Community is important, and helps you know who you are, and to
be more fully who you want to be. The community at St. Paul’s Christian Church
has been working on legally changing the names of fifteen Montagnard refugees
who are part of the church, so they can claim the family names they were denied
in Vietnam. There was a lot of paperwork involved – forms, copies of IDs and
greencards, signatures and stamps. The day we went to the Wake County
Courthouse and the new names became official was a milestone, but it didn’t
feel really special or meaningful. When it was all done, Ni asked if that was
really it – he expected some questions, or a swearing-in, or something more
ceremonious than being handed a piece of paper.
What was really powerful, though, was this past Sunday morning
when we had a Name Blessing service at the church. Each person’s new name was
said aloud as we drew a cross on their forehead with water – a combination of
an anointing and a baptism, since there are no models for an adult christening service. The whole community gave thanks for each
person named and prayed, “May our God, who knows your name, bless you and guide
you.” Scriptures were read in both Jarai and English, and Jum and Tuat gave
beautiful, heartfelt prayers of thanksgiving that they had written themselves.
It was especially powerful to hear Nip speak about why this
meant so much to her. Here’s part of her speech:
As a human it is
important to have a family name, so we know where we belong. It’s important to
everyone and it’s important to my family too. What does it feel like when you
do not have a family name, but instead, just “male” and “female”? Montagnard
people in many places of Vietnam are still carrying it. An “A” for is male and “Y”
is for female, which has been given by the Vietnamese. When many Montagnards
are here in America, they find each other and try to unite. It is a pleasure that
we finally officially, legally carry our family name. When we have our family
name we can find other people from our village. This is a huge change for us.
We now can look up as we walk forward in this new life.
Praying beside my Montagnard friends, I felt like I was exactly
where I belong – in a community of people from different countries, backgrounds
and cultures who work together and know each others’ names and stories. These
are the people who shape me on my journey through life. I become more fully who
I want to be when my Montagnard neighbors remind me of the importance of family
and faith, and remind me that with courage and a caring community around us, we
can overcome any challenge.
