It was the coldest day of the winter - the kind where the only real comfort is a mug of hot chocolate and some comforters. We had just dropped off my assistant at the subway station in Jamaica Center in New York. Even the usual hubbub of the place was tempered by the weather as hundreds of pedestrians hurried towards warmer destinations.
We watched as my young assistant reached the top of the lighted stairway and disappeared into the cavernous station. As we were about to drive way we saw two women standing next to the cab in front of us. What was unusual was that the women wore very light cottony clothing - no coats, no gloves, not even scarves.
The younger one poked frantically in her handbag while she spoke to the cab driver through the window. The older woman stood next to her shaking uncontrollably.
My husband took $20 from his wallet, “They are foreigners, take this money and pay the cab.”
When I walked up to the cab, I caught part of the conversation between the driver and the woman.
He shooed her way with his hand, “Get way from my car, you boat people. You come to my country and take away our jobs. Get away!”
She pleaded with him, “I lost my money, please take us home. Somebody there will pay you. Please sir, we are cold.”
The scene filled me with indignation and I touched the woman’s arm to calm her and turned to the cab driver, “How much is it, sir?”
"I’m not taking those boat people.” And he maneuvered his way into traffic.
I lead both women to our car. They got in and I turned up the heat. In tears the young woman explained that earlier they had been to a job interview, but had lost the paper with their home address and did not know what bus to take. She had also lost the little money she had in her handbag, and had used some coins to call her cousin explaining their dilemma. The cousin promised to pick them up right away.
They had been standing there for four hours in the dead winter cold - waiting. Finally they decided to seek help. They had been warned at home to talk to no one except a cop or a taxi driver.
I loaned them my cell phone to call home. I could hear as their female host berated the young woman. She claimed that she had drove around the area twice and did not see them and since it was so cold she went home. I took the phone and spoke to the woman trying to calmly get the address from her. I admit that it was only Jesus that kept me from yelling at this unsympathetic hostess.
Oh, how my heart cried out for these two women.
We tried to engage them in conversation. Only the daughter spoke, and I thought perhaps the mother did not speak English.
We learned that they had just come from tropical Guyana three-days before. Life had been very hard. Their father was very abusive. Her mother’s cousin had offered for them to come stay with her in America. They were definitely ill-prepared for the weather.
When we arrived at the cousin’s home, the mother came up to the driver’s side and grabbed my husband’s hands, and in clear English and a very quiet voice said, “Thank you, thank you because if it wasn’t for you we would have died.”
What if we remembered that immigrants, strangers, foreigners are of the same human condition as us? What if we remembered that this world is not our home anyway? What if we remembered that we are also foreigners here?
“You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt…” (Leviticus 19:34 ESV).
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5 comments:
Norka:
What a beautiful story and reminder. I just imagine our Father looking down nodding affirmatively as you and Warner showed the love of Christ to these two women.
Thank you for sharing.
Norka,
Your post gave me chills. It's true this is something we see (especially here in my area of the country- California) all too often. I recall when I was a young mother and a waitress just trying to make ends meet. I worked with the nicest young mane who's name was Bonito. (sp?) He didn't speak English well, but he worked hard, and we developed a friendship just on the merits of my trying to learn a limited amount of Spanish (mainly- 'be careful, the floors wet", and 'hello, how are you today'.) :) If we would only remember that there are very few people here in this country today, that could conceivably claim ownership based on their heritage. None of us is more entitled than the other, and we're all here to show one another the love of God. (Besides the fact, that oftentimes, these immigrants are the only ones that will do the jobs no one else wants to do.) Thanks for the post. Blessings to you and yours.
Norka, what struck me immediately was how you and your husband are both of one mind in regard to helping your fellow human beings. Honestly, I know that sounds strange to say, but I was married twice and both men were the kind who usually thought it better to not get involved, and were reluctant to approach a stranger. Although I love the crux of your story about reaching out and helping others, I am also appreciating what a blessing it is when two people are of one mind and one heart in Christ's commandment to "love your neighbor". What a beautiful, and also heartbreaking, story.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful story. It is so easy to just go about our own business sometimes and not even be aware of the needs around us. That is one thing my husband is very good at and I appreciate that so much about him. He has been opening my eyes more to being more aware of my surroundings instead of being so caught up in my own business.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful story. It is so easy to just go about our own business sometimes and not even be aware of the needs around us. That is one thing my husband is very good at and I appreciate that so much about him. He has been opening my eyes more to being more aware of my surroundings instead of being so caught up in my own business.
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