Related blogs
Content linked below doesn't necessarily represent the views of the Jesus Army
immigrant
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Smiling Through Pain, Somali Asylum Seeker's Story
Erasto arrived in England looking for peace and found it at the Jesus Centre.Published: 18th Apr 2014
“FIGHTING in Somalia is a tradition” said Erasto,* who arrived in the UK from Somalia 15 years ago as an asylum seeker. “People don’t always know what they are fighting about. Our grandfathers were fighting – and we are fighting.
“I came to England hoping for peace. Yes, the UK is peaceful, but the weather is terrible especially when it snows! Africa is just sun and rain, sun and rain.”
Erasto lived for a while in London and Crawley before settling in Coventry in 2003. Some of his friends call him “Smiler”. Why? Because he’s constantly smiling and “always likes to look on the positive side of life” – an amazing feat when you hear his story:
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Musicians, Immigrants and Administrators
Rob Halligan, musician and a manager at the Coventry Jesus Centre tells of music breaking the icePublished: 27th Aug 2013I've been working at the the Coventry Jesus Centre since 2004, mainly under the 'admin' banner. It means I go to the bank, sort out time sheets and create invoices for groups that hire our rooms for their own events. But more recently I've been taking time to hang out in the 'Bridge', our daily drop-in, and it's been great to be on the ground, meeting the guys that see us as a safe and friendly place.
I had this brilliant thing happen the other week.
One of the things that stops me from talking to people I don't know is that I get a complete blank when it comes to knowing what to talk about. All I really know about is music and with that I'm no expert! So the other week, I'm sitting...
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