Refugee Ministry
About Chin Refugee Ministry in Lewisville
Chin Evangelical Church in Lewisville has about 700 members and they do a lot to try to welcome and care for newcomers. But there are thousands of Chin in Lewisville now, even though they are not supposed to be relocating here (refugees are supposed to be placed in Dallas and Fort Worth, but they come to where their families and their communities are). And most of the Chin that have been here for a while are still scraping by in difficult and lower-paying jobs.
In 2004, there was a very small Chin presence in Lewisville and the church had about 70 people. In 2007, 70 more Chin came in and the church tried to help welcome all of them. In 2008 about 110 more came, in 2009 about 200 came, and now there are ~2,000 Chin in Lewisville. So you can see how it's difficult for the Chin Evangelical Church to carry that load.
At the recent national Chin conference, Indianapolis and Lewisville, TX were named the two best places for Chin to go in the country.
When CRM opened their "offices" in one of the apartment units at Basswood Manor where many of the Chin live, Becky (CRM Director) said that Pastor Zam (of CEC) was going around and touching each of the walls. She asked why, and he said "because this is the first place the Chin are welcome."
Pastor Zam also once said that some day, the government in Burma will fall, because evil can't last forever, and their children will go back with their educations and turn Burma into a Christian nation and, he added, the US could use a Christian nation between China and India! Quite a vision, but not impossible...
About the Chin
The Chin are a people group that is a minority in Burma. The majority people group there is the Burmese, who are Buddhist. They are about 95% Christian and are persecuted there because of their ethnic identity as Chin, because of their religion, and politically because many of them voted for a candidate in a "free election" in 2000 who won but then was then thrown in jail. The records of who voted for that candidate were kept and those people are being systematically persecuted by the current government. The Burmese people group controls the military and the (socialist) government and the Chin have no political or economic power.
Under the persecution, pastors are smuggled out by their congregations and many have made their way here. Dallas is a popular destination because of all the seminaries here. After 9/11 they (and everyone else) were no longer allowed to seek asylum in the US, until they were unclassified as potential terrorists in 2007 and were allowed again to come into the US.
In the meantime, many of them escaped into Malaysia where they work as illegal immigrants and basically as slave laborers since they are unprotected by Malaysian laws. When they make it here from Malaysia, most are malnourished, abused, and have been exposed to many illnesses.
When they arrive, they are permitted to bring one suitcase of belongings. The government gives them $400/mo for four months. This amount is expected to cover rent on an apartment, furnishings, food, clothes, and whatever else they might need, and that gives them four months to learn the language and find employment.
Usually when they arrive they don't know how to use a stove or microwave, flush a toilet, use our currency, navigate a grocery store... much less enroll their kids in school, use public transportation, fill out applications, get bank accounts... They need American brothers and sisters in Christ!
How To Do It
Click on the buttons above to learn more about how you can serve.
Click here for an application and background check and turn them in to Becky Nelson at . Contact them at the Chin Refugee Ministry office at 972-221-3249 to see how to get started in the process once the application is in. They'll see what your interests and skills are and help place and schedule you.
If you want to do a group thing with our church, contact . Most individual stuff can be organized just through them though.
