It was indeed a privilege to share this rare and intimate moment with the refugees in the camp. They alone know and yet do not know that the drama of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is literally played (truly anamnesis) within the confines of the refugee camps, in their very lives.
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| Celebrating the Risen Lord with Fr Dominic (Chaplain) | Christ the Light! Thanks be to God! |
At the back of my mind I thought it will be good to be recollected in one place, perhaps a retreat. But being on the move like this to be amidst people who suffer showed me another way of truly celebrating the Risen Lord. There were many special moments with the refugees and JRS staff sharing at the table of friendship and hope. Even if we are not able to solve all their problems, being there with them especially during these holy days…we glimpse hope together while we share the sufferings.
It was also the Karenni New Year (Ketubo). . . saying goodbye to the old year and welcoming the new. A new life! We were treated with cultural dances at the Karenni Education Department in the Mae Hong Son refugee camp.
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Amidst the hustle and bustle and dust of camp life, there is anxious waiting for resettlement to different countries in the hope of a brighter future. “I do not really want to go, but for the sake of our children’s future, it is best that I leave.” expressed a refugee. Jimmy was rejected for resettlement after around a two-hour interview with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS-USA). All he did was to help stop a community from being oppressed by the military by ‘acting’ as an interpreter-intermediary for both. The DHS considered him as a ‘persecutor’ of the community. He spoke fluent English but was not allowed to speak in English but only through an interpreter to the DHS. He has appealed. “We believe and we try; it will take time. We must think in a positive way,” said Jimmy. (Contributor: Fr Bernard Hyacinth Arputhasamy, Regional Director Jesuit Refugee Service Asia-Pacific)