Building Bridges

Building Bridges

Treat them [foreigners] like native-born Israelites, and love them as you love yourself. Remember that you were once foreigners living in the land of Egypt.

Leviticus 19:34

There’s an area of the state where I lived for several years that has an increasingly large immigrant and refugee population, many of whom are from the war-torn country of Somalia. In a predominantly white area, this has caused tensions to rise as people confront a culture and religion that is different from their own.

Recently a friend of mine was at a local pharmacy. She overheard a Somali woman at the window next to her having a hard time understanding why her health insurance card didn’t cover the whole cost of the medicine she needed. She was short by eleven dollars. The pharmacist asked if she had any money to make up the difference in cost, and the woman said no. The pharmacist then asked if she could return later to pay for the medicine, and she simply shook her head. She looked scared and confused, and my friend thought about how horrible it must be to be in a foreign land, to not really understand the language, to have no money and no transportation.

Moved to action, my friend paid for this woman’s prescription. She told me that the pharmacist looked at her with surprise, making my friend think that pay-it-forward actions must not happen very often for Somalis in her community.

The Somali woman, when she understood that her medicine had been paid for, looked relieved and grateful. It made my friend want to bless and take care of others who may not always feel welcome. “We have to make an effort. We have to get better at reaching out. We have to build bridges toward peace,” she told me.

It’s not always easy to see the ways we can actively work to build bridges in our own communities, but doing so can be as simple as reaching out to someone who differs from you in their social or economic background, culture, or religion. As with so many other acts of kindness, you can start small and see where it leads.

—Kristin

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Do an act of kindness for someone who may not feel welcome in your community.