Our Week in South Texas

A few weeks ago a group of nine individuals from Living Hope Church traveled to Hidalgo county in South Texas where we spent a week learning, and serving on the southern US border.

We stayed at Haven of Hope in San Juan. Haven of Hope hosts groups of volunteers throughout the summer. Border Perspective works with these groups, providing places to work at, and also provides opportunities to learn about the border, and the many issues related to immigration.

We arrived Saturday night, just in time to quickly unpack and go to bed. Looking towards the South we could see lights in the distance. This was an international bridge we were told. The lights of Reynosa Mexico were behind it. The road running past us was constantly busy with semi trucks carrying goods into, and out of Mexico. Commerce keeps this port of entry busy. 

Sunday we got up for breakfast burritos and a much needed cup of coffee. Church followed. Iglesia Misionera Cristo Vive, the Church we attended while we were there, worships at Haven of Hope, while they are renovating a building they will eventually move into.

The service was in Spanish, with an interpreter, which helped those of us with little or no knowledge of Spanish. This Church is very active in reaching out to the needy around them. We were told that food insecurity affects four out of every five families in the area. After lunch, which was served at the Church, we took part in a food distribution.

We set up shelters to work under while cars began to line up. I didn't count the cars, but by the time we were finished we had emptied four full pallets of produce. Each family received a meal, a variety of produce, and gospel literature. We wore hats, and stayed under the shelter until the next vehicle moved up into position to be loaded. It was 102°F in full sun. We were drained when the last car left. Amazingly, the last car, and the last bit of produce came out even! 

All of this produce, and sometimes there are other food items as well, is donated to Border Missions. (I will write more about them in a bit). Iglesia Misionera receives what they distribute from Border Missions every week. God has faithfully provided this food to around 80 Ministries who do similar distributions, many within Mexico as well.

Iglesia Misionera was having VBS for the children the week we were there, so after supper we helped decorate the church before we finally went to bed.

As hot as they days were, there was always a nice breeze at night. It felt good actually, and I was surprised to find out that it was still in the 90s. 

Monday we had a meeting with border patrol. They gave us a presentation followed by a question and answer time. We could ask anything, and they would give a straight answer.

They gave us statistics related to various border issues. They actually capture a lot of wanted individuals. Drug smugglers, terrorists, and coyotes (people who smuggle refugees across the border) to name a few. They are also responsible to ensure that those coming through the border whether immigrants, refugees, or asylum seekers (there are differences in these terms) are vetted before they send them on. Later in the week we served at a respite center where these people are processed further ( More on that later).

Several things stuck out in this interview. First, you are not getting the full truth on the news. If you really want to get correct information on border issues you have to dig deep. Check out multiple sources. A lot of what is presented is biased. Again, this is coming from border patrol.

Second, the cartels have technology, and are always trying to stay one step ahead of border patrol. What once may have been an active area for smuggling will suddenly change to another spot. Border patrol has to constantly be on the alert and ready to adjust to these changes.

And finally, the suicide rate among border agents is high. The agent we met with has lost two men from his unit recently. They see and experience a lot, and it wears many of them down.

After this meeting we walked a mile of border wall. Full sun, 100+ degrees. We carried plenty of water. Many on the other side seeking entry into the US don't have that luxury.

An interesting fact about the wall is that it is not the border. The border is the center of the Rio Grande. It is impossible to build a solid wall right down the center of the river. It has to be built wherever is the most convenient. Sometimes there is some distance between the wall and the actual border. This is referred to as "no man's land." There are houses, farms, and churches in "no man's land." A farmer might have half his property on one side of the wall, and half on the other. This makes planting and harvesting very difficult. A homeowner might suddenly find his house on the wrong side of the wall. Imagine what that does for property values. If the federal government wants your land for the wall they will negotiate with you. If that fails, they seize your land. When the gates are closed, people behind the wall get through with access codes, or remotes similar to garage door openers. To these individuals the wall is more than a mere inconvenience. There was a golf course with the wall splitting it in half. Needless to say they went bankrupt.

There were two other groups at Haven of Hope the week we were there. We split up and took turns going to the places we served at for the next three days.

On Tuesday we went to Border Missions. In 1956 Harold and Katherine Morgan, traveling evangelists held meetings in the Rio Grande Valley. Feeling God's leading, they sold what they owned and remained in the area and Border Missions began (see link).

There story is one of faith and miracles. In the early 1970's a man was driving through the area. He felt God was telling him to look for the woman wearing white. He finds Katherine and asks her if she needed anything. She said she needed rice and beans to serve the needy people in the area. This man owned a company that "happened" to be able to supply rice and beans. Border Missions still receives their rice and beans, 50 years later, from this same company. I saw the pallets myself. They go through a lot of rice and beans every week.

Another time someone who was coming for food expressed her desire for carrots. Border Missions didn't have any carrots but said they would pray about it. Shortly after they had prayed, the phone rang. The produce warehouse on the other end of the phone had pallets of carrots, and would they be willing to come and get them.

They receive all of the produce they give away from warehouses and stores who must do something with their overstock and close dated items. It is all donated. They have a large storage space, and plenty of refrigerated storage as well. Their coolers are filled with pallets of broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, etc. 

Since these items are close dated they have to use them quickly. Food items are coming and going out of their doors daily. There are 80 pastors who pick up pallets of produce to distribute in their own ministries. Much of it goes across the border into Reynosa to give to the needy people there. Iglesia Misionera Cristo Vive is one of the ministries receiving the items they distribute, from Border Missions.

Every Thursday Border Missions has their own distribution day. People come and line up for a bag of groceries, a meal, and a church service. Many individuals come across the border from Reynosa with a day pass, receive their food, and cross back home. They usually pass out around 1,100 bags on Thursdays.

The teams who volunteered on Tuesday and Wednesday helped pack these bags. The team present on Thursday participated in the distribution.

They were renovating the outdoor area behind the mission. This is where they serve the meal for everyone on Thursdays. So some of us were able to help clear out rubble from the construction work taking place there. Again, it was sunny and hot back there! Border Missions is still in the family 67 years later. The great granddaughter of the Morgans, along with her husband now run the mission, carrying on the work God began all those years ago.

Wednesday was our turn to help with VBS. We got to know many of the children and teens from the area this way. We spent time visiting, singing, and learning. In spite of the heat we had a lot of outdoor activities. There were relay races, and a lively soccer game. I think this might have been the most physically exhausting day of our trip! Once again we had plenty of water on hand!

We attended the Wednesday evening service as well. This church has seen some heartbreak this summer. Just before our arrival, a young mother and her nine year old daughter were killed in a automobile accident. She left behind a husband and several other children. They were active in the church. The little girl used to tell each person in the line for food on Sunday afternoons that Jesus loved them. There was a lot of pain, but a lady who was the mother and grandmother of the two victims stood up and gave a powerfull testimony of forgiveness. These two lost their lives to a drunk driver.

This church is in the process of renovating a warehouse into a church. One day Hugo Moya, the pastor drove by an abandoned warehouse and felt that God was telling him that this was their church building. It had stood empty for 20 years or more and was an eyesore in the community. In fact the residents in that neighborhood had planned to deliberately burn it down. They asked the city to condemn the property but they wouldn't. 

Hugo enquired about the building and the owner gave him the price and time to raise the money. The congregation had some fund raisers, but it wasn't nearly enough so Hugo withdrew from his savings as well. They were still short but were trusting God. 

Meanwhile the owner of the building was seriously ill and put the closing back several months. Hugo asked if he could pray for him over the phone, and that is what he did. 

A few days later he received a call from the owner that he was ready to close the sale. Hugo went with only half the agreed amount in a sealed envelope. He placed the envelope in front of the owner who opened it and told him he could have his church, he would make up the difference. The reason? No one had ever prayed for this man. It touched his heart.

Sadly Hugo died in a fall as he was working on the roof. His wife and family have continued on with the vision and the work goes on. Various churches have taken part in providing materials and labor. The week we were there more drywall was hung by an individual who knew how, and two teenage girls who got a crash course. Praise God the help he sends.

Thursday was our last full day in south Texas. We volunteered at the Catholic Charities Respite Center in McAllen. Once cleared at the border, migrants come here for a meal, a chance to rest, get a change of clothes, and help in lining up airline or bus travel. 

When we arrived there was a line of people waiting to enter the building. The building was fairly full of people inside. Our group was divided up into various areas to help. There was an area where the children could color, play games, or put puzzles together. Others helped distribute diapers, over the counter medications and other similar items for personal care. This area, also known as the pharmacy, is an extremely busy place. The ability to speak and understand Spanish well is a necessity here.

Some of us went to a warehouse across the street where clothing is kept. We spent the morning sorting clothes by gender and size. After lunch we received clothing request forms filled out by the refugees. It was very difficult to fill these requests as they are not necessarily familiar with sizes in the US, and many sizes were put down as sizes in their country of origin. I used Google a lot that afternoon to try and figure out what some of these sizes converted to. It's a tremendous rush, as  most of these people have departure times by now.

Going back to the respite center from the warehouse we see a fresh line of people waiting to enter the building. Once again a security guard let's us in with the clothing we are about to distribute. Each bag of clothing has the form stapled to it with a name written on it. We found a Spanish speaker to call out the names over an intercom, and that was how we got the right clothing to the right families.

All of the clothing is donated, and most of the workers here are volunteers. There are regular volunteers who come here daily, and then groups like ours who are only here for a day or two. There seems to be so much to do here. The need for help is huge.

As I looked at the line of people at the pharmacy, I saw the faces. Eyes filled with hope. Some looked weary, some were scared. All of these people have a story. Some have fled poverty. Others are escaping violence or corrupt government. They all desire a better life, a little bit of dignity. And they are all here legally. These people at this center are not undocumented. Each one has been cleared by the border agents. They have sponsors, a place to go, if they are seeking asylum they have a court date that they must keep. So often we hear the term illegal immigrants tossed around in a general sense. We hear that "illegals"  are getting phones or airline tickets. 

There is a crisis at our southern border. I do not sugarcoat that. People are coming and will keep on coming. It is a strain on the border communities. This trip has shown some of that. For every person who comes in legally, or turns themselves in to border patrol, there are untold multitudes who do not. They don't have an accurate number of undocumented immigrants. They can only estimate it. We heard stories about the stash houses where desperate families who choose to be smuggled into the country are placed until their turn comes. The conditions are horrible. Lack of food, water, and working toilets take it's toll. The smugglers will lock you in. There is no escape. They feed you if they want. They want your money, your phone. Women are raped. These are all things that the border agents are contending with. 

However, from a Biblical perspective, the nations are coming to us. As followers of Jesus we have the mandate to love our neighbors as ourselves. We are called to go into the world and make disciples. Many of us have not gone, but they are coming to us. We can't fix this crisis, but we can bring Jesus into it.

Friday afternoon found us at San Antonio International Airport. The plane we were to depart on was being sanitized so we had about 45 minutes until take off.

A young woman with two children walked past us. She looked like she might be Hispanic. We recognized the wristband that she wore. Immigrants receive these when being processed. One of the ladies in our group spoke Spanish and talked with her. 

She was hungry, so this lady took them to find something to eat in the airport. They announce our plane is ready to board. We still have a few minutes so we wait. Soon they come back. We find out she is from Venezuela. She is going to Portland Oregon. I don't see any carry-on, only the clothes they are wearing. Did we pick out their clothes yesterday in McAllen? She is carrying a packet of information in her hand. We had 5 or 6 bags of chips and a bag of apples. We gave them to her, said goodbye and got in line.

I've been back for a week now. I'm still processing everything. The stories we heard, the places we were at, the people we met are fresh in my mind. We all have our opinions and you are welcome to hold yours. We all have our political ideas and parties we agree with and that's between you and God. But all of this goes beyond opinions and politics. Our country will continue to change it's policies at the border with every administration that comes into power. Some will do better than others, but no one will really fix things. That is how government is, plain and simple. All I ask is that we find a little room in our hearts for compassion. These are real people, real families trying to survive in many instances. We need to stop the drug flow, human trafficking, and gang activity. The border agents are arresting terrorists at the border, and that's good news for us. I am not against this. I don't want to be misunderstood. We need a process in place at our borders to ensure that the wrong people do not get through. Asylum seekers should be able to legally cross an international bridge and turn themselves in. That's the right way to do it. Sadly they didn't have that option the last several years and the numbers of migrants crossing the river spiked. We shot ourselves in the foot with that one. 

As a Christian I want to be able to see past the politics and rhetoric, and see the human being in need. When we stand before God someday, He will separate us, the sheep from the goats (see Matt 25:31-46). Our opinions, our political viewpoints and affiliations will not be the the point of division. Jesus will make this separation based upon our care of "least of these." Did we feed them, give them a drink, cloth them? If so, we did it unto Him. Our faith, if it is real, will act out in love.