The work of welcome in the wake of war

The story of Neighbor to Neighbor

Abstract

After growing up in a Christian community where support for the US military and its global dominance was assumed, I became drawn to nonviolence in my mid-twenties through exposure to Anabaptist thought. Initially, I thought of nonviolence in terms of what I was against: the physical violence and terror of war. Putting nonviolence into practice meant expressing my disapproval of the military industrial complex. But through my encounters with refugees and asylum seekers, I have been challenged to think of nonviolence not only as what I am against but also as what I am for, not only how to resist war but also what to do in the wake of war. Below I tell the story of how I came to found the non-profit organization Neighbor to Neighbor after encountering those displaced by violence, followed by an account of how Neighbor to Neighbor welcomes those fleeing violence into our community. But, first, it is necessary to describe what those seeking refuge and asylum in the United States are up against.