Immigration Sunday

To commemorate Immigration Sunday, Jan. 8, The Visitor shares the life stories of three immigrants — from Kenya, Vietnam and Mexico — to give a sense of their reasons for leaving their countries of origin, their struggles in making a life here and their accomplishments.The bishops of Minnesota invite parishes across the state to participate in the fourth annual observance of Immigration Sunday on the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. Visit www.immigrationsundaymn.org to read  more about Immigration Sunday, Catholic social teaching on immigration, papal teachings, a statement of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and immigration statements from the bishops of Minnesota. Resources on the site include liturgy planning and educational activities as well as listings of books, DVDs, videos and websites on the topic.

Communications instructor says time here is a blessing

By Sue Schulzetenberg
The Visitor

While living in England to study for her doctorate degree, Eddah Mutua-Kombo watched a documentary about American scientists researching autism.

Her son, Morcelli, did not have autism, but he did have developmental delays, especially related to learning and speech. Watching the show, she concluded that her son could be helped in the United States.

“I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew my special needs son would get help,” she said.

Mutua-Kombo, a native of Kenya, was studying for her communications degree through the University of Wales. She had already received a master’s degree in policy studies from City University in London and had worked for the Kenyan government for several years with social mobilization projects. Her mother and grandfather had also worked for the government. 

She packed her bags for California in 1999. There she began teaching at Sacramento State. Through her travels to England, she had already embodied advice from her grandfather that helped her adapt.

“My grandfather said, ‘As long as you have a good attitude and good manners, you will succeed,’” said Mutua-Kombo. “He said that I have to remember that I live in other people’s country and when you are a visitor, you have to have good manners.”

Finding a new home

Mutua-Kombo taught at Sacramento State until 2005 when she started teaching at St. Cloud State University. She has taught communications classes at the university ever since and resides in St. Cloud.

“We have made St. Cloud our home with the blessings God provided for us — coming to a foreign country, getting to know your way. It’s a blessing to have a grounding and to have the job I have,” Mutua-Kombo said.

She said her journey from a village girl in Kenya to become a professor in the United States did not come easy. But she knows getting an education helped pave her way to America and that many other immigrants face additional challenges.

Every three years she has conducted research in Rwanda by visiting people who have been affected by the 1994 genocide. She has talked with people whose relatives were murdered; they have forgiven the perpetrators and now live right beside them.

“When I talk to my students about Rwanda, they tell me how grateful they are for peace. We need to be an example of peace,” Mutua-Kombo said.

Giving back

Meanwhile, Morcelli, now 17 years old, has received help through Lincoln, North Junior High and now Apollo schools in St. Cloud. Mutua-Kombo said the schools supported her son and helped him in many ways, especially with speech development and reading.

Acclimated into American culture, Mutua-Kombo and her son have become involved in the St. Cloud community. Joining the St. Cloud River Runners has provided a social outlet for both of them and given them reasons to visit other cities in Minnesota.

Mutua-Kombo is grateful that in America, children with disabilities are not hidden or seen as bad omens, like they often are in Africa. 

“It’s something I hope I can take back to Kenya,” she said.

In St. Cloud, Mutua-Kombo assists with many community organizations. She is involved in the District 742 student success task force, dialogue sessions for the Community Linkages Committee for the Board of Education of the St. Cloud Area, the East African Refugee Community and the Central Minnesota women’s fund grants committee.

“I want to give back for how my child has benefited,” Mutua-Kombo said. “What I have is for me to serve everybody around me in the community I live.”

Man from Mexico knows firsthand the struggles immigrants face

By Sue Schulzetenberg
The Visitor

The Felix and Patricia Rosales’ house in rural Big Lake is a typical middle class home.

It is stucco and brick, is well taken care of, and has a two-stall garage. When Felix’s mother, Josefina, visits from Texas she sees the house in a different light — a symbol of the American dream.

“His mother weeps every time she comes here,” said Patricia, a member of St. Andrew Parish in Elk River. “She is so proud of him. She says the struggles were worth it.”

Felix, 49, lived in Mexico until he was 7 years old. His biological father died in a train accident several months before Felix was born. Searching for a better life for her family, Josefina came to the United States when Felix was a baby. She worked as a caretaker for a few years and saved up money before bringing her children north.

During that time, Felix lived with his grandparents, and his sisters lived with other relatives. His mother would bring back money to support the children. She met her husband, Butch, the man Felix would call Dad, at a ranch in Texas. Felix and his sisters crossed the border legally in 1969.

“I didn’t want to leave,” Felix said. “They told me they were taking me to a carnival.”

Challenges in U.S.

In the United States, Felix’s family lived on a rancher’s farm for a couple of years before moving to town. In the summers, the family migrated north to work in the fields, where they worked long, hard days.

His family was poor. Felix remembers churches in southern Minnesota that would open their doors to migrants and give them items they needed, like clothing and kitchen equipment.

Some farmers and individuals treated the family well, but others were unkind. Felix vividly remembers one hot day around the 4th of July when someone yelled from a vehicle, “Go home (explicit) Mexicans!”

“I thought, ‘This is not where I want to be either.’ We had to come from such a far place,” Felix said.

His mother maintained a positive attitude and prayed and hoped that her children would succeed. She would tell her children, in regard to the migrant work, “You don’t want to do this forever. You have got to go to school.”

Looking back, Felix knows his parents were right and feels grateful that he had the opportunity to receive an education. He attended the University of Minnesota in Crookston, where he received a two-year degree in construction and energy systems. He went on to graduate from an electrical lineman’s school in Jackson, Minn., and has worked as a lineman since.

“He is very knowledgeable, does excellent work, is very good with the customers and is very customer service-orientated,” said Matt Yseth, vice president of electric operations for Connexus Energy. “He does a lot of trouble-shooting for us, and that involves a lot of repair and maintenance for underground facilities. He’s become somewhat of an expert on underground fault finding.”

Walking in others’ shoes

In the meantime, Felix’s family grew. In 1985, he married Patricia, his high school sweetheart, who had grandparents who emigrated from Mexico. They have two children, Felixia, age 22, and Tony, age 19. Felix stressed the importance of education with his children. Tony is an apprentice lineman, and Felixia is pursuing a master’s degree in psychology.

His children did not have to work in the fields, but Felix tells them not to judge those who do. He volunteers for Harvest Outreach, which distributes food and household products for families in need.

“I can put myself in their situations. I joke around with them. I feel you need to respect and value people. I don’t put anyone down,” said Felix, who is now a U.S. citizen.

Patricia also sympathizes with their stories and sees a common thread among all the immigrants she meets.

“All immigrants come looking for a better life,” she said.

Immigrant from Vietnam advocates giving back to community

By Nikki Rajala
The Visitor

Hao Nguyen, now 29 and a St. Cloud assistant city attorney, arrived in Minnesota in 1989, a refugee from Vietnam. 

“My country was being torn apart,” he said. “In all that chaos, my mother got my two older brothers and me out. We made it to a refugee camp and, by the grace of the Lord, were given the opportunity to come to America, sponsored by Catholic Charities.” 

Further education was not possible for his mother, Nguyen said. “The only way she could take care of us was to work — on the poultry line for over 20 years. To survive here, she set her dreams and feelings aside. She’s my hero.”

Pushing forward

“Though I’d been in third grade in Vietnam, I was placed in first grade at Roosevelt School in St. Cloud,” Nguyen said. “I remember being upset about that, but the extra years were a blessing.” 

He named some pitfalls putting vulnerable immigrants “10 pages farther back” than their American-born classmates — limited language, discrimination for looking different, only one parent, being underprivileged economically.

“And as an immigrant, if you chose the wrong person [as a role model], you’d end up in a very different place,” he said. “Playground problems and bullying are hard enough for people born here. 

Add language and looking different and the bullying gets worse. I was scrawny and got picked on, but when that happened, I didn’t just curl up — I fought back. But you can’t just walk around being angry.” 

In junior varsity basketball, he recalled struggling to shoot three-pointers: When he kept practicing, he improved; if he walked away, he didn’t make any baskets. That he kept trying made the difference.

“Language is the first step for immigrants,” he said, “like the foundation of your house. You have to build the rest of it yourself. Other people won’t do it for you, though they’ll help.”

Aiming high

Once cognizant of his choices, Nguyen held himself responsible for his future, pushing himself forward, putting college on his radar to qualify for jobs he was interested in. He had to aim higher than the bullies.

“I went through school,” he said, “did extensive police training, got an undergraduate degree, completed law school, passed the bar exam. All this education and work experience gives me tools to navigate, so I finally feel equipped. It’s not just the responsibility of others to give to us those tools. Immigrants need to give back to the community however they can — becoming educated, owning a business or working to pay taxes.  

“We’ve done the best we can,” Nugyen said. “It’s been an honor to serve as a police officer, and now as an officer of the court, but I can’t rest back in my chair.” 

Married last summer, Nguyen and his wife, Gretchen, are members of St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Maple Grove.