Here I am sitting outside The Telegraph Mill a coffee shop in my city. There is live music being played by a cover band, Tom Petty Tribute Band Featuring Vota. I am sitting with my friend Alex and Ruslana from Ukraine and two of the their sons. During the first set, the cover band performed the Tom Petty song Living Like A Refugee.
For them to sing that song while I am sitting with four refugees who fled the war in Ukraine about a year ago impacted me. So few of us bloggers know what it is like to escape a war zone and leave everything behind hoping for a new life in a new country.
On Monday, I was at their home as fireworks were popping all afternoon. Ruslana and their daughter Ester were triggered by the sounds of the fireworks, so I had them repeat with me, “I am in Lincoln. I am not in Ukraine. The war is not here. I am safe.”
Alex has been working so much delivering for Uber and for Walmart trying to make rent and take care of the family. He did not receive his work permit until this year in March, six months after arriving in America. Ironically, his five year old son received a work permit three months before Alex did.
Refugees live with so much uncertainty and so many mixed emotions. The trauma endured stays with them. Establishing a new life is hard. I am grateful my friends Alex and Ruslana and their children know Jesus and have received help from a Ukrainian church in my city..
I will never hear the song Living Like A Refugee the same as before. I hope now that I have shared this post, whenver you hear that song it won’t be the same for you either.
Thank you for reading. God Bless.
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