June 2007 - Brother Abedi and Family

I had the great pleasure of fellowshipping with our brother Abedi and his family while attending a Bible School in the village of Kilcoy in April this year.

As many would know, our brother and his family were resettled from the refugee camp in Malawi by the determined efforts of loving brethren, who went to great effort and expense on their part to achieve this. I am quite sure that those involved, would experience a great deal of satisfaction when they see the results of their faith, hard work and sacrifice on behalf of this family. Our brother and his family are now a great asset to the ecclesia there. His two eldest daughters have since been baptized, and his children are reportedly doing very well at school.

I thought I would grasp the opportunity of getting some first hand information on life in the refugee camps, and considered him be a good source of information, because of his personal experience as a refugee for ten years. Even though busy with the affairs of the Bible School, he very willingly made the time to speak with me and in addition gave me, at my request, a written account of his experience and thoughts.

The Totally Helpless and Defenseless Position Of Our Brethren As Refugees
In his record, he stated that a refugee is one who flees from his/her own country through fear of persecution. Hence these are people who have experienced the kind of dread and horror, that thankfully we have never experienced, and are forced to leave the comfort and custom of their home and surroundings for a life of uncertainty, hopelessness and the inevitable suffering that this would entail.

During the ten years of this brother’s life as a refugee, he had no control over his circumstances, as he was on the run from one place to another, at one period almost for two years with no shelter for himself and his family. Yes, they had to live on the roadside, exposed to the elements of the weather. His youngest child would have been no more than a baby then. I asked him how they managed with no kind of toilet facility, no privacy whatsoever, especially no shelter from the rain. I can never forget the expression of pain that clouded his face, as he recalled this experience, showing me how during the rainy periods they huddled together as best as they could in an effort to avoid the chill. I recalled then, while on a visit to England years ago, looking at horse left in an open pasture during a rain fall, drawing itself together, putting its tail between its hind legs, and how chilled this animal seemed.

It was during one of these rainy days that Our Heavenly Father sent one of his angels to rescue the family and place them in a comfortable shelter, not for long, as they were shortly after again thrust out into the life of struggling refugees.

The General Atmosphere of the Camp
Our brother pointed out that even though initially the refugee camp was viewed as a place of relief for the desperate seeking shelter from the brutality, fierce hostility and flying bullets, the increasing stress of living in that environment soon becomes painfully evident. To quote our brother – “This is the very aspect I am trying to highlight based on my experience”, that is, the relentlessly ongoing every day stress that was painfully wearing down the fabric of their lives. When asked about the general feeling of the occupants of these camps, he expressed the opinion that this continuous situation, following their traumatic experiences, fleeing from their pursuers adversely affected them psychologically, and I think that this was his main focus. The changing political situation caused a certain amount of instability and fear, so that people were constantly on edge. Individuals choosing to remain neutral in the political activities were targeted. The UNHCR seemed more concerned about forestalling invasion of the camps from outside forces.

The occupants of the camps comprised a mixture of people from different backgrounds, tribes, religion, cultures, traditions, financial status, ranging from the literate to the illiterate – all accorded the same treatment, except for some with a certain political alignment and agents of International Organization – the privileged few. These were accommodated in the towns, in hotels, receiving monthly allowances, receiving better schooling for their children. One could well imagine the extreme discomfort of people accustomed to a better lifestyle having to submit to the distasteful conditions in the camps.

Family Life In the Camp Environment
Our brother felt that the disruption of this fundamental issue greatly contributed to their overall stress, as family life constitutes the fabric of our society, our wholesome existence. The head of the family lost all control over the management of his family due to the UN’s policy of treating everyone alike, with no distinction between parents and children. They all looked to and became dependent on this organization for their sustenance. Generally food supply was inadequate to meet their needs, and because the parents could not help their children further, girls and young women resorted to prostitution to obtain money. One could well imagine the pain of the helpless parents, when they could do nothing to assist their hungry children. At this point I would like to interject the following quoted in an earlier report – “Here is an extract from an article in the Associated Press produced in one of our newspapers dated Oct. 13, 2006 under the caption, “Jolie appalled by treatment of refugees” - " ‘Its a scandal, really, in such a rich world, that we are not even finding a way to help feed refugee families properly’," Jolie wrote in an op-ed piece released this week in Refugees, a quarterly magazine published by UNHCR, the UN refugee agency”. This is Angelina Jolie a United Nations goodwill ambassador.” This dysfunctional situation led to widespread divorce, children becoming rebellious towards their parents and a rapid deterioration of morals. Females and even young boys were exposed to rape at any time in various places. The UNHCR tried to legalize schools started by former teachers among the refugees, providing shelter and school items for the children. The teachers however were not paid, and were relying on some collection of food by the children. The overall result of family life spiraling out of control has taken such a toll on families that the mortality rates are on the increase. Our brother felt that he could not have survived for a longer period, if our Heavenly Father had not intervened to rescue him and his family.

Spiritual Life In the Camps
There are many churches of different denominations in the camp, and under the circumstances described, one could readily imagine the temptation to join those that offered material benefits, and this was indeed the trend, as there was one church from Japan which baptized 5,000 members in two days.

This outline of life in the refugee camp, as disclosed by one who has had 10 years experience in this life, should enable us to think seriously about this problem, and actively strive with Our Heavenly Father’s help to relieve our brethren from their wretched situation. Our daily reading of God’s loving concern and care for the poor and oppressed, and his miraculous help to his children facing humanly impossible situations, from time to time, should be our inspiration to stir us into determined action earnestly seeking his help in unceasing individual and united prayers.