Sharing the Faith

   
 

God used my
wife Julie to tap me on the
shoulder.
And He used Ralph Starling
to tap her.

by Warren Pierce

An interview with Richmond's First Baptist Church Deacon Warren Pierce by Ministry Resident Lindsey McClintock. The interview took place during the worship services November 22, 2009.

Lindsey McClintock: Warren, when we say refugee ministry, what do we mean? Who are the refugees and what are we doing to help them?

Warren: They are Bhutanese refugees from Nepal. They have been persecuted for decades in their country - for religion, for political opinions, for their race, their nationality, any number of reasons. The United States Government has invited them asylum here. That’s the good part of the story. The rest of the story is more challenging in that they arrive from a distant land, unfamiliar with the language, often with a small bag of possessions, often with just the clothes on their backs.

Lindsey: How did God tap you on the shoulder to get you involved in this ministry?

Warren: Well, God used my wife Julie to tap me on the shoulder. And He used Ralph Starling to tap her. Ralph called one night, needing help setting up an apartment for a family that was coming in late one night. We helped him and were willing to help in any way that we could. From that, things evolved. I became involved in collecting donations. I also became involved in helping to renovate the Boulevard Church, the community outreach center, and then became personally involved with some of the refugees individually. Ralph asked if I would be willing to help a young man learn to drive. I didn’t realize it was going to involve his brother and a good friend. But once we were able to get everybody driving on the right side of the road, he was able to get his driver’s license, and from that he was able to get a car, and now he is able to help others in his community with transportation. But the few cars in that refugee community is no where close to the challenge that transportation still offers in getting to the store, finding jobs, getting to job interviews, and things of that nature.

... imagine putting yourself in the place of a refugee, arriving in the United States, a foreign land, the middle of the night, not knowing the language, not having friends.

Lindsey: Is it true that there are over 300 Refugee families in Richmond right now? Warren: Well, I think 300 families may have come in last year. But, yes, there are hundreds of not just Nepali, but other refugees as well. Lindsey: What can we do to help in this ministry. Warren: First thing people think of is just donating warm clothes because winter is on its way. And that’s a need. But if you can imagine putting yourself in the place of a refugee, arriving in the United States, a foreign land, the middle of the night, not knowing the language, not having friends. No job, no clothes, possibly with three children under the age of four, what would you need? Well, one of the biggest things is support. Having a family or an individual that would be able to guide them through our community, showing them how to get the bus, being a friend and an advocate for the many things that they still need, is a real big need.

Lindsey: And the language, it is uncomfortable trying to speak to someone who doesn’t speak your language?

Warren: A little uncomfortable, but smiles go a long way. The younger generation are pretty fluent in English. The older generation, the parents, not so much, but that is not a problem.

Lindsey: What’s the largest blessing that you’ve have received from working with these wonderful people?

Warren: Well, one of the best blessings that I’ve been able to achieve from all this is through a willingness to serve God through them. Each week, I see more and more people that are willing to step in and volunteer and they, too, allow God to work through them. I see people getting their driver’s licenses, I see children going to school, I see people learning computers, lots and lots of good things are happening. But I still see refugees, Pakistani, Afghani, Sudanese refugees, that don’t have the opportunity or benefit of having a church like First Baptist Church helping them. So there’s still a tremendous need for workers.

   

Dear readers this is an example of a couple who spends their weekends and all the free time for Bhutanese in Richmond Virginia and other refugees  sharing the faith of god; helping every prospectus. Bhutanese are being helped a lot through FBC   in new culture and land.Let their help grow up like a fame of rose.

     Dadi Ram Antim- Blogger and Richmond Bhutanese.