“He has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us; he has struck us down, but he will bandage our wounds”
Hosea 5:15-6:6
Today we come to the end of our journey with John. As we look back over his story, how do these vivid words from Hosea resonate with what you have heard? Can you sense both the wounds and the healing?
John’s Story
John’s long journey to have his rights as a refugee recognised is still ongoing. He finds strength from his deep faith in God, his friends and places like JRS.
“JRS is amazing. They are very lovely; they listen to you. Colnbrook is the first place I met JRS. I met Fr Harry. He came every Friday and he’d speak to us. He was so kind, he’s a quiet man. He listened to us, you know? He really listened.
“I’ve been coming to JRS for about two years. Every time I come, everybody I see asks me how I am, they ask me if I want a cup of tea. You can see in their faces that their care about the answer, they care about me. There is a lot of love in JRS.
“It’s the little things as well – the little money, the amazing food, the toiletries, the way they care for people.”
In spite of all the difficulty in John’s life, he is conscious of being part of a wider community and of the welfare of others he meets at JRS.
“I pray for others, because their matters are worse than mine.”
An Invitation to Action
By coming to JRS, John has found the welcome, love and support that have been missing at various moments in his story. It is through the ‘little things’ that we are able to offer John accompaniment and companionship through which he can find strength as his journey continues.
Throughout Lent, we’re inviting you to make an extra effort to take simple actions to show refugees and people seeking asylum understanding and compassion.
Become a regular donor
We are only able to help John and our other refugee friends with money, food and toiletries, thanks to your generous support. Will you consider donating regularly to JRS to allow us to continue to accompany John, Juliet, Fernand and Ibrahim?
Your regular donation will support our work in accompanying our friends, for example to their reporting appointments, to ensure hardships grants are available, and to enable our friends to access essential services.
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