After it became known that we had refugee families residing in a hotel in Woburn, a group of Winchester residents decided to get involved. They created an organization, Community Action for Refugee Emergency (CARE). Through Epiphany, I learned that CARE was looking for people to teach English to the adults staying at the hotel. A few parishioners from Epiphany, along with other faith communities, have been involved in CARE.
Since surviving a major stroke in 2017, I have been asking myself, “Why did God save my life? (The survival rate of the type of stroke I experienced is only 25%.) After a time I decided, "God must want me to use my abundant free time resulting from my unplanned early retirement to help others." During the last seven years, I have been aided by countless people, many whom are the Haitian caregivers at my Assisted Living Community.
I have come a long way since that fateful day, and am now grateful to be in a position to provide help to others after having been on the receiving end for seven years. Until I heard about CARE, I had not come across a “hands-on” volunteer opportunity that I could fill as a disabled person.
When I found out the refugees are Haitian, I signed up for the teacher training because I feel a special connection to the Haitian community due to the ways people of Haitian descent have been there for me. I believe God called me to this work because God has provided me with an opportunity to care for the same community that has taken excellent care of me.
The lower-level classroom in the hotel is wheelchair accessible, and we teach in pairs; my partner does the writing on the board. From a seated position, I am able to fulfill the rest of the requirements of teaching. My speech therapist tells me that teaching is therapeutic for me and that I need to speak louder and more slowly. Both of which I must do to teach English successfully. God does work in mysterious ways.
By giving the gift of English, I may be helping to one day give the gift of shelter, as basic English skills will afford the refugees employment opportunities that will in turn allow them to pay rent and have a home for their families. I am thankful for this opportunity to live out my faith and heed God’s call to love my neighbor.
Julie Theriault
