A Helping Hand

Posted on | April 17, 2009 | No Comments

(Photo:  Susana Rohrer)
(These are just three of the immigrants that Rohrer has helped adapt to life in the United States.)

“I’ve always had a heart for people – on many different levels.”

Susana Rohrer, a 17-year resident of Elizabethtown, Pa., is a volunteer “social worker” (though she wouldn’t call it that) who helps resettle refugees from Asia, Russia and the Middle East. Through Church World Service (CWS), a volunteer organization that works to encourage worldwide peace, Rohrer helps these refugees learn English, etiquette and personal skills, as well as how to shop and how to count money. “Many of them are like a blank slate,” Rohrer said.

“It’s a blessing; I can build a bridge. If they can learn to live differently over a period of time and adapt, and they’re willing, then it’s easy for me to be flexible and patient,” Rohrer said.

Rohrer always knew that she would work with people; it was almost an innate characteristic. Born and raised in Portugal, Rohrer started out teaching literacy to the natives. “When I was little, there was a fairly high illiteracy rate. I taught adults to read when I was a child, but it was never something that I thought twice about,” Rohrer said.

Rohrer eventually came to Lancaster County to go to high school. It was here that she met her husband and realized this would be the place she would make her home. Rohrer took classes in psychology and music at Lancaster Bible College and Millersville University and audited classes at Franklin & Marshall College.

Rohrer and her husband also adopted a special needs daughter out of foster care. “It was just something I knew I needed to do,” Rohrer said. “She taught us so many things about the world and how to be more patient and kind to people.”

After getting involved in one of the local churches, Rohrer and her husband started teaching classes on Increasing Global Vision. Soon after they began teaching, CWS contacted the church and asked them if they would be interested in sponsoring their cause.

“I took the lead on the project and ended up being the one to sign the government document. It was very thrilling and exciting for me,” Rohrer said.

The first family to come through their church was an Iranian family whose lives had been severely threatened. “Our church took them under its wing,” Rohrer said. Because of the recent event of September 11, the family’s trip came to a standstill as significant background checks were made, “but they were not a threat at all,” Rohrer said.

“They lost everything. The things that happened to them were unthinkable. But once trust is established, they tell you things and talk to you in a way they won’t talk to professionals,” Rohrer continued.

Through CWS, Rohrer helped this family find a home, learn English and make a life in a new country. I spent a lot of time modeling behavior and establishing trust. All of the things I’ve learned from my daughter are now light bulbs that go on. These people suffered deeply. I’ve seen that it takes patience,” Rohrer said.

While some of the families she has helped have been “easier” than others, Rohrer loves all of those that she has helped equally.

“There are some families and people groups that are more challenging to deal with than others. I think about that. It’s easy to love people when they’re lovable, but it’s the people that are challenging that really need the help,” Rohrer said.

After learning many different languages, many different histories, and entering the worlds and minds of many different people, Rohrer recognizes that the things that used to be important aren’t anymore. “The stuff that people worry about just isn’t that important in the grand scheme of things,” she said. “We’re just so fortunate – it helps me not to complain and just be thankful.”

The families that Rohrer has helped, she says, are very innocent and naïve and get taken advantage of a lot. “Helping them involves a lot of moving and teaching, but life is that way,” Rohrer said.

“It gets personal,” she said. “And then there comes a time of letting them go and watching them fly. And they do. It’s a process.”

Author:  Jennifer L. Tarr

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