'Social work'

Yesterday was my first real satisfying work day. As I slowly get the hang of things, I am able to be more self-responsible for these people that need my help, and make decisions from my own understanding rather than being in constant indecision because everything is new to me.

As a result, I find myself being able to actually laugh in my job and realize how funny some of these situations actually are - how one refugee has a limited number of doctors that can address his ear infection (due to his limited insurance) but that he refuses to go to one of them because they don't 'click'. I guess everyone is allowed to be picky. Or how I continually refer to my co-worker from Somalia as "Mufasa" from Lion King when his real name Mustafa (it's just too close). Or the abundance of self-designated names- like 'Cigarette', 'Say-boo', 'Jet Li' and 'Snow White', or 'Mi' (which gets really confusing when you are asking the clerk who needs to sign the form - Me or Mi?).

Recognizing the humour in my work reminds me that social justice isn't this epic vision with tear-jerking music in the background. It's not always a motivating speech, or heart-breaking pictures, or a sign-up sheet. It hit me yesterday when the doctor asked me how long I have been a caseworker. I told him I had just graduated college, and he said 'Ah, so you've never done social work before.' For the life of me, I had never thought I would end up in 'social work' - this could also be because I thought social work was limited to something like taking care of old people. But here I am in social work - and heck I'm volunteering to do it. God has a sense of humour.

Houghton gave me a lot of inspiration for social justice, but I'm realizing I need to un-learn some of my ideas. We tend to admire and celebrate the people who have a list of recognizable social justice involvements - we bring them in for lectures and faith journeys to motivate us to do something, to direct our energy to bring healing in a broken world. This is so good, but it makes us focus on building our own abilities, and forget that this is all God's work. God is the one who brings transformation. We don't need to fret about being involved in obvious social justice - as a student I found myself doubting if I was doing enough because my involvements weren't making the Houghton news, or I didn't get some award or title of honour. But it's almost prideful to only seek the big stories, to think that being asked to have a video made of us or speak to a crowd means our work is truly life-giving.

God's work is a subtle movement, a mystery that speaks over time, a humble journey. While we can celebrate the radical stories of God's work, we cannot fall into thinking that this is the only way to measure transformation. It is the daily 'social work', the pursuit of fellowship, the moments of humour, the recognition of God - this is cause for celebration.

Shifting.

My first day of work consisted of unusual events. Shuffling refugees through the motion-sensor doors of the hospital, finding parking, and trying not to snap at rude receptionists seemed to encompass the more difficult aspects of working at HOPE.

Technically I'm the 'medical case manager', which sounds much more focused than what my position actually entails. I'm beginning to realize that my expectation for a set 'schedule' this year is blowing out the window. My time will be decided by appointments, emergencies, surprises, and a little bit of chaos. The drop-in centre is not dictated by its own agenda; it exists to serve the interests of the people who come in for help. While we had 2 days of training, it's pretty obvious that the only way to learn is through experience. So as I try to navigate the american health system, the welfare system, rude receptionists (which are in serious abundance), and driving in a city that can't seem to get enough of one-way streets, I find myself trying to remember what I even accomplished.

A friend introduced me to a little concept called 'rose-bud-thorn'; a way to put a day into perspective. So here's mine:

Thorns:

-Scheduling a 6am surgery appointment, knowing that I'm the one doing the driving.

-People who either hate their jobs or still struggle with prejudice against Medicaid patients (insurance for those who are low-income; a.k.a. our refugees).

Roses:

-Getting an emotional hug from the mother of the child with the 6am surgery.

-Walking around the hospital in an almost complete circle (I'm new, here) with 5 Burmese following in my wake about 20 feet behind.

-Listening to our arabic translator Nabil convince Ben (also new) that a Burmese lady was in need of his french skills... ("She's BURMESE!")

Buds:

-Being invited to celebrate Ramadan

-Learning this whole system...

And always remembering:

"This means we can enter into the challenges of the day with a kind of joyful confidence, knowing that the future belongs to the Lord. It is not our part to bring that future about. God is doing that. Our part is to discern the goings of what God is already doing and to take up our positions there, knowing that God’s future of human liberty and human wholeness is, truly, to live for and, if necessary, “to die for”. Wherever God is on the move, that is where we want to be."