Stories of Hope and Home is a charity which seeks to offer safe space and a sense of community to people seeking sanctuary; and to facilitate ways to amplify their voices. In our most recent project, “Letters from my Life”, participants have written letters from different moments in their lives, to different people they have encountered along the way. Eventually, it will become a published resource to give those who read it an insight into their lives and thoughts. In the meantime, we are offering you some snippets of their letters here. We hope you will find their words encouraging and inspiring!
From a letter when someone who has newly arrived in the UK:
“I am writing this letter to ask you not to judge me at first glance. I might look untidy or sloppy in my unstitched clothing and frizzy, dirty hair. It is not really who I am but the result of what the circumstances of this life forced me to be. I am not feeling good enough to explain more right now after a few days without any food or drink in my stomach. I have no words to indicate how exhausted I am. I just look for someone who can listen to me and take me to the right place to rest and eat. I don’t know exactly who you are or how you behave and to what extent you will be able to open your ears to me; but I believe the Holy Spirit will guide you and make it happen. I am really looking forward to meeting you.”
From a letter to someone who supports sanctuary-seekers:
“I’m writing to you today to acknowledge your support and love you show to asylum seekers. You have given us the reason to survive. You supported us and loved us as part of you. You have shown sympathy and love when we needed it most. You have fought our battles in so many different forms. We really appreciate the advice, the support and the love. You comforted us in our distress and encouraged us to stay positive and to keep fighting. All of you that spent sleepless nights because of our problems may you be blessed and may that love come back to you. This struggle would have been much more difficult if you did not choose to help. You were the fuel that kept us going. Please continue to be the bridge between the migrants and those that are hostile. Your presence will calm the storm. We long for an integrated community that sits together and laughs and does things together. We very much want to learn from you and also teach you a few things that we know. Our diversity makes us stronger so let us unite and make this world a better place for all of us. Please keep up the good work and let your light shine on those that have not seen it yet. We will forever be indebted to your love and care.”
From a letter to someone who wants to help but isn’t sure where to start:
“I can see that you want to help. It is easy to feel stuck at the beginning to wonder what is the right thing to say or do. You don’t need to fix everything. It starts with showing up. Sometimes helping looks like listening without interrupting. Sometimes it’s asking a gentle question.
These things can feel small but they are not. They are often exactly what someone needs. You can be honest. Honesty builds trust more than perfectly chosen words ever could. Helping doesn’t mean carrying everything yourself. You can reach out to people, family and friends trying to support or encourage them to keep showing up by taking one step at a time. And stay kind. The fact that you’re asking where to start means you’re already closer than you think.”
The Columbans have the privilege of working with Stories of Hope and Home on education outreach work, such as ‘Festivals of Encounter’. Find out more about Stories of Hope and Home here.
