Baltimore Blizzard 2009

With my two years in Baltimore, I've come to expect two things from Winter: almost no snow, and a few ice storms per year. I was surprised and overjoyed this weekend to discover almost two feet of snow falling in the city! Driving was nearly impossible for 2 days and with many side-streets still snow-covered, schools are closed.

A few words about this blog......

This blog is the brainchild of Sarah Buskirk, one of our Mennonite volunteers. Everyone in the house is welcome to contribute to it. Just ask Sarah if you would like to post anything.

Individuals in the household will not be identified unless they agree to be. There will not be any photographs which will identify asylum seekers. Understandably, they are wary of their identities floating out there in web. We will also not post images of others who do not want to be seen by all in cyberspace.

Food preparation and the sharing of food is an important part of the life of our house. It brings us together in fellowship as nothing else can do. We commiserate much and laugh even more with each other around the kitchen dinner. Over meals, we learn about each other and from each other. We encourage each other on our journeys. I suspect that our meals give us those precious few moments that remind us that we are not alone in our journeys and struggles. In the photo on the right we see the first meal one of our asylee housemates cooked for himself with the coaching of another housemate. A highly accomplished in his home country, he had never had to cook for himself. Now that he is separated from his wife and children, he has to pick up domestic skills that was once not expected of him and he is doing so with relish. It is a blessing to the rest of us that we can be a part of his new life.

Who lives in the RHHP?

RHHP might also be known as a house of transitions. At its capacity, there may be as many as 15 residents in the RHHP all of whom are undergoing important life changes of one sort or another. Our asylum seekers and asylees (those who have been granted asylum because of persecution in their home countries and allowed to remain in the US) are compelled to make these changes by circumstances in their home countries. At this time, we have three Cameroonians, one Iraqi and one Ethiopian. Others live here while they attend school in Baltimore. Also living here is a unit of Mennonite Volunteers who elect to serve one year or longer in Baltimore where they work in a variety of human service agencies. One volunteer teaches music and art in a Christian school and she regales us with her exploits from her classroom. It is inspiring to see how she plunged into an urban environment so different from what she was accustomed to and in a few months flourish in her job despite the lack of resources both of the school and challenges her students bring into the classroom.

For such a mix of people going through changes, RHHP provides sanctuary and community which makes it easier for them to live through these times of uncertainty.

History of RHHP

Built in 1914, this mansion at 2401 Eutaw Place has been through a number of phases. Initially it served as a residence and subsequently it became a nursing home (1960s).

The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) acquired the building in the mid 1980s and through 2002 it served as a center for Eastern Mennonite Mission Youth Evangelism Service (YES) program. In this capacity, it provided a site for training for terms of ministry overseas as well as a place for community living and service in an urban setting for the numerous young adults who came through the program.

In 2002 the YES program consolidated to Harrisburg, PA and ACC made the building available to North Baltimore Mennonite Church (NBMC) for its use. Coinciding with this, during 2001-2, there were forming two interest groups at NBMC. One group laid the foundations for beginning a Mennonite Voluntary Service (MVS) unit in Baltimore city while the other developed plans to begin a program working with refugees. The availability of this beautiful building in Reservoir Hill fit in nicely with these plans.

In January 2003 the YES Center officially became the Reservoir Hill House of Peace (RHHP). The MVS unit has developed into a well established group of volunteers supported by an NBMC MVS Committee. The first refugee guests were housed at RHHP in December 2003. This program has since evolved into the Asylum Seekers Housing Network (ASHN), providing housing for asylum seekers awaiting decision on their applications for asylum in the US. The RHHP is one of the housing options that are a part of the network. The first ASHN client was housed at RHHP in November 2004.

In addition, there have been a number of community residents who have come and stayed at RHHP for varying lengths of time, gaining admission to RHHP by an application process. These residents—professionals and students who work or go to school in Baltimore—rent a room at RHHP and also play a vital role in the hospitality and friendship that the RHHP has become known for.

In the basement of the RHHP several programs are housed, including the ASHN office (since January 2008), Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) East Coast (since June 2007), and Kids on the Hill (KOH) (since November 2005), a neighborhood program that provides outreach to middle and high school youth in the local neighborhood. These programs represent efforts by committed people that are consistent with the mission and vision of RHHP.