Lucy Chaimiti (nee Hill) is the Executive Director of Adam House, a short-term home for refugee claimants in the process of resettling in Canada. Adam House, serves as a unique place where both refugee claimant residents, staff, and volunteers create bonds that feel like family.
"Our clients are on a meager allowance, yet never hesitate to share a meal. They invite staff and Adam House volunteers into their homes, offering what little they might have.
"[Earlier this year], a 67-year-old Muslim woman from Eritrea invited me to her tiny bachelor apartment for a meal. I arrived later than I had expected, and I couldn’t stay for long. She still heaped my plate full of spaghetti and salad. When we packed up my leftovers, she insisted that I take everything that she had cooked, except what was on her own plate. In very limited English she told me that she didn’t want me to have to cook for my family when I arrived home. What an extraordinary gift from someone who has so little.
"We, the affluent west, might be tempted to think, that as we welcome refugees, we are the ones who are showing hospitality. But we give out of much, and seldom sacrificially. How can we love and welcome others sacrificially? I would challenge us to consider that sacrificial hospitality might not only refer to how much we give, but about allowing ourselves to be a bit uncomfortable in welcoming and loving others. Maybe it’s not only about opening Canada’s door and supporting through organizations like Adam House but inviting people into our homes and lives."
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