By Rachel Oostindie
LIA Intern, Summer 2022

Understanding the Crisis from the Outside

On August 30th of 2021, the United States removed the last American troops from Afghanistan. Prior to the evacuation of American troops, the United States had been present in Afghanistan for nearly two decades. These troops formed relationships with the Afghan people and employed many of them to help the troops better understand the culture and form connections with the community around them. These Afghan allies were invaluable to the United States, and the Taliban saw this as well. From their perspective, the people who chose to work with Americans were the reason the United States was able to stay in Afghanistan. They thought of these interpreters as the hands and feet of the United States. Now, life has dramatically changed for those who once helped the United States, along with all Afghans. Many of these people were supposed to be taken out of Afghanistan with the U.S. troops when they left, but during the chaos, many Afghan allies were left behind.

The reality of what was happening in Afghanistan felt very distant and hard to grasp.

Here in the United States, we saw these events playing out on the news. We saw the large crowds outside of the Kabul airport, the pictures of packed cargo planes, and the videos of Afghans clinging to the sides of airplanes desperately seeking an escape from their country. For many Americans, these events must have seemed horrifying; however, to me the reality of what was happening in Afghanistan felt very distant and hard to grasp. This partially has to do with how physically distant the United States is from other countries, but it is also due to our news cycles. News cycles change quickly. Information is always pouring in and events such as the crisis in Afghanistan are phased out as newer, seemingly more important events enter the news cycle. The continuous cycle of information leads to an overload of good and bad events happening around the world and makes it hard to hold two realities in my head: the one that I live day-to-day and the one I know exists outside of what I can see.

A few weeks after these events in Afghanistan, I gathered with some other members from the International Justice Mission chapter at Hope College to discuss what the Afghan people were experiencing. After multiple informational videos and readings to help us try to make sense of these events, we came to two conclusions. First, we knew that the Taliban taking over as the de facto government meant terrible things for every Afghan’s freedom and day-to-day lives. Second, we realized we did not know of many tangible ways to help them at that moment. This realization was extremely discouraging to us, and we walked away hoping an opportunity to help would arise. 

Thoughts into Action: Gaining Firsthand Knowledge

Not long after this meeting, I met with David Lee from Lighthouse Immigrant Advocates and learned about all that their organization does for immigrants in the area. He also told me about Lighthouse’s plans to help the influx of Afghan refugees coming to the Grand Rapids area. I knew that this was something I wanted to be a part of. I wanted to put action to my word and learn valuable skills that will benefit these refugees. So, I decided to apply for an internship.

Throughout my internship this summer, I have learned a lot about the affirmative asylum process by working at Lighthouse’s New American Legal Clinic (NALC). Every day at NALC, Lighthouse staff, interns, and volunteers helped five clients complete their asylum application. We worked together to make sure their stories were told and that the clients felt comfortable throughout the long days. I have been able to learn about our Afghan clients’ stories, personalities, and culture. These are things I will never forget. In addition to this, I have had a realization that I can apply to my life outside of the office as well. I learned that we cannot forget about our neighbors around us. We may not be able to care for everyone all at once, but if each of us starts with those closest to us, the impact could be immeasurable. 

Facing Crisis as a Community

I remember one volunteer commenting about how Lighthouse has successfully been able to step in and create a system to help Afghans in the area this summer better than any other organization she had seen so far. This mainly was because Lighthouse invited the community to come together through volunteer opportunities to assist with the formidable workload that NALC necessitated. I cannot think of a better way to make these refugees feel welcomed than by being helped by the individuals in their own community. 

My newfound awareness has allowed me to care more deeply for their neighbors back home.

I am grateful to have been a part of welcoming these refugees to West Michigan, and it has helped me to understand the realities of what it was like in Afghanistan in the days before American troops withdrew. Gary Haugen describes this understanding best in his book, The Good News About Injustice. Haugen had previously worked for the United Nations to help collect evidence of the genocide that took place in Rwanda. Throughout the beginning of the book, he describes how he saw the news of this genocide and “...the terror in Rwanda just did not seem real. It seemed true, but not real – not to [him].” This is the same feeling many Americans have had while watching what happened in Afghanistan. For Haugen, this did not change until he was able to shift his perspective from viewing the experience as one event to the individual stories of the survivors. “In the end, it wasn’t the remaining artifacts but the survivors in Rwanda who took me across a mysterious bridge that allowed me to behold the same human heart, eyes, and hands of these, my departed neighbors.” A change in perspective of these events can enable Americans to have more compassion for the individuals across the world who are living through events we only hear and read about.

This is what I have experienced with the crisis in Afghanistan. I have gone from feeling so distant from this event to walking alongside Afghan refugees in our area. I appreciate the stories they have shared with me, and now, my newfound awareness has allowed me to care more deeply for their neighbors back home.

About the Author

Rachel Oostindie is from Spring Lake, MI. This fall she is going into her senior year at Hope College, studying business and Spanish. She is grateful for all the experience she has had as an intern for Lighthouse's New American Legal Clinic and hopes to pursue a job working with immigrants and refugees once she graduates.