would you take in a refugee?

[StormRichards]

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Rules? Same as for any other person I would have in my home. No extra-special crazy lunatic rules only for Muslims or refugees from crazy lunatic Muslims.

People are all people. Those poor folks have been forced to leave everything - everything - they have EVER known.

Imagine your 80 yo grandma in Iowa. Bombs are going off all around her. Military people are shuffling about, randomly executing men she's known since they were babies.

They're screaming at her to GO GO GO

So she bundles up some photos and clean underwear in a blanket and starts walking with the others. She doesn't know any language but English. I mean, she's lived in Iowa her whole life, right?

I'll skip the two week walk to the refugee camp and the 16 months she spends there, sleeping on a cot in a tent.

So, she finally gets to the US. And everyone tells her that she can't have a place to live out her remaining years.

We're all Christians, you see, and we're SO ruled by fear that we can't help an old woman. Go sleep on the ground.

I would welcome anyone, from anywhere who has been displaced because of war.

This includes men and women of any age.

I am not a Christian, but what would Jesus really do?

Is there an Iowa not in the U.S.?

[StormRichards]

Yes I would take in a refugee. Ideally a woman or children, but I wouldn't be against a man. Not his fault he's a man and I don't assume all men are deviants.

I don't assume all men are deviants either, but I do assume that I am unable to determine which ones are. I worry enough about the upcoming high school & college years, and the unthinkable things that seems to be far too common these days.

We contribute to charities on a regular basis that do provide assistance in these type of situations. My heart will definitely allow me to open my wallet, but my head won't allow me to open my home.

[FLA]

if my teenage dtr were still at home, I would not take in a man, I just wouldn't take that chance. Plus, it's her room I'd be giving away, lol.

I think there would have to be a time limit on how long they would stay, too. Like 2 yrs would be pushing it.

[rennigade]

Absolutely, yes. We have the means to help.

I am not a Christian either, but I am a human with compassion.

What does being a christian have to do with taking a human being in? I know plenty of "good hearted christians" who are manipulative lying gossiping stuck up scum bags. But they dress up once a week and gather around on uncomfortable wooden benches for an hour and they're somehow awesome people.

[StormRichards]

What does being a christian have to do with taking a human being in? I know plenty of "good hearted christians" who are manipulative lying gossiping stuck up scum bags. But they dress up once a week and gather around on uncomfortable wooden benches for an hour and they're somehow awesome people.

Those benches are uncomfortable.

[FLA]

I just saw a video of a man who went to the airport to pick up his brother who has a green card and has been here 20 yrs and he had been deported. Watching that Iranian American brother sob and ask what his brother had done wrong broke my heart. I almost wish taking in a refugee would happen so that I can help in some way. I don't know how else to help someone like this man.

[Sagalamora]

Will I run to the local charitable association to tell them "Hello guys I'm ready to take in refugees"? Hum not sure frankly, but I will definitely not leave outside in the cold people fleeing war, shall they knock on my door, specially if they are children.

[myrdale]

For everyone who said YES! I have one question. How many homeless people of no relation have you taken in over the past decade?

I am of the opinion that anyone immigrating to this country should be able to carry their own weight. Engineers and mathematicians are great, but even truck drivers or factory labor and street sweepers will do.

I am perfectly fine with the idea that if the government is going to allow people to come into this country with only the shirt on their back, allowing tax payer money to fund housing and job placement. Just so long once they are here they are working towards ASSIMILATION and SELF DEPENDENCE.

[msomnipotent]

It depends. We have several exchange students every year, so it isn't unusual for us to have complete strangers staying with us. I would be concerned about getting along. I wouldn't change my ways for anyone and wouldn't expect them to (unless they smoked. Even I can't smoke in my own house so they can't either). I'm going to drink when I want to and probably swear more often than not. I'm sure I would seem very offensive to most refugees.

[StormRichards]

I am perfectly fine with the idea that if the government is going to allow people to come into this country with only the shirt on their back, allowing tax payer money to fund housing and job placement. Just so long once they are here they are working towards ASSIMILATION and SELF DEPENDENCE.

Does that include speaking English?

I was at 7-11 on Monday and a woman came in to play the lottery with her already filled out card. The clerk tried to tell her several times that the lottery machine was down. She just kept standing there totally clueless as to what the clerk was saying. The clerk took a couple steps to the left, and the woman thought she meant she had to do the transaction at a different register.

I felt bad for the clerk to have to put up with that.

I personally have zero desire to ever travel to another country. However, you better believe if I am ever forced to relocate abroad, I will make every possible effort to be able to communicate in their language.

And not that anyone asked, yes I do find it annoying that my MAC machine asks me if I want English or Espanol

[rennigade]

I personally have zero desire to ever travel to another country. However, you better believe if I am ever forced to relocate abroad, I will make every possible effort to be able to communicate in their language.

I used to always want to travel the world until maybe 5 or 6 years ago...now I have no interest at all. Last year we thought about going to Australia for a couple weeks (we had the skymiles to get us there for basically free) but I said nah im good. Just couldnt care less anymore. For the time being theres enough awesome stuff to see in the states.

[FLA]

When I did home health care, I worked in the poorest part of the city. I treated many homeless people out of the back of my car. I treated them in homeless shelters. For some reason they were always men so my vision is skewed. But most had mental health issues or substance abuse problems that I wouldn't bring into my home. That sounds small of me but I spent enough time with them to know I would never voluntarily live with a schizophrenic.

The one shelter was really good. If you were clean for a year, they would set you up in a tiny apt and help you look for a job. The program was successful for the non-mentally ill.

[Mjenn]

We wouldn't qualify to take in a refugee because we don't have an extra bedroom, and given that we have small kids and a lot of daily chaos right now, I don't think we would be an ideal space for a refugee either.

That said, we are a refugee mentor family. That means we are paired with a refugee (or in our case a refugee family) and we have them over to our house for monthly dinners. The program gives us a lot of freedom to plan the activities ourselves and not many obligations, but we find it gives them a chance to have a bit of normality to come have dinner in a home and just be 'normal'.

I also volunteer at a 'learn the local language' cafes at our local library. This is a drop-in hour where refugees can come and practice the local language with locals. (Not English, I live in Scandinavia). As the hours are rough with work, I don't get in as often as I like, and there are far more refugees to locals, but I find they really take it seriously and ask a lot of questions about how to say things and grammar. Most of the ones I have met there are young men from Damascus and Aleppo.

As someone who is also a foreigner in this country but from an 'acceptable' country, I am familiar with many of the challenges they will face, but not the extreme they will face them. They have always treated me with respect and kindness even if I am a 30 something year old woman.