One wild and precious life…
‘Tell me, what do you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?’*
As I watch the daily loss of lives and homes through war in Gaza, Lebanon and the Ukraine, as I see the conflict and people fleeing from Myanmar and South Sudan…and the numbers of people forcibly displaced from their homelands rising above 117.5 million by the day., the above question seems like a luxury that so many are deprived of. So many precious lives…
Yet with the same breath, it is a question that reverberates with limitless potential as we look beyond the statistics, and see the precious lives they represent. The mothers, the fathers, brothers and sisters, the friends, the individuals, each with stories of their own. Each one with a name, history, hopes, dreams, skills and gifts to share. It becomes an invitation to us to become individuals and communities of welcome and connection and compassion for those who have been forcibly displaced from their homelands by war, conflict, poverty and climate catastrophe. And in the welcome, and in the connection, and in the compassion there is a deep mutual transformation that takes place as we allow ourselves to see and be seen, to listen, to learn and be shaped by stories, and experiences so different from our own. So my question, and my invitation - what will you do with you one wild and precious life? How can our communities become places of light and sanctuary for those seeking refuge? Each one of us has a part to play.
It was a privilege to deliver the Mary Coatman annual lecture in Hobart a few weeks ago. As a part of the evening a Congolese family who is being supported by the local community under the CRISP program shared a part of their story. Everyone there was humbled by their courage and resilience. It was a wonderful opportunity for the local communities gathered there to consider their unique passions, resources and skills, and how they can be used to impact the lives of those who have had to flee unimaginable horrors and begin a new life in a strange land.
Sunday was a complete joy preaching at the 3 different congregations of St Mark’s Bellerive, engaging with people of all ages and stages of life. Through Jesus’ parable of the Great Banquet we explored what living lives of generous, lavish hospitality would look like in terms of the way that we welcome refugees, expecting nothing in return. It was a rich time of connection and warm generosity.I am so thankful for this vibrant community of St Mark’s Bellerive and am excited to see how they choose to embody this warm welcome and lavish hospitality within in their community and towards those outside.
*Poet Mary Oliver
Our inaugural Sanctuary Family Retreat
It all begins with an idea.
Reflections by Naomi Chua
A father, watching his wife and daughters sailing a boat themselves for the first time, said with tears in his eyes,
‘This is freedom like we could never have experienced in our home country.’
W fled Afghanistan in 2019, his wife and 4 children were evacuated when Kabul fell to the Taliban at the end of 2021.
Sanctuary Family Retreat was filled with moments such as these. Little glimpses of light and hope. So much so that one participant described the retreat as ‘a little piece of heaven’. As the first big activity of Embrace Sanctuary Australia, this retreat far exceeded all of our hopes and expectations. In partnership with SU Australia, we were able to bring together the team of our dreams. Each of our team members were incredibly skilled and gifted in so many ways and brought to this experience years of experience and wisdom, and although they all may have struggled to completely conceptualise what this retreat would look like, they each caught enough of the vision to commit wholeheartedly and with unreserved passion to this project.
Alongside this incredible team of volunteers was a rich cohort of participants, who also exercised a huge amount of trust in coming along to this retreat in a location that they had never been before and with only a sketchy understanding of what it would involve. This trust was a gift born out of deep and long term relationships, I had the privilege of having with the majority of those who agreed to come along. Those I had the most shared history with, I asked to come along in the capacity of community connectors. As leaders in their various communities, these individuals played an invaluable role in explaining different aspects or the retreat, acting as cultural bridges and often translating into their respective languages. A retreat of this nature, that brought together those forcibly displaced from their homelands and local communities could not have happened without the generous, gracious and tireless efforts of these community connectors.
Connection
Every person on retreat had the opportunity to design their own calico square, capturing something about what ‘connection’ meant to them. Because we had a number of people who spoke little to know English, we used a number of art activities, that were not language dependant, that families could work on together to explore the various themes.
Our aim with the Sanctuary Family Retreat was to create a community of WELCOME, SAFETY, CONNECTION and HOPE for the 46 participants and 32 team members who attended. These values formed the themes that we organised activities around each day. Songs, picture story books and people’s personal stories provided the locus for these themes to be explored and experienced together. The retreat community shared language, culture, meals, games, karaoke, a women’s-only dance night, and some competitive games of soccer and volleyball(aided by the presence on retreat of 2 young members of the Afghan National Women’s soccer team in exile). A theme song entitled “Welcome, we’re welcome here” was co-created in 5 languages, as well as a mural composed of calico squares drawn by every retreat participant reflecting their experiences of connection. Participants were also able to partake in activities such as sailing, canoeing, rock climbing and archery, many for the very first time. Post retreat one team member created a symbol out of clay of what the retreat meant to him. He created a brick wall that had been broken down, symbolising breaking through the barriers of culture and understanding, to a place of deep connection.
“‘It has profoundly affected me. I think it will take some time for me to process the impact. I do believe that the veil between heaven and earth was very thin on this retreat. I have been on a zillion Christian camps but nothing as profound and exciting as this one. It is a privilege to have been part of it.’
”
Our incredible team
Our inaugural Sanctuary Family Retreat was only possible because of the gifts, wisdom and generosity of these amazing people.
Spontaneous soccer matches
‘It was a complete revelation and stereotype buster!!! Other cultures do so much so well…' Team volunteer
‘It was warm, welcoming and inclusive’ Retreat participant
Learning together
‘It encouraged me that Australia can be a welcoming place where people share and appreciate each other…’ Team volunteer
Both young and old tried out new things and explored how they could use those skills to serve others
‘I loved helping the kids learn to draw Australian animals. I think I love teaching and would like to be a teacher when I grow up’ 8 year old team volunteer who ran a drawing workshop
Culturally appropriate women’s only dance and story-sharing nights made women feel comfortable to share.
‘I am more confident to be engaged with recent refugees. I have grown in my faith and been encouraged.’ Team volunteer.