Minnesota

Meet Mor

In 1975, war and famine forced Mor from the hills of Laos to a refugee camp in Thailand. Thirteen years later, Mor and her five small children arrived in St. Paul, Minnesota, as refugees.

Now an elder, Mor and other Southeast Asian refugees in St. Paul face an especially difficult set of challenges. Many live below the poverty line, face high levels of disease and experience feelings of isolation and depression.

Each Monday morning, Mor walks into First Lutheran Church where she is welcomed by the smiles of caring volunteers. She has entered the Hmong Elder Program, jointly sponsored by Southeast Asian Ministries and First Lutheran and supported by your gifts to ELCA World Hunger.

It is here that Mor takes English lessons, receives health screenings and enjoys a warm meal. Later in the day, she heads over to a community garden where she plants and harvests vegetables that she’ll use for the rest of the week. If she has too many, she will share them with First Lutheran’s food pantry.

Because of this ministry, Mor is in good health and her spirits are high. “I never thought that I would have so many American friends,” Mor says. “Thank you.”