Ramadan has just ended... which means I’ll probably begin my Arabic classes soon (my potential teacher, who was fasting during the day, thought that trying to teach a beginner like me might be a bit difficult on an empty stomach -- a good decision I think). It also means that we’ll start visiting more families in their homes. In Athens, many of our Muslim friends were very keen to invite us over to break the fast at sundown, but they knew us quite well. We’re not really at that stage here yet. This is probably due to the racist abuse that many refugees have experienced; as a result they are quite discreet about their practice of fasting and feasting during Ramadan. It’s a shame that there isn’t more openness, but we’re aware that we are dealing with a greater culture of distrust than what we initially experience in Athens.

Our schedule is also starting to fill up with learning opportunities. In the following weeks, we are going to the Scottish Churches and Contemporary Migration Conference, which will hopefully give us more detailed information about contemporary immigration and asylum issues in Scotland. We’re also looking forward to networking opportunities.

Though we are busy helping out at two drop-in centres and building relationships with refugees, at this early stage in ministry, we are trying to figure out what needs are not currently being met. For the men I’ve encountered, many have trouble finding work once they have made the transition from being an asylum seeker to having refugee status. For the women, Emma has encountered women who are looking for assistance with childcare, help with tests (e.g. the “Life in the UK” residency exam and the drivers’ theory test), and having the opportunity to chat with somebody about their problems. So we’re looking into a few things: starting a small business where refugees can get job training in a Scottish context?; setting up an advice centre specifically tailored to the needs of refugees and asylum seekers but open to the whole community?
Just vague ideas at this stage, but the opportunities excite us. Still, this means getting to terms with a lot of legalities and red tape. I appreciate It’s there for a reason, but sometimes I wish for the more laissez faire approach of the Greek system (could there be a middle ground?). Luckily, there are a lot of local organisations that are set up to help us get to terms with this.

With this in mind, I’m going to meet with the North Glasgow Regeneration Agency to talk through some potential ideas and see what availability there is for funding, necessary licences, etc. We are also going to meet with a centre in the south of the city called The Well (they’re a great group of people, we actually met with them when we first came to Glasgow to assess the opportunities here). It’s an advice centre set up by the Church of Scotland for the South Asian community. Though they work with a different clientele, we feel that much of what they do would be pertinent for the communities here in the north.

So it’s an exciting time and we have lots of ideas flying around our heads. Hopefully as we go to some of these meetings, we can assess what’s practical and appropriate for our area, and making steps toward a more specific plan. So keep us in your prayers, especially that we’ll be attentive to how God wants to lead us in this formative process.

- Paul