Snapshot of Salvation Army mission to asylum seekers on Nauru
Photo supplied by Peter McGuigan.
As The Salvation Army’s mission to asylum seekers on Nauru gets underway, we hear a personal account from the front line.
“The temperature here on Nauru is hot - all day and most of the night,” says Major Keith Hampton, one of the first to arrive on the island to establish The Salvation Army’s operation to care for asylum seekers.
“Our role is to be available to talk to the residents, with the aid of an interpreter, and if anyone has any medical issues or further queries needing to be addressed, we refer them onto the other agencies at the [offshore asylum processing] centre.”
So far, The Salvation Army has 28 officers and employees on Nauru, with more arriving every week. English classes have started with asylum seekers and despite the heat many outdoor games are being enjoyed such as cricket and football. On the Sunday after the asylum seekers arrived, they expressed a desire to hold a chapel service.
Major Hampton describes the service as simple, yet powerful.
“We sang together This Is The Day, which everyone learnt. We then had a short sermon with an interpreter, which was about God's love and his peace. Some of the residents took part in singing a song in a Sri Lankan language and another prayed,” he says.
It was a special time. One of the residents made a large palm leaf cross that he hung at the front of the makeshift chapel.”
Territorial Mission and Resource Director – Social , Major Paul Moulds, says The Salvation Army is working quickly to move the mission from “critical response mode” to a more structured program.
“We will be moving new personnel from short-term secondments to a minimum of three to six-month deployments,” he says.
“This will provide better opportunities for our people to develop longer-term, deeper relationships with the new residents on Nauru, enabling us to put in place programs and activities that are suited to their needs that will increase their sense of hope and connection while they wait the outcome of their refugee applications. ”
The Salvation Army is still seeking applicants for the Nauru mission. Anyone who has the necessary skills and availability is asked to apply through the Army’s Personnel Department. Applicants with the ability to offer service for secondments of three to six months are being particularly urged to apply.
Prayer Points – supplied by Major Keith Hampton
- The roster is 12-hour stints so it can be hard for some in the heat. Please pray for all those who are finding it difficult to cope with the tropical climate.
- Pray for those who are setting up procedures, as it is happening on the run. This is quite normal in the first week or so of any similar operation.
- Pray for family members left at home, without their spouses, sons, daughters etc, as there isn't much availability of economical communication.
- Pray for relationships between volunteers as new people arrive to help.
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