GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WZZM) - Christmas is a time to spend with friends and family, but for the hundreds of refugee families in West Michigan this time of year can be tough when loved ones are half a world away.
For the Myint family, refugees from Burma, it has been hard, but thanks to the help of some West Michigan organizations they got to celebrate Christmas.
Maung Myint, his wife, and family of four boys don't speak English, but when he pulls out a guitar you can tell he is singing "Silent Night."
His ethnic group in northwestern Burma is heavily persecuted by the majority culture, so he fled to Malaysia where he lived for seven years before being granted refugee status. Speaking through an interpreter, he said, "We have been here for only three months, and we don't know anything yet."
Myint, like hundreds of other refugee families in West Michigan, used Lutheran Social Services of Michigan to help find an apartment, a doctor, and to start learning English.
"We are in the refugee resettlement program," says Alice Gallneyer of Lutheran Social Services, "so we provide services for new families that just arrived here for the first few difficult months in Michigan."
During the Christmas season, Lutheran Social Services pairs families with people and organizations willing to donate presents. The Myint got to open dozens of presents this year, thanks to Orthopedic Associates of Michigan.
"It is the most awesome thing to bring gifts and to see the joy and happiness...for a family that doesn't have much of anything," said Joyce Bouw of Orthopedic Associates of Michigan.
Lutheran Social Services helps over 300 individuals a year, from large families like the Myints to individuals.
"For Christmas, most families are getting together and being thankful for what they have and recognizing the story of Jesus, who was also a refugee in a sense," explains Gallneyer.
And if you want to say Merry Christmas in Burmese -- it's just "Merry Christmas."
http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/refugees-celebrate-christmas-in-us-for-the-first-time/
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