from the bank accounts.  Here is a news article that I read recently about Burma and some of the things that are happening there.

There will be a Burmese fundraiser held in Cosmo park this Saturday.  If you are interested in helping them support their friends and family in Burma/Myanmar, go try out the delicious food!

And of some have compassion, making a difference: Jude 1:22 KJV

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All opinions expressed here are solely mine and are not a reflection of the opinions of the AmeriCorps VISTA program

 or of City of Refuge in Columbia, MO.