Welcoming Friends Home

Elise Zeigler

Summer Intern

Elise and friends en route

The Christian Friends of New American’s Peace Center is a second home. Its space is a safe and social place for New American families, community volunteers, and staff. As I started spending more time volunteering at after-school tutoring, a love for our new American neighbors began to grow in my heart. 

Gradually, I began to remember the names of my neighbors. Knowing their names and their stories I also began to understand how The Peace Center lives up to its goal of helping recently arrived refugees develop a sense of belonging in St Louis city as well as in the Lutheran community. 

As a summer intern, I have been blessed to join in welcoming my new neighbors in love. Josef Pieper said love is saying it’s good that you exist. As a volunteer, I watched New American students develop confidence while finding their place in a new country. I also watched friends grow beyond the trellis of support the Peace Center provides. While driving to swimming, ceramics, citizenship, and math classes this summer, I am invited to exist in Jesus’ love with my friends. 

The joy of my summer has been picking up kids at the end of a week who eagerly jump into my car with smiles, saying “Good morning, friend, I am so excited for today because we get to spend time with you swimming.” Most of the families at the Peace Center have a disarming presence of assumed friendship that jumps and waves when they see you or lean in for a hug after you knock on their door. They remind me of the joy of Jesus and how he is always our friend. 

As followers of Jesus, we understand peace as not simply the absence of conflict, but the restoration of brokenness. Staying late to sip tea at a family’s house or have a little Afro-dance party, my time at the Peace Center transforms me as a person. I now know stories of corruption, collapse, and crippling city systems. The community draws me closer to Jesus. It is a space for me to mature as a faithful follower of Jesus and a rising St Louis leader. I am grateful for faith role models like Dr. Pastor Stanish who live their commitment to serving any neighbor who knocks on the Peace Center’s Doors. His demonstration of generous living inspires me to follow in faithful action. 

Elise and friend (it doesn’t get better than this!)

Currently, I attend Baylor University as an undergraduate student studying Social Entrepreneurship and Immigration. I have dreams of managing socially focused businesses that support under-resourced immigrant or indigenous populations. Regardless of these dreams, I pray God will send me where He wills as I continue to serve as a volunteer among New Americans attempting to establish a second home. 

By Elise Zeigler
CFNA Summer Intern