This Week God Brought Us... "Lena"

This week God brought us... ”Lena”, with a complex situation that illustrates how easy it is to slip into poverty. Lena came to the U.S. four years ago from Ukraine after the Russian invasion. She has Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and a work authorization permit. Her English was good for someone who’d been speaking it for only a few years. She went to lengths to explain that she had not accessed public benefits after her first months in the U.S., that she worked two jobs and valued taking care of herself. Her dilemma has four parts:  1) she had had dental work done in Ukraine before immigrating, but a tiny fragment of dental tool had been left in her jaw and the resultant infection and dental surgery in Spokane had resulted in a $17K bill, which she was diligently paying down at $400 each month; 2) she had been involved in a minor car accident – a “fender bender” – for which she had been found liable for damages, adding another debt to her load; 3) she had recently suffered a bout of shingles, putting her out of work for a time; and 4) the current administration had increased the cost of renewing her work authorization to over $1,000 and it was close to expiration. She lives in a rental home with two roommates and has a very modest rent, but she simply cannot afford everything she’s being asked to pay. Lena is the stranger we’re asked to welcome, trying her best to follow our “rules” and pay her own way in a system that must seem baffling to her. I can only guess that she’s also confused why, in this wealthy country, there isn’t a ready resource to step in with funds for her. The good news is that our Immigration Legal Services program handles work authorization cases regularly and can take on Lena’s case. This, at the very least, should alleviate one of her challenges, allowing her to continue to work legally in a country that’s been described as having two signs at our border: “Stay Out” and “Help Wanted.” 

We give thanks to God who walks always with those who cross borders in search of wellbeing and safety.