Through Christlike acts of love, Leland Community UMC is building relationships with their refugee and migrant neighbors and bridging the gap between cultures.
JAMES DEATON
Content Editor
When Wilberto boarded a plane in early February 2023 after spending two months in a Nicaraguan prison, he had no idea where he was headed. Hazzel, his wife, and their two daughters were left behind and later fled to neighboring Costa Rica.
As a political asylee, Wilberto had been detained in Nicaragua for speaking out against the government’s alleged human rights violations. He was one of 222 others on the plane flying to escape oppression and start anew in the United States. After a brief stay in Florida, Wilberto arrived in northern Michigan through a partnership with the Catholic Diocese of Gaylord.
By God’s grace, Wilberto was eventually reunited with Hazzel and their two daughters. But settling in a new home over three thousand miles from their old one brought challenges: navigating a new culture and language, finding work and housing, and making friends.
A small United Methodist church in Michigan’s little finger surrounded the family with care and support as they established themselves, thanks in part to a $2,000 Mustard Seed Migration Grant through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR).
Leland Community UMC was one of four United Methodist churches in Michigan to receive a Mustard Seed Migration Grant in 2023. The church used the funds to assist Wilberto, Hazzel, and their family, along with other migrant neighbors, as they built a new life. Reaching out to vulnerable neighbors is a tangible witness of the love of Jesus Christ in their community.
UMCOR supports refugees and migrants worldwide, seeking to fulfill the biblical mandate to “love thy neighbor” and “welcome the stranger.” The Mustard Seed Migration Grant program provides congregations with up to $2,000 for a one-time, community-based service project.
The deadline to apply for the next cycle of grants is November 1, 2024. Click this link to learn more and apply.
Kim Speicher, a member of Leland Community UMC, learned about the grant offering from her husband, who was exploring online. He told Kim, “This Mustard Seed Migration Grant would be great for your English as a Second Language (ESL) class. You are already doing many of the activities mentioned.” She applied last fall, and the church received the maximum amount.
A retired Spanish teacher, Kim volunteers with a small group of women to teach English to Spanish-speaking migrants and refugees in rural Leelanau County.
She explains how the group started: “We worked with Gladys Muñoz from the Justice and Peace Advocacy Center to begin teaching ESL in Kewadin. When the opportunity to teach in Leelanau County became available, it was a perfect fit. I have been teaching ESL since 2014, but with this group for eight years. I always enjoy helping bridge the gap between cultures and languages.”
Through this experience, Kim has befriended people like Wilberto, Hazzel, and others who desire to learn English to become self-supporting, engaged community members. Learning to read and speak English is essential for these people as they shop for food, go to doctor’s appointments, fill out paperwork when applying for a job, study for citizenship testing, and sign their children up for school.
Learning English has helped Wilberto and Hazzel find employment. Hazzel says, “I work at Chick-fil-A in Traverse City, washing dishes, cleaning the kitchen, doing kitchen prep. I also clean houses for a construction company. When new houses are built, I go in and clean them.”
Wilberto also works at Chick-fil-A. “I clean in the kitchen and do pots and pans, but I’m the one who puts the breading on the chicken,” he says, smiling with pride.
Their daughters are also learning English and adjusting to school in northern Michigan. One is in high school, and the other is attending Northwestern Michigan College. Kim notes, “NMC gave her a scholarship for college tuition. So, for this family, that would have been impossible.”
Leland Community UMC used funds from the Mustard Seed Migration Grant to purchase supplies, workbooks, and other resources for Kim’s ESL class. The grant was also used to buy Christmas gifts for Hazzel and Wilberto’s family and two other families. This made their first Christmas in the United States meaningful, especially for the children.
Hazzel speaks with gratitude, “My family was very happy. We arrived in the United States with nothing. We had to leave everything when we came here.” The families from Nicaragua came with only a backpack of items or less. In fact, three men came with only the clothes given to them as they left detainment.
Members of Leland Community UMC have rallied around these migrant and refugee families and helped them find appropriate winter clothing, furniture, and household items for their homes. Kim adds, “I am on the Missions Committee at our church, and we also gathered blankets that many of the families needed for the winter.”
Money from the Mustard Seed Migration Grant also provided transportation to Grand Rapids for one of the immigrants to obtain a work permit, a U-Haul to move two families into permanent housing, and one month of preschool costs for one of the children.
Kim has had a wonderful experience supporting these migrant and refugee neighbors as they flourish in their new communities.
“I have always been moved by Jesus’ call for us to serve others,” says Kim. “I believe that he has blessed me with language skills, love, and compassion for the Hispanic community. And I have learned that I have received much more than I have given through serving others. We are all teachers, we are all students, and we’re family as well.” It’s been a blessing as Kim learned about various cultural customs in Nicaragua and experienced their cuisine.
As a person of faith, Kim appreciates this familial bond, a connection that transcends denominational labels and is rooted in our unity in Christ. “Even though the majority of the students practice the Catholic faith, we pray for each other, support each other, and love each other. We often share daily encouragement that includes mentioning God blessing everyone’s day. I personally want our students to feel loved and accepted by our community. God has also blessed me with deep friendships with the other teachers.”
Opening our eyes and noticing the people living in our communities who might be new and feel alone or on the edges is part of our witness as Christians. And when we open our hearts, move to action, and ask them how we can help, we honor them as beloved children of God.
How might churches and individuals learn from Kim and the members of Leland Community UMC and increase their own witness in their communities?
Kim advises, “Opening yourself to new experiences with your neighbors is a perfect place to start. I love the hymn that says, ‘Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?’ It has served to help me listen to God’s ‘calling in the night.’ I know that the Lord will bless the efforts of whoever wants to serve. He will help with doubts, fear, and uncertainty and strengthen you. Be open for miracles to happen! With God’s help, anything is possible.”
She also encourages Michigan United Methodists to find practical ways to get involved in their communities. “It’s easy to partner with established organizations,” explains Kim, “to get to know people who may be different from you. 5Loaves2Fish, a ministry of our church, is a perfect example.”
November 1 is the deadline to apply for a 2024 Mustard Seed Migration Grant. Click this link to apply.
Last Updated on October 28, 2024