The Courageous Immigrants

By: Julie Merchant, Volunteer in the Citizenship Class

It has been my honor to serve in the Citizenship Class at Mission Adelante over the past few years. I became involved with Mission Adelante after going to Honduras for mission trips with my church, the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. Mission Adelante was suggested to me as a way for me to continue to be involved with people from other cultures and countries. This program has not only changed the lives of our students, but mine as well.

Citizenship Class helps prepare refugees and immigrants to take their citizenship test in order to become a United States citizen. I could not have passed this test myself until participating in the class for at least three trimesters! It has been so much fun for me to learn alongside the students about our US History and to review how our government works. I can now say, "I think I could pass this test!" Our participants are learning this material as well as a whole new language (the entire exam and interview is required to be in English.) I am in awe at the courage of our students.

I believe that God’s Kingdom is beautifully diverse. This diversity is what gives our world richness and vitality, not division. The relationships we develop with those from all over the world are ultimately what "God's Kingdom come" looks like here on earth.

Each immigrant has a rich and often difficult story of their journey to the United States. My Tuesday evenings are a beautiful reminder of that and of the great nation we live in. I get to sit and help immigrants who have worked all day in childcare, landscaping, construction, or at Amazon. After a long day, they sit with a book on their lap, their mask on, and read aloud to a group, in a new language, unafraid if they make a mistake because they have the hope that one day they will become an American. This is our hope too! Mission Adelante along with their Citizenship classes give me hope that our nation is not as divided as it seems.