The prayer talks about seeing the Holy Spirit in the refugee family, the migrant worker, the asylum seeker and the unaccompanied child. It dawned on my this morning that each person who fits in these categories are made in the likeness of God, like the rest of us.
It’s a simple Christian truth which undergirds the idea of human rights and equality, that we are all equally valuable. Yet the way mankind treats one another shows that we so often forget this truth.
It struck me that the video recordings I am making of asylum seekers telling their stories is a way of letting us see the Spirit in their lives and stories. Even in the tragedies and loss and pain and suffering many asylum seekers go through, God is seen in their relilience, courage and smiles, if only we took the time to look.
Here is an example, were in one of the tents on the right of the picture.
We’ll be wearing white T-shirts most of the time, but if it’s cold they’ll be covered by jumpers. If you definitely see us, please right-click on the picture, save it and email it to us, thanks!
There are mice at Parliament Square. I noticed them a few months ago when I was hanging out with Brian one evening. They are small and very fast and although they are used to humans and race around your feet, they’re quite twitchy.
When we had brought our food rations back to the tent, we decided to keep the tins and cartons in the entrance, and the other foods, like the bread, rice, pasta, fruit & veg etc. in the inner tent where we sleep so the mice wouldn’t get at them.
That night I heard plenty of mouse noises, scurrying and squeeks, and felt quite chuffed that they knew there was food in the tent with us but they couldn’t have it! I even saw a couple of mice climbing up the inner tent we were in, trying to find a way to the food.
At about 6.30am I woke up, opened my eyes and saw a mouse run over Ben’s clothes! They were in the tent!
I didn’t panic, I wasn’t that bothered because they hide as soon as you move, so they’re more scared of us. I woke Ben up and told him we had mice in the tent, it took a few minutes to register with him as he slowly came round from his sleep! Ben saw the hole they had knawed to get into the tent and pointed it out.
We eventually got out of our tent and took a look at our food, they had nibbled through the ASDA bag and plastic bags of both our loaves of bread, and helped them selves to some peanuts by knawing through the bag. They had also left droppings.
We’ve decided to tear off the bread that has been nibbled and eat the rest since these slices of bread are our breakfast and lunch for the next few days. I also taped up the hole, and found 3 other holes which I taped up too! We’ve also put the food which was in our tent into plastic boxes with lids which we borrowed, and we’re keeping them out of our inner tent from now on!
We rocked up to Parliament Square on Sunday night at about 9pm and started setting up our tent after saying hello to Brian Haw, Barbara and Maria. Then we saw in the start of our campaign which began at midnight. Here’s a video of it all:
It’s a simple Christian truth which undergirds the idea of human rights and equality, that we are all equally valuable. Yet the way mankind treats one another shows that we so often forget this truth.
