Solidarity

Here’s a little piece I wrote recently for Catholic Charities.

Solidarity means walking alongside someone different from yourself, living life together with the intimacy that comes with family: sharing space, meals, laughter, tears, and prayers. Knowing each other’s family and culture. Standing up when someone is wronged, and making your voice heard to change injustices.

It’s serving in an immigrant, homeless, or family shelter. It’s celebrating victories such as job interviews and promotions; getting a driver’s license or becoming a citizen; finding a new apartment or becoming a homeowner. It’s advocating for basic human rights for the vulnerable populations we serve.

Jesus’ incarnation was the ultimate example of solidarity. I’m pretty sure God could have figured out a different way to redeem humanity, but God chose to become one of us, to walk alongside humanity in all our suffering (John 1; Philippians 2). Jesus shared food, laughter, tears, conversation, and prayers with marginalized people. He celebrated and grieved with humanity. He advocated for the most vulnerable (Matthew 25), and he taught us how to care for each other. He spoken on mountains, in boats, and in the temple. Jesus is our example of solidarity. Let’s follow him.

Beautiful Teamwork

One of the most positive things I witnessed on my recent trip to Laredo was beautiful teamwork. Several individuals, groups, agencies, and companies work together to meet the needs of immigrants in the border town. It’s unusual to see so many diverse organizations working together so well.

This border ministry had its birth at the Laredo Greyhound station. The manager of the station, Joe Hernandez, has been instrumental in creating a culture of welcome. Joe’s desire is that he and his staff treat every person who enters the station with dignity and respect, whether employees, customers, or charity volunteers. Joe repeatedly thanked us volunteers for our work, and even bought us cold soft drinks. When ICE first started busing immigrants to Laredo, it was Joe’s staff who made most of the phone calls to the sponsors. Even today they continue to help with that task. Hernandez has been recognized by Greyhound nationwide, and has traveled to other cities to train managers and employees. We couldn’t help but notice his passion to treat people with respect and dignity, and to make a positive difference in people’s lives.

Volunteers from across Laredo also lend their time and treasures. Various men’s and women’s groups purchase ingredients and prepare meals for the shelter guests. One individual woman has prepared more than 4,000 sandwiches for guests, in addition to other meals. On the occasion that a client’s relatives can’t come up with the money for a bus ticket, volunteers will chip in to cover the cost. These dear ones truly understand what it means to live out their faith.

The homeless shelter in Laredo does all the laundry for the immigrant shelters, washing all the sheets, pillowcases, and towels until Catholic Charities can obtain their own laundry appliances. Another ministry provides bags packed with food for the guests to take on their long bus journeys, as many are traveling without cash.

While we were there, the Red Cross donated blankets and case upon case of toiletry kits. While the shelter provides soap, shampoo, and toothpaste for guests on the premises, these Red Cross packages allow guests to carry toiletries along on their continuing journeys.

Also while we were there, Catholic Charities staff arranged a partnership with two medical doctors from two different local clinics. These professionals donate their time and expertise to care for the newly arrived immigrants at the shelter, who sometimes arrive with colds or digestive problems from the journey or their time in la hielera.

Again and again we were happily surprised by the number and variety of people who are partnering with Catholic Charities to serve the immigrants. Well done, Laredo! May we all learn to work so well together for the common good!

If you want to join the network of people serving immigrants in Laredo, please consider shopping from and sharing the following wish list. Every item purchased will go directly to the clients in the immigrant shelters.

https://amzn.to/2EfP4cK

Photo Credit: Special thanks to Jerima King for these photos.

Toiletry kits donated by the Red Cross.

Toiletry kits donated by the Red Cross.

Catholic Charities volunteers and staff.

Catholic Charities volunteers and staff.

Catholic Charities volunteers and staff.

Jerima and Joe.

 

 

 

 

Ten Days at the Border

My friend Jerima and I recently traveled to Laredo, TX to volunteer at two immigrant shelters run by Catholic Charities in the border town. We were told that Nuevo Laredo, on the other side of the river, is controlled by cartels, so almost no immigrants cross the border there. However, McAllen and Eagle Pass are overwhelmed with new arrivals, so ICE transports busloads of people to Laredo for their next steps. These are not Greyhound buses, but rather prison buses with bars on the windows.

Arriving asylum seekers have everything taken from them at the border, including their identification papers, belts, and shoelaces. Children as well as adults spend their first three days in the U.S. in la hielera  or the icebox, a holding cell with concrete floors and uncalled-for levels of air conditioning. La hielera  is overcrowded, often standing room only, and the toilets are out in the open. Immigrants are often mistreated and verbally abused by guards, told not to ask the time, and to tell “their people” not to come to the U.S. anymore because our country is full. See my previous post about la hielera  here: https://wordpress.com/post/stand4welcome.wordpress.com/309

After suffering such indignities, parents and children arrived at the Greyhound station in Laredo, where we greeted them with smiles and a friendly welcome. We drove them to one of the Catholic Charities shelters, where several wonderful things happened. First we gave them snacks and water. Then we helped them call their relatives or friends who were sponsoring them in the U.S. to arrange for them to buy bus tickets to join them. In almost every case, the relatives we contacted were expecting the phone calls and were ready to purchase bus tickets. Some relatives also wanted to send cash for the continuing journey, which we helped them do. Guests were allowed to choose one or two new changes of clothes, from donations we had previously sorted and organized. They got to shower, washing away the layers of dirt and evil that had been laid upon them on their journeys. When the guests emerged from the showers wearing clean clothes and having brushed their teeth for the first time in several days, they were transformed. They were smiling, beautiful, and at peace. Volunteers cooked and served dinner, and we drove many of the guests back to the bus station that same night to make the trip to join their relatives, sending them with prayers, snacks, and toiletries for their journeys. Many others stayed overnight at the shelter, where they slept on fresh sheets with mattresses and pillows, luxuries they were grateful to experience.

The guests were friendly, respectful, and grateful for our hospitality. They were happy to pitch in when asked, for example, stripping their bed linens in the morning, or folding clothes in the donation room. A few were so grateful that they even asked how they could donate to the shelter when they were eventually in a position to do so.

Jerima and I were touched to witness how the fathers cared for their sons, and how they encouraged and shared with each other, passing diapers and other supplies to any who needed them. The men and boys enjoyed playing soccer, while the younger children colored, played with toys, and practiced learning English and teaching Spanish with the volunteers. Despite the circumstances, the shelters were oases of joy and safety.

The work was hard, the hours were long, and the Spanish language was exhausting. After returning to the hotel at 11:30 one night after work, Jerima reminded me that as exhausted as we were, we would now get to sleep in comfortable beds, while our new friends were just beginning their long bus journeys. The exhaustion we experienced was all worth it to offer hospitality and welcome on the front lines to brothers and sisters who have experienced so many indignities. To offer food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, clothing, showers, and toiletries to the weary, hope and hospitality to travelers left me filled with joy and gratitude.

Since our return, we’ve heard that the needs at the shelters have increased. If you’d like to help support the immigrants at the shelters, please consider donating something from the wish list below. Every purchase will go directly to immigrant clients in the Catholic Charities shelters.

https://amzn.to/2EfP4cK

Stay tuned for more news from the border!

Photo Credit: Special thanks to Jerima King for these photos.

Notice the bars on the bus windows.

Volunteers at one of the shelters.

The other shelter.

Donated food we sorted and organized.

Donated clothes and shoes we sorted and organized.

Never have I been so happy to buy so much men’s underwear—a huge need at the shelters!

 

 

 

 

Laredo bound!

Trip alert: I’m getting ready to volunteer with Catholic Charities in Laredo, TX, helping immigrant families at the border. My work may include:

1. Connecting migrants with their host families in the U.S.
2. Utilization of Miles4Migrants program (click here to donate unused airline miles! https://www.miles4migrants.org).
3. Volunteer coordination.
4. Shelter oversight and supervision.
5. Assistance with basic needs of migrants—clothing, shoes, food, etc.

I expect long days and a heavy emotional toll. Please pray for my health and strength: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

All of my trip expenses are covered! If you’d like to support more of this kind of work, please consider giving to Al Otro Lado, Casa de Paz, or any of the trusted organizations listed here: https://cliniclegal.org/directory

Please also consider contacting your federal elected officials to let them know that cutting off aid to Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador is exactly the wrong approach. You can do that here: https://p2a.co/fKLTu7F

Thank you for your prayers and support! I hope to be able to blog about my experiences after I return.

 

 

 

 

Compelled to Action

“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must take it because his conscience tells him it is right.” 

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” 

“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

One night last June I cried myself to sleep. My friends in Guatemala had sent me videos from Univision of a woman FROM THEIR OWN COMMUNITY who was deported from the US back to Guatemala. Her young son was ripped away from her, and she thought he might be in New York. But she really didn’t know for sure. 

Around that same time, Customs and Border Patrol agents shot Claudia Patricia Gomez Gonzalez in the head, killing her. My friend Nate Bacon in Guatemala attended Claudia’s funeral and wrote about it, here: https://www.facebook.com/nate.bacon.50/posts/10155459918876027

CBP has tear-gassed asylum seekers at our southern border, an act that is forbidden in war, but not by law enforcement. Seven-year-old Jakelin Caal Maquin and eight-year-old Felipe Gómez Alonzo died in CBP custody.

To those who think America is no longer a racist country since Rev. Martin Luther King spoke the words above, think again.

To those who think “This isn’t the America I know. We’re better than this,” think again. Native Americans. African slaves. Japanese internment. No Irish; no Chinese; no Italians; no Germans. Our history of conquest and exclusion has repeated itself so many times it’s appalling. My friend Eric Pavri, an immigration attorney, writes about that here: https://www.facebook.com/eric.pavri/posts/10157045994151180

This is why I continue to march. Why I continue to teach and advocate and volunteer and write. In the face of such injustice, I cannot be silent. I cannot be too busy with my own life. I must act. I must speak out.

“Why I Marched” continues to be my most-read post, so to observe the third annual Women’s March, it’s time for a repost. Thanks for reading.

Why I Marched

I’m a progressive Christian, and I’m pro-life. Many people think people like me don’t exist. Sometimes I wonder if I’m the only one, but I know I’m not alone. Many Christians think that all progressives and liberals are pro-abortion. And many liberals think that all Christians are backward, hateful hypocrites. I’ve heard that the Women’s March didn’t allow pro-life women to march, but nobody asked me to leave. All I felt was love. I’m pro-life, and in a much fuller sense of the word than simply pro-birth. Jesus came to give us life, and life ABUNDANT.

Life begins with conception. Yes. But as a follower of Jesus, my obligation to protect life does not end with a baby’s birth. Jesus calls me to protect life by providing decent healthcare, education, and housing for ALL. Jesus calls me to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and imprisoned. I take Him at His word in Matthew 25. Jesus tells us that whatever we do for the least of these, we do for Him. He calls me to welcome the stranger, the foreigner, the DACA recipients, the refugees and asylum seekers; to protect those who are fleeing war, torture, and violence. Jesus calls me to stand for the rights of women and girls the world over, for people of every color. He calls me to stand for the life and dignity of people with disabilities. I’m even pro-life and pro-equal rights for LGBTQ folks. I take Jesus at His word when He says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”

The Bible calls me to steward the environment, which sustains human life on earth. If we don’t take care of the home God gave us, there will not be any life for much longer. Climate change is real.

I’m for Fair Trade. I’m for a living wage. I’m for treating others as I would want to be treated. I’m for loving my neighbor—all my neighbors on this entire planet. I’m for LIFE ABUNDANT, FOR ALL.

Jesus was at the Women’s March. I saw Him. I saw Jesus in the women and girls of all ages. I saw Jesus in the people with tattoos and piercings. I saw Jesus in the men young and old who marched to support women’s rights. I saw Him carrying a sign that read “Undocumented and Unafraid.” I saw Him in the black man who applauded our march with tears in his eyes. I saw Him in the police officers who blocked traffic for us to march safely, and in the people who thanked them for doing their job well. I saw Jesus at the March.

The Women’s March was not a gathering of victims, complainers, or whiny women. It was a demonstration of strength in unity, asking that ALL people be treated with love, care, and respect. The most common chant I heard was: “No hate. No fear. Everyone is welcome here.” It was a demonstration of inclusion, equal rights, education, and health care for ALL. Documented estimates of how many people marched range from 3-5 MILLION. There were hundreds of marches across the country and around the world. Thank God that they were PEACEFUL. No arrests were made at the Women’s March.

Those friends I walked with? Also followers of Jesus. These sisters are women who have slept on floors with me mentoring young teens, inside the local rescue mission. We have eaten together with youth at the local soup kitchen. We have taken young people to the same park where we marched, given sack lunches to homeless people there, and listened to their stories. These women serve with me as volunteers for refugees, teaching them English, mentoring families, and watching the children so their moms can be together and sew. They join me monthly in prayer, and they serve on church committees, trying to teach others how to serve. None of us does these things to earn a reward. Faith without works is not faith at all. Jesus’ followers will be known by their love. Jesus came to:

preach good news to the poor…

proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to release the oppressed,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

If we’re following Jesus, that’s where He’s leading.

I marched for my gay friends who love Jesus. I marched for my refugee friends. I marched for my friends who have lived through rape and abortions. I marched for my Muslim friends. I marched for the women who are groped and abused and underpaid every day. I marched for the girls and boys who are marketed and sold for other people’s pleasure and profit. I marched for Native Americans, the only Americans who are not immigrants. I marched to bring liberals and Christians together—the two terms are not mutually exclusive. Jesus told me to love my neighbor, and that’s why I marched. My loyalty is to Jesus, not to any political party. We’re all broken and in need of a savior, and Jesus came for all of us, to bring us life—life abundant.

 

 

 

 

 

Holding Joy and Sorrow Together

What a week it’s been. Doing life together with anyone—sharing each other’s joys and sorrows—will always come with challenges. But it seems to me that walking with society’s most vulnerable people brings its own peculiar pain and gladness.

I’m grateful to have celebrated several times this week with one particular refugee family. Sunday evening brought a birthday party for two siblings both born in August. The girl is now seven years old, and her brother is one. Friends from their own ethnic community, their church, neighbors, and volunteer English teachers were all present at the party. Food was abundant, there were two cakes, and of course piles of presents. The pastors prayed blessings on the children, and the seven-year-old happily tore through all the gifts, whether they were for her or for her brother.

Later in the week I accompanied the mother to a doctor’s appointment where her new pregnancy was confirmed. She wasn’t planning to have another child, but is grateful for the gift of this baby, which she sees as a blessing from God. We also went to an open house at school to meet her daughter’s second grade teacher, and I helped reunite the family with their lost cell phone. I consider it a privilege to participate in these happy moments and to be considered part of the family.

But belonging to a community also brings great sorrow. Last week three refugee children aged five and under fell (or were pushed?) into a swimming pool. An older child pulled them out and they were rushed to the hospital. The two youngest children are fine, but the five-year-old died.

Two fellow ESL/sewing group volunteers accompanied me to the funeral this week. There was an open casket and we were invited to pay our respects as we viewed the body. The sorrow in that church was almost tangible, as some of the women wailed in misery.

How do we hold such joy and deep sorrow together? How do we remain in community even when it’s painful?

Practice sabbath. Make time for things that bring you joy and restore your spirit.

Look for beauty and give thanks when you find it.

Express love and sincere appreciation to those people who support you.

Get outdoors. Experience the healing power of nature. Exercise. Go for a hike or bike ride or swim.

Create something, anything, as long the process brings you joy.

Meet with friends, the ones who love you deeply and unconditionally.

Get away for a weekend. Have fun.

Listen to an inspiring sermon or podcast or webinar.

Pray. Sing. Meditate.

Live into the rhythms of nature. Turn off your devices and get enough sleep at night. Embrace that there are seasons for planting, for growing, for harvesting, and for hibernating. Don’t try to do them all at once. Hunker down when you need to.

Be good to yourself and to others.

Seek joy. Sorrow knows how to find us. But only light can cast out darkness. Look for the light.

 

 

Beloved Partners

To all my friends in and from Latin America:

May I tell you how I feel about you? You are human beings created in the image of God and loved by God. You are my friends, my neighbors, my brothers and sisters, my surrogate niece and nephews. I love you. I thank God for you, for who you are, and for placing you in my life as beautiful gifts.

To Sara, Tim, and Andrew, my surrogate family when I desperately needed one: you continue to teach me what it means to be a person of color living in the U.S., especially in a very white region. You will always hold a special place in my heart.

To the women in El Salvador who witnessed and participated in my prophetic call to missions: you helped me hear God more clearly and see God working in my life.

To the immigrants I met in Agua Prieta, who changed my life and my work: your courage and devotion to your families inspire me still.

To Carmen and your two beautiful daughters, the first family I worked with in Baby Jail: you trusted me with your horrific story of rape and gang extortion, and two years later we still call and text each other. Your tenacity for the safety and well-being of your children overwhelms me.

To Elmer and David and your lovely family: you welcomed me into your home and your lives when they were contained within a church building as you sought sanctuary. You shared your food and your lives with me, showing me true hospitality.

To my ministry partners in Guatemala: you’ve shown me what it looks like to live out one’s faith, to work for change in the face of incredible odds, to love your neighbors beyond what is safe or sensible. You fight for justice and the flourishing of all people, not just your own family members and friends. You are bringing glimpses of God’s kingdom to earth.

To Anna, Jose, Gloria, and all the other clients I’ve worked with in the immigration legal office: you’ve shown me what courage and persistence look like.

To Nayda, Luis, and all the other Dreamers: you work harder than most people I know. You’ve shown me what commitment, tenacity, and love for family look like. May all your dreams come true.

To all of you, you are created in God’s image and loved by God, and I say to you: you are beloved human beings. You are my friends, my family, my neighbors, my sisters and brothers. And I love you.

 

 

Dignity in the Slums and Garbage

“Most churches are inactive in their communities not because they don’t understand the theological call to love our neighbors. It’s because they are afraid.” (Ivan, Guatemala City)

I recently met and accompanied Doña Tita, the Mother Teresa of one of the biggest slums in the Americas, as she visited and prayed with people whose family members have been murdered by the ruling gangs.

“Honestly, I feel like an alien at my church. I was invited to a women’s group and they asked for prayer requests, and all the ladies were sharing things like pray for my new recipe to turn out well. Meanwhile, a woman here [in the slum] was giving birth hours after her husband had been murdered by gang members. I couldn’t even tell these women what was on my heart.”

“This work is a lonely path. The local church does not know what to do with a place like La Limonada, or with people like me.”

Tita has established four child development academies inside La Limonada, a slum with a population of 80,000, built on the slopes of a ravine or natural watershed. Ironically, the national Justice Offices overlook the slum. La Limonada is controlled by the MS-13 and Calle 18 gangs, with invisible boundaries, which if crossed, will bring you a bullet or a knife. Tita visits the families within the slum and prays with them. Her focus is on prevention, which is why she opened the child development academies. The people living in La Limonada know Tita and love her. Yet she fully expects that one day she will die from a bullet to her head inside La Limonada.

We met with one woman whose husband owes the gangs money, so he took off. One night the gangs came across the ravine to the wife’s home, demanding that she pay his debt. She suffered a stroke because of the horror of the experience.

We met another woman whose husband was killed by the gangs. Her family is in similar circumstances of poverty and danger, so they are in no position to help her. Yet she trusts fully in God, and prays that the friend who lives with her will notice her testimony during her own desperation.

Puertas de Esperanza, La Terminal

Jomara also focuses on prevention, hosting a child development center called Puertas de Esperanza (Doors of Hope). There the children can get a good meal, clean water, and showers. They even have a pet cat name Frijolito. Jomara visits families within La Terminal, the largest “popular” (flea) market, which sells everything including prostitution. The people there know her and love her. Jomara holds multiple degrees, and her friends ask her why she does what she does, when she could have an important, well-paid job. Like La Limonada, La Terminal is a dangerous place. Police and fire officials won’t go there; it’s an enormous maze of sales stalls and living quarters. There is no water or sewage, so urine and waste are everywhere.

As we wound through the maze of the market, we ended at the market’s dump. The truck that collects the garbage was broken, so the garbage had not been picked up for longer than usual. Small children were climbing on the piles, fishing out junk that could be recycled: plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and cardboard.

Jomara’s ministry is located outside La Terminal, about a block away from the dump, but she’s praying to buy a lot that backs up onto the dump. As they say in the real estate business: location, location, location. We were astounded at the asking price for this particular location; who else wants property in the dump? Who else but Jomara.

Our team with Jomara and Frijolito (little bean).

 

 

Holistic Ministry

I was moved to tears by our visit to a church in the middle of nowhere in Guatemala, serving a community of about 300 families, most of whom have 10-12 children. About five years ago the pastor and the congregation caught the vision for holistic ministry, wanting to serve the whole community (not just church members) in relevant ways that meet real needs. This is an agricultural community, where the people work fertile but rented plots of land. They never eat the produce they grow, because it all goes to the big corporation that owns the land and exports the produce. With little education and few opportunities other than farming, it was normal for people to migrate north to Canada or the U.S. The church decided to open a wood shop where the pastor teaches carpentry to anyone in the community who has an interest. Twenty people began the first training. Some dropped out. But others remained, and even cancelled their plans to migrate north.

Those trained in carpentry make furniture for their own use and for use in the wood shop. They’ve also built homes for people in the community who are in need, whether they are church members or not. The church also has recognized a need in the community for child care; two children have died while drawing water from a ditch while their parents were away at work. So the carpenters are now building an extension on the church to care for children and feed them while their parents are at work. The space is large, well-planned, and well-built. Now they only lack the funds to buy the remaining materials necessary. All the work is done by volunteers who work the fields five days per week.

I was overcome by the evidence of what God can do through a handful of faithful followers. When the church recognizes its calling to join God in reconciling and redeeming all things, amazing things are accomplished.

 

The carpenters who are building the extension on the church.

The kitchen and dining area on the top floor of the extension.

Bean fields near the church.

A carpenter busy in the workshop.

Another carpenter at work.

 

 

 

 

Water

Water. We use it every day. We cook, clean, wash, and bathe with it. In Colorado we’re conscious of drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated. And we grow anxious when we don’t see enough of it in the forms of rain and snow. Typically in Colorado, we assume that the water from our tap is safe and healthy to drink. In fact, most of us barely think about this basic necessity of life.

March 22 is World Water Day. Most of the world does not have the same relationship with water that we have here in the U.S. Most of the world does not have clean, drinkable water readily available from the tap. In many countries, water carries deadly diseases.

For our friends in Guatemala, water brings countless possibilities. The Morales family owns a small water treatment plant where they purify water from their well. They provide safe drinking water to their community at a fraction of the price the big companies charge. In addition, they sell their water to distributors who in turn sell it to others for a profit, thus creating jobs within the community. The Morales family also teaches about clean water, sanitation, and hygiene within the local schools. After comparing river water and purified water under the microscope, students insist that their families drink only purified water.

The family uses the proceeds from Aguas de Unidad to fund personal ministries in the community. They help sick families buy needed medicines; they help neighbors improve their homes; they welcome children into their own home so they can attend school or recover from malnutrition; and they actively wage peace, promoting and facilitating redemption of broken relationships. For the Morales family, water is truly a symbol of the power of Jesus to bring abundant life.

Aguas de Unidad is working to deepen their existing well.

Working on expanding the water plant.

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