Bethlen Évkönyv, 1993-1996 (Ligonier)

Sándor J. Farkas: The Dooe is always open

communist takeover of Vietnam, when the first refugees from Vietnam needed sponsorship, we were able to respond bacause in Lien Kaldor, God gave us the gift of a Vietnamese translator. Lien, a church member, was still in our midst when the first Vietnamese boat people came.

The Board had an ecumenical base, sensitivity to international situations, and partnerships with other ethnic groups in the communisty, so it viewed sponsorships of Polish, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, Romanian, and other refugees not as problems but as opportunities to witness to our oneness in Christ. Previously resettled Vietnamese refugees helped the Board to recognize the need of Amerasian refugees, young men and women fathered by American servicemen during the war years in Vietnam. Through an article in the New York Times we learned that in communist Vietnam a special term was coined to refer to them: children of dust. This term calls to my mind the biblical meaning of servant (diakonos): dia, through; konos, dust. During the past few years the Board’s commitment to servanthood enabled many Amerasians to begin a new life free from discrimination.

The real story of the Refugee Resettlement Home lies in the new lives of those who have passed through its doors and gone on to become productive members of our society. Years ago the members of the Board were presented two large poinsettias by the Vietnamese residents of the home with a card that said,

“To goldfathers and goldmothers with love!”

The residents meant to say, of course, godfathers and godmothers. Yet this small mistake remind us of golden opportunities through refugee sponsorship commitments.

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. ” (Hebrews 13:2)

The Youngstown story affirms this reality.

(Church & Society, Presbyterian Church IV.S.A.I, Nov./Dec. 1994.)

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