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Chin Refugees In Lewisville. An Introduction to the Chin People of Burma and the Chin Refugee Ministry Chin Refugee Ministry April 10, 2011. Quiz.
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Chin Refugees In Lewisville An Introduction to the Chin People of Burma and the Chin Refugee Ministry Chin Refugee Ministry April 10, 2011
Quiz • At the end of this training, you will be given a quiz to see what you can remember. It’s an “open-slide” test so you can go back and find the answers.
Know your geography? • Find Burma on the map on the next slide • Bonus question: Why is it called Myanmar on some maps and not others?
See Hakha – That’s our Chin Our group is from the area around Hakha – speak Hakha Chin
Why Called Chin? • No one knows the origin of the name • It is the Burmese name for them, not their name for themselves • Most of ours are Laimi from Central Chin State, around Hakha, and we have a few Zomi, who are the northern Chin • Ours are called the hill people and a Zomi told me with disdain that the Laimi boil their food until it is tasteless
Chin Tribal Story • Two brothers left Mongolia to find new land. • The impatient older brother went faster, breaking banana leaves to mark his trail. • But banana leaves reproduce so fast that the trail grew back and so the younger brother stayed, in the land of the Ka-chin • The Chin went to Chin land and they still build an extra room on their homes, waiting for the younger brother to arrive
Chin State: Land of Mountains Rural: no electricity, no indoor plumbing, no refrigeration
What is a refugee? • By definition, a refugee is someone who has left their country because… • What are some reasons you think people become refugees? (list some reasons on your paper)
Than Shwe ranked No. 4 on Parade Magazine's 2009 "World's Worst Dictators" list.[15] Thein Sein, “elected” in March, Than Shwe still making the decisions. Nothing has changed.
Who is a Refugee? • An individual fleeing his/her country due to persecution based on: • race, • religion, • nationality, • political opinion, or • social group membership. • Poverty is not a qualification for refugee status There are more than 11 million refugees in the world right now.
Qualify as Refugees in 3 Ways • Chin persecution based on: 1. Race (traditional ethnic tension between Burmese & Chin. Two separate countries until the British colonized them and put them together) 2. Religion (Chin are Christians; Burmese are mostly Buddhist)
Persecuted Christians • Ann & Adoniram Judson introduced Burma to the story of Jesus Christ in 1813 • Arthur Carson first missionary to Chin 1899 • The first Chin believer was baptized in 1904; faced great opposition among Chin • Christian missionaries expelled 1966 • Chin are now 70 - 85% Christians • The Chin in Lewisville are the children & grandchildren of those first converts
Program to Destroy the Christian Religion: Published 2007 • “There shall be no home where the Christian religion is practiced,” the first sentence of the Program to Destroy the Christian Religion, published in 2007 and assumed to be sanctioned by the Burmese government since they control publishing • “The Christian religion is very gentle. Identify and utilize its weakness to destroy it” From Voice of the Martyrs
Where were you in 1990? 3 Reasons You Can be Classified as Refugee • Ethnic • Religion • Political Opinion • Burmese military in control. Held “free election” May 1990. The military lost. The Chin overwhelmingly did not support the military, so government began to kill their leaders/pastors, harass and intimidate the people with forced labor camps, rape, and beatings • Intimidation continuing – new free election in 2010, was not free. Military didn’t allow places to vote where they knew they would lose. Heavy intimidation. Some tribal areas now in civil war.
Chin Flee Burma • As the violence against them continues, the Chin flee their homes in Burma and travel to surrounding countries where they settle in refugee camps • Malyasia is where most of our Chin are coming from – they generally stay there anywhere from 2 to 11 years before being resettled by the U.N. • Hakha – Rangoon – Bangkok - Malaysia
Problem: No refugee rights in Malaysia – they are illegal, no official camps can be built for them.
Chin refugee camp life River for drinking water, bathing, washing clothes, bathroom
Families Separated • Men in Malaysia from 2-8 years before families join them • Wife & children in Malaysia from 1-3 years before family can come to US • Wives & children often live 20-30 to a house in the city • Some men come to US and then try to get families out
What Adjustments? • List the “adjustments” the adults make when they move from Malaysia to Lewisville • List the “adjustments” the children make Lewisville
The Process: How A Refugee Comes To Dallas Refugee is interviewed by the Joint Voluntary Agency (JVA) representative to grant refugee status (if a refugee has relatives in the USA, they must file an affidavit of relationship form at this time) The refugee flees homeland to a country of first asylum In the country of first asylum the refugee registers with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the American Embassy START END 1 to 2 weeks later, the refugee flies into DFW Airport and is met by agency staff/volunteers Refugee is interviewed by U.S. Citizenship Immigration Service (formerly INS) to grant refugee status. * OR If Rejected: Refugee must file request for reconsideration; Second interview with JVA, if approved; Second interview with USCIS if approved If not approved, refugee must stay in country of first asylum OR if approved by JVA but not by USCIS, they may apply to another country The national agency allocates the refugee to one of their local offices, such as Dallas, to begin the resettlement process If Approved: Biographical Data is sent to the Refugee Processing Center in Arlington, VA Refugee is now allocated to one of ten national resettlement agencies at a weekly meeting * It can take several months to a decade before a refugee is approved to come to the U.S.!
Resettlement (up to 6 months) Case Management Furnished Apartment* Limited Financial Aid ($400 per family member for 4 months) Social Security Card, Texas ID, Food Stamps Health care (Medicaid) School enrollment for kids English Classes for adults Orientation Initial Employment. Ongoing services (up to 5 years) Employment Help Job Retention, Upgrades, Reemployment Education and Training ESL Literacy Cultural Orientation Work Readiness Vocational Training. Agency Services to Refugees
They weren’t supposed to come to Lewisville Spontaneous Refugee Community
They come because… • Ten years ago their pastors settled here as defectors and went to seminary here • Ten years ago their pastors found jobs here • Today they can still find jobs here – almost 75% employed • Of churches. Every Chin in Lewisville belongs to a church. They “wilt” apart from each other.
They come because… • They are related. You can’t come to Lewisville unless you are related to or have a friend already in Lewisville • America is safe. Every Chin in Lewisville is trying as hard as they can to get their whole village out of Burma/Malaysia
5 Churches • Chin Evangelical Baptist Church - Lewisville • Chin Baptist Church - Irving • Chin Texas Baptist Church - Irving • Chin Revival Church – Dallas • United Pentecostal – Lewisville (30)
CEBC & FBC FM-Partnership 1 FBC FM, pastored by David Williams, sponsored Pastor Zam Mang and CEBC as a mission In June 2007, FBCFM began Chin Refugee Ministry by request of Zam Mang with Becky Nelson, leader.
Zam’s charge to Becky Help the refugees.
From 70 to 700+ CEBC • Chin Evangelical Baptist Church is now 700+ members • They have 3 pastors • They are run by a deacon board elected by the congregation • They worship from 2-4pm at Lakeland Baptist Church (they rent space)
CEBC is Baptist • They are very Baptist in theology and in church structure: congregational • They are Baptist in ministries: They have Sunday School, small groups, choir, women’s fellowship and a strong youth/singles ministry • They are active members of the Chin Churches of America, Baptist General Convention of Texas and Denton Baptist Association
CEBC is Evangelical • The Chin are known as the evangelicals of Burma – the local church sends money back to Burma to support the churches there in their quest to evangelize Burma
CEBC is Young! The majority of our Chin are young adults just starting their families, trying to figure out parenting itself, as well as how to be Chin parents in America where nothing is the same
2. FBCFM (CRM) & The Village Partnership • Under the direction of CEBC Pastor Zam Mang, Becky Nelson has led the CRM from June 2007 to the present • Dan & Jenn Potter began assisting her in Feb 2009, with plans for the Village Church to become partners in this mission effort- TVC partnership launched in January 2010
3. World Relief Partner – Nov, 2010 • World Relief in Fort Worth, an evangelical resettlement agency, received a federal grant to partner with CRM Nov 2010 through Feb 2012. • Becky Nelson coordinates the Lewisville case management initiative as an employee of World Relief • Jenn Potter coordinates the ESL efforts of CRM as a part-time employee of World Relief
4. FBC Lewisville – Nov 2010 • In November 2010, First Baptist Church of Lewisville, as part of a service on the persecuted church, also began the process of learning about CRM and have joined the partnership
