What these miles are for

Halfway.

We’re almost halfway through our 100-mile challenge. It’s been four weeks since my husband and I pledged to walk 100 miles in two months to raise money and awareness for a local refugee resettlement organization. (You can still donate toward our efforts by clicking here.)

Refugee resettlement. That’s the official-sounding phrase, but it means almost nothing compared to the reality.

For the past few months, I’ve been spending Tuesdays with refugees as they learn how to live in their new communities. I can’t tell you everything I’ve seen/heard/witnessed because it’s too much and I don’t have permission to share specific stories.

But I can tell you some things.

These are the reasons I’m walking:

• For the barely adult children who are suddenly head of household because they speak the most English. I have met 25-year-olds who are managing large households, budgeting the food money, and working every available hour so that their family can make a new life here after living decades in a refugee camp.
• For the mothers who want nothing more than to learn English, go to school and have a career.
• For the look I see in a refugee’s eyes when I ask how long it’s been since he’s seen “home.” (Sometimes it’s been 10 years or more.)
• For the young father who is working, translating appointments for his mother and sisters, running errands after work (on foot or by bus) and trying to raise a family.
• For the smiles when an English word or concept makes sense.
• For the relief when a family learns that their money is safe from corruption, that they can be taken care of for a time.
• I walk for the lucky ones, the 1 percent of refugees who actually get resettled to another country, the ones who make it through the layers of security and health screenings, who are brave enough to get on an airplane and set foot in another country.

And I walk for the ones who are still waiting. For the kids who don’t have access to vaccines or medicines or education or hygiene. For the families who left one hellish environment only to find themselves in another one. For the ones who stayed in the war zones.

I walk these miles to make the only difference I know how: one step at a time.

I know this issue can be confusing and controversial. I urge you to seek out reputable sources about the refugee crisis, from organizations with first-hand experience and knowledge working with refugees. You can start with Church World Service, the organization I’m volunteering with. Or search for one in your area. If you have Netflix, I highly recommend the documentary “Salam Neighbor,” especially if you don’t have the opportunity to meet any refugees in the flesh.

And stay tuned! We’ve got four weeks left to log 100 total miles.