How We Began

 By Rev. Rebecca Borke, President of New Beginnings for Refugees

So much of Wausau's story has been shaped by people who came here looking for a new beginning, often after enduring great loss or trauma. Many were European settlers fleeing wars and famines. Several decades ago, our community began growing and adapting as we welcomed Hmong refugees who had served with and protected our troops in Vietnam. They didn't choose to leave their homeland but were forced out because of persecution and retaliation. There were certainly growing pains as different languages and cultures tried to understand each other. But because of the many people, organizations, and churches willing to welcome and learn from people whose lives and perspectives were new to us, the soul of our community grew two sizes.

As we've gone through the deep stress of a pandemic and political turmoil, it became clear that the soul of our city needed to be renewed. Before Easter our church (First United Methodist Church-Wausau) had a Bible study focused on hospitality and diversity, and several people kept having a vision of welcoming refugees again to Wausau. We made calls, sent emails, watched webinars, and attended Zoom meetings to learn how that vision could become a reality. The problem was that we couldn't welcome refugees because we were too far from all the refugee resettlement agencies in our state. The blessing was that we were able to meet people with the same vision all over our community. Leaders with diverse perspectives from churches, businesses, government, schools, and service organizations could see and embraced our common vision to warmly welcome refugees to Wausau.

In mid-May (2021) there was a pivotal day. We met our State Refugee Coordinator on a Zoom call to ask how we could get a resettlement agency in Wausau. I remember seeing her face light up as she explained that just two days prior, she had a call from an agency called ECDC that was interested in setting up a new office in Wisconsin. Thankfully, our call was perfectly timed, and she quickly contacted ECDC to let them know how interested and eager we were in Wausau.

Within a week, ECDC sent a representative from their headquarters in Virginia to meet with community leaders and assess whether or not our small city was a good fit for refugees. I got to tag along to all of these meetings, and was deeply inspired by the generosity and hospitality we saw in our community leaders. The vision and message was clear: Wausau wants to welcome new people, learn about and from them, and work together to make our community a place where everyone can have a new beginning and strong future.

In early June (2021), ECDC wrote a lengthy proposal to the US Dept. of State to open a resettlement office in Wausau in October. Connections grew with more leaders, churches, and organizations coming together to collaborate and successfully resettle refugees. We began to prepare ourselves for the initial work and common challenges that go into welcoming refugees. There are language and cultural barriers that often cause misunderstanding, especially in the early years while we learn from each other. Housing can be difficult to find, and we will need property managers willing to rent to people who come with no jobs, credit skills, or rental references. There is plenty of room in our job market and schools for many more employees and students, but we will need translators, English Language classes, and cultural training to ensure the success of everyone.

Over the summer of 2021, volunteer leaders, moved with compassion and a desire to step into much needed roles, began preparing for these needs. They formed a new non-profit community organization called New Beginnings for Refugees to help prepare for and support our new refugee neighbors. Since those early days, we have furnished over a hundred homes and taught English to over a hundred adults and their young children for families arriving from Afghanistan, DR Congo, Syria, Myanmar, Burundi, Venezuela, Guatemala, and beyond.