part of the November newsletter...

On the night of October 25th I had the opportunity to speak with Alejandra in the Migrant Resource Center. It was a slow Sunday night and towards closing time she was the only person in the Center other than me. I sat down across from her and started asking the normal questions: where are you from? How did you cross? Do you have family? I then asked “¿Vas a intentar a cruzar otra ves?” Are you going to try to cross again?
Her response was not all that uncommon, “no hay otra opción.” There’s no other option. At that point the conversation became a memorable one. Alejandra said, “me estoy esondiendo.” I’m in hiding. She then explained to me that she suffered for twelve years living with her abusive husband and was trying to cross into the United States to save herself and her child. She finally decided to leave her husband because he threatened to kill her. Alejandra mentioned being caught by the Border Patrol. They told her that she didn’t have permission to enter into the United States. She responded by saying “Dios me ha dado permiso.” God has given me permission. She ended her story by wiping her tears from her face, smiling and saying “¿pero sabes que? Dios es grande.” You know what? God is great.
Alejandra reminds me of the human aspect of the border. She also reminds me of the complexity of the border. But there is one thing that is not complicated: these people need help. Alejandra, clearly a woman of great faith, created in the image of God, had encountered nothing but hardship for most of her adult life. She had just crossed most of Mexico, walked for days in the desert, and was detained by the Border Patrol. After she arrived to the Migrant Resource Center she was eventually taken to a women’s shelter in town and finally felt safe.
Your involvement in the Migrant Resource Center has most certainly made a difference in the lives of those we serve, at least partially alleviating the pain and distance from home so many people unfortunately feel.
At the Migrant Resource Center there is a constant need for food, clothing, and hygiene and basic medical supplies to be distributed to people like Alejandra. As well as a constant need for financial support to continue to maintain the center itself. Your donation will continue to enable us to provide quality support and care for those individuals so desperately needing our assistance.
On a daily basis it might seem like change is hard to come by, but in the past three years we have fed more than 43,000 men, women and children. Thank you for your part in making the change we want to see in the world, and thank you for chipping in and helping the cause of the Migrant Resource Center.