It was in Cedar Rapids where Iowa artist Grant Wood painted “American Gothic,” the iconic 1930 portrayal of a stern-looking woman and a man with a pitchfork in front of a white frame house.

The city presents many different images today, after more than a century of international migration and faith-based resettlement efforts.

“We're built up as Cedar Rapids by Czech and Slovak immigrants. It is such a huge part of the makeup of this community,” said Anne Dugger the Executive Director of The Catherine McAuley Center in Cedar Rapids.

“So we have a very long history of immigration to Cedar Rapids,” she said

To many newcomers as well as lifelong residents, this heartland river city where migrants from present-day Lebanon built the first U.S. mosque is a welcoming microcosm of America’s melting pot at a time when immigration enforcement is disrupting families and communities.

Hundreds of refugee families were resettled by The Catherine McAuley Center, founded by the Catholic Sisters of Mercy, until the nationwide halt ordered by the Trump administration this spring.

“For the most part, 99% of our students are immigrants and refugees, so we teach English as another language and I always say another because it's four or five languages most people know. We teach citizenship, digital literacy, conversation classes,” said Dugger.

“Seven years ago, we started resettling people from, directly from refugee camps in other countries. Specifically, we resettled a lot of people from Democratic Republic of Congo. And then when the Afghans came, we resettled 250 Afghans within about three months, which was unprecedented,” she said.

Although their federal funding to help resettle refugees has ended they continue their mission to serve and meet the communities needs.

At a recent class offered by the center, a Guatemalan woman and her son, along with five men from China, Benin, Togo, Sudan and Congo, sang the U.S. national anthem and rehearsed questions for the citizenship test.

“It is a matter of meshing or integrating. How do we, how do we get around in the community, how do we find our friends, how to we find, find bridges across cultural divides,” said Dugger.

During these times uncertainty for migrants in the U.S. many in Cedar Rapids have found relief in places like The Catherine McAuley Center, but also their houses of worship.

From St. Jude’s and Immaculate Conception Catholic Churches, to St. Paul’s United Methodist Church and the Cedar Rapids Islamic Center, hundreds gathered around the city on a recent weekend for baptisms, prayer, and community.

“There's definitely been the concern from our students and from the people that we've resettled, 'what does my future look like? How does this, how do I live in such uncertainty?’” She said. “Citywide, though, I don't, I don't meet a lot of people who are opposed to immigrants coming to the United States and coming to our city. That isn't, I don't think it's part of our makeup here in Cedar Rapids.”

And as Americans struggle to redefine who belongs in the social fabric, Dugger believes the country can learn from Cedar Rapids and its example of loving your neighbor.

“We have an opportunity and I think it's this city particularly given our history of the teachings of faith teachings that we have here in this city through the sisters, through The Mother Mosque, through just so many different cultures coming here and through the the history of immigration that we have.”

“So what could Cedar Rapids teach other communities? I think just the, be aware of your neighbor, be aware of the kindness that sometimes needs to be extended.”

Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their license agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: info@aparchive.com.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.