THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 19, 1996 TAG: 9607180120
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 13 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY MARK YOUNG, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 40 lines
For Lynnhaven United Methodist Church on Little Neck Road, welcoming refugees into this country is nothing new. Over the past 10 years, it has sponsored families from Romania, Vietnam and now the Raden family from Sarajevo, Bosnia.
The Raden family - Zdravko; his wife, Zeljka; daughter, Marijana, 9; and son, Mario, 3 months - arrived here May 2.
The move went quickly.
``We're very well-organized,'' said Debbie Cilley, project coordinator for the church. ``We have committees for transportation, medical, English as a second language, a finance committee,'' she explained.
``I happened to be speaking to a family off of Independence Boulevard. They were having a yard sale and I just mentioned that I was looking for a stove and refrigerator and told them what they were for. They told me they'd give them to me if nobody bought them. They called me shortly after I left and said they'd decided they weren't going to sell them to anybody; they were going to give them to me. These were complete strangers,'' Cilley said.
``So many of these things that have happened are almost miraculous. I know it's not me who's doing this.'' Cilley was surprised that members of this latest refugee family received their Social Security cards in less than a week. And she commented on all the support they have received.
Like the Majkovics, refugees sponsored recently by Emmanuel Episcopal Church, the Raden family has had all their household furniture and a family car donated by their American sponsors. Zdravko already has a job in construction. His wife, a mechanical engineer, may start work in the fall. Marijana will attend Alanton Elementary School.
To other churches considering this kind of endeavor, Cilley said: ``This has been a wonderfully rewarding experience for myself and my church. We've had an opportunity to help someone less fortunate than ourselves. It feels so good to give something back because of all that we've been given.''
KEYWORDS: REFUGEES BOSNIA by CNB