Fort Morgan is a town of about 11,000 people on the northeastern plains of Colorado with a large meatpacking plant and several other food-processing businesses employing a wide diversity of people, many of whom have experienced forced displacement at some point in their lives.

The IAFR drop-in office is connected to a Somali-owned business with a lot of foot traffic. It’s open three days a week for anyone who wants to stop in with a question, a request for assistance, or simply a conversation. Here is what a day often looks like at the office.

What it looks like to help people integrate into their new world

To start the day, a young lady comes in and does her best to explain her difficult situation with immigration-related matters. It is all understandable, but I have a hard time coming up with any potential solutions. However, it does seem that simply listening to her situation provides some consolation. I promise to do some research and follow up with more information.

A father wants help filling out a passport application for his young daughter. He buys me a nice cup of tea from the adjacent café as a way to say thanks for the assistance.

Two guys come in around the same time and both want help submitting job applications, one at the meatpacking plant and the other at the cheese plant. They jostle, in a friendly way, to decide who gets to go first. They both speak Somali, but only one of them feels comfortable communicating in English, so the other guy helps with interpretation, which works out very conveniently. Their applications are successfully submitted, and they leave hoping to be contacted soon by the employers for next steps.

Another immigration-related conversation results in a decision to contact a Colorado senator's office and request assistance exploring a case that has been pending much longer than normally expected, without any updates. I’m grateful for this service available from local legislators, even though there are still limits to how much they can help.

Uh oh. The next person has a situation involving a court hearing. It is daunting to them, so I do my best to kindly and patiently help them figure out how to use Webex on their phone for the court hearing. I’ve learned a lot figuring out how to help people navigate through their phones.

Someone comes in with two items they received in the mail. One item says something about a union and that they need to pay their enrollment fee immediately. It is junk mail, and I gently encourage them to disregard it. The other item is important, though. They have an overdue hospital bill. “Do you want help making an online payment now, or should we explore what assistance might be available if you aren’t able to pay much right now?”

Since it is Saturday, the day ends with some casual, one-on-one English lessons. My best plans are often diverted in unexpected directions, but that’s just fine with me.

A Consistent Neighborly Presence

Reflecting back, I realize how many greetings and brief chats were a significant part of my day. I love the smiles, the laughter, and the inquiries about the well-being of family members. My hope and prayer is that a consistent, neighborly presence will continue to open doors for connection and sharing.

CLICK to learn more about IAFR in Northern Colorado

IAFR is committed to supporting refugees and asylum seekers throughout their journey. Their challenges do not end once refugees have been resettled or asylum seekers receive refuge. After everything they have survived, they still need to learn to understand the ways of their new culture, put down roots, and integrate into daily life. Our team in Ft. Morgan is there to help them succeed.