Never Far Off

ACTS 17:24-27

24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.

Good morning. Transcendence and immanence. On the surface the two appear incapable of sharing the same space. And yet Creation with its tall mountains and deep oceans make clear that transcendence and immanence have traveled together since the beginning. Together they describe the God of Creation and define God’s relationship with us.

But how is God transcendent? First, God is self-sufficient. God does not “need” the world to be God. Second, God is not bound to the confines of Creation. Rather, God is above and beyond Creation existing in every corner of the universe. Third, God is not forced into relationship with us or Creation. Instead, God freely chooses to have a relationship with both.

Believers dare not suggest , nor does the evidence support a God so far beyond the world that God stands incapable of a relationship with Creation. God is not a remote deity unable to see, hear, or know what happens in the universe.

What does it mean to confess one’s belief in God’s immanence? First, one expresses assurance that God is fully present to creation. Second, one professes hope that God is active in Creation. the universe being involved and working in human history. On the other hand, we should not collapse God so thoroughly into the world that prevents our God from standing over the creation God made.

How does a transcendent and immanent God choose to interact with a fixed and finite Creation? First, God dwells in Creation as Spirit. As Spirit, God serves as the source for life for all of Creation. For there exists no particle or creature in Creation capable of sustaining itself apart from God’s spirit. As Spirit, God does not stand still or keep quiet. Rather, God’s vigorous and bold actions come to fruition by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Second, God resides in Creation as Person. Now to be born a person is to be born with mystery, self-governance, and freedom. Even among those closet to us, no one exists completely transparent to another. Ultimately, there remains a part of us that a mystery. As a person, each of us exist as self-determining agents. We possess the ability of choice. As a person, we have the freedom to act. Our actions extend beyond the control of others.

While God’s full person was revealed in Jesus, the innate qualities of person-hood still apply. Though Jesus reveals much to us, our efforts to completely comprehend the Lord of Creation will always leave with us a mystery we cannot solve. While Jesus certainly wants us to support His plan to redeem Creation, Jesus will accomplish His self-determined goal for creation whether we choose to help or not. Despite our attempts to exert our power or influence, Jesus’ autonomy clearly persists well beyond our ability to control.

Finally, God endures in Creation as Eternal. Of course, our perception of preset events comes immediately. Our awareness of the past always depends upon the state of our memory, while our view of the future rests solely on the condition of our hope.

As Eternal, however, all three segments of time exist in God’s present. Since all things are present to God, God also retains perfect and full knowledge of the world. With no lapses or gaps in God’s knowledge, God holds the power to finish His divine plan to redeem Creation.

Now if we acknowledge that God is present in all times and places, then shouldn’t it be possible for us to trust God with every second of our lives? If we admit that God is all knowing, then wouldn’t it be plausible that God knows what is best for us? If we confess that God is all powerful, then couldn’t it be conceivable that God will do what is best for us?

So this week may each of us seek out the God of the universe who transcends comprehension. May we reach out for the Lord of Creation who descends into our suffering and grief. Because no matter where we may be in our faith or in our struggle, we can trust that our God is never far off.

CJE

You Are The Proof

Good morning. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. The question is this, is the Christian confession still valid today? If you’re like me, then our answer is a enthusiastic YES. But what about those who reject the validity of the Christian confession?

What can one say to those who do not acknowledge any God, let alone one taking human form in Jesus Christ? By and large, atheists see the universe not as a purposeful creation of God, but as an accidental mass of blind and random forces. Many Christians try their hand at employing intellectual arguments to prove God’s existence, which to them inevitably validates the Christian confession.

First, there is the Empirical argument. This essence of this defense proclaims that the concept of God itself proves that God cannot NOT exist. In other words, the fact that an atheist can conceive of a God to deny proves the existence of the very entity they claim isn’t real.

Second, is the popular Cosmic argument. This proof asserts that every dependent reality must a have a independent cause that explains its existence. Like a watch needs a watchmaker to be brought into existence, so too humankind needs an independent cause to explain its existence and that cause of course is God.

Third, the persuasive Moral Law argument. This justification states that the only reason mankind can distinguish between good and evil is because of the existence of God who established moral law at the beginning of creation. Consequently, the absence of God in the world would necessarily mean the absence of morality in the world. And it is God’s morality that the world depends upon to deplore acts of theft, rape, and murder .

While all three make great cases, the Christian cannot rely on intellectual arguments alone to prove God’s existence. Instead, the Christian’s evidence for the existence of God must also include a living demonstration. In other words, YOU ARE THE PROOF that God exists.

Moreover, we provide incontrovertible proof that God’s forgiveness is real every time you or I forgive the harmful acts of friends and enemies alike. We supply irrefutable evidence that God’s mercy is real every time you or I display mercy on those worthy of both our scorn and our vengeance. We offer indisputable confirmation that God’s love is real every time you or I show love those who have known nothing but rejection and isolation.

So this week I pray each of us will strive to become such a witness to a world as desperate for evidence as it is for healing. Sure there will moments when we doubt if forgiveness is worth the effort. Certainly there will be instances when we question if mercy merits our consideration. Of course there will be times when we wonder if love deserving of my time. But these lingering doubts eventually encounter the enduring truth that when it comes to validating God’s existence, you are the proof.

CJE

The Love Is The Same

Good morning. Knowledge and Understanding. Two very similar terms yet wholly separate when lived out in the human experience. Sure, I can know that the Civil War began on April 12, 1861 when Confederate troops fired on Fort Sumter. However, does simply knowing when this event occurred provide any understanding as to causes and consequences of the Civil War? Not really.

Similarly, does knowing that a man named Jesus was crucified on a cross by the Roman government thousands of years ago help to comprehend the reasons and effects of Jesus’ sacrifice to secure salvation? Again, not really. This year one of my goals with the youth group I help mentor consists of helping them to appreciate the need for both knowledge AND understanding.

Last week we sat down to discuss a critical aspect of Christian doctrine, the Trinity. A heavy topic for teens I admit, but one I think we can all benefit from. At first, the teens were a little puzzled to learn that the concept of the Trinity is actually not specifically acknowledged in the Bible. In all of the Bible, one will find no scripture that says, “The one God in three persons.” Instead, this concept evolved through a lengthy journey of theological pondering by Christians seeking to understand God better.

A concise explanation of the Trinity perceives the Father acting, through the Son, by the power of the Spirit. Together they makeup the one divine body sharing one divine nature. They are brought together in an eternal relationship. But what is this the substance of this relationship that unifies the Trinity? According to 1 John 4:8, it is Love that holds the Trinity together for GOD IS LOVE.

As most know, the New Testament word for love is agape and it alludes to the sacrificing of oneself for the sake of another. It is this active, self-sacrificing love that creates and sustains the unity within the Trinity. Thus, the unity of the one God represents each of the divine three giving themselves to the other.

Even before the creation of the universe, the Father loves the Son, and the Son reciprocates that love back to the Father. This love that occupies the space between the two took divine form in the Holy Spirit, and it is the Spirit of the relationship existing between the Father and the Son. Before the world was made and the stars were set in the sky, this God in three persons has always existed in this community of love.

Now consider this. The Holy Spirit residing in us is the same Spirit of the relationship existing between the Father and the Son. So when the Spirit comes to abide in us, the Spirit gives to us the same love the Son enjoys with the Father. Take any parent you know and ask them, “which of your children do you love more?” Almost immediately you will discover that most parents prove incapable of loving one child more than the other. From the oldest to the youngest, the most gifted to the most disabled; a parent’s love for one child is the same love for the other child.

So if we come to know the Father and the Son graciously allow us to experience the same divine love in the form of the Holy Spirit, then what does such knowledge mean for our world and our churches? Could it perhaps mean that we will turn back the rising tide of violence and division in our world only when we make a conscious decision to show the same love to men and women, native and immigrant, rich and poor? Would it possibly imply that our churches will rinse away the stains of segregation and condemnation only when we show a concerted effort to show the same love to every race, gender, and creed?

It remains a sad fact in today’s broken world that unequal love based on conditions and stipulations serves as a highly profitable business. So this week may we all look to find new ways to demonstrate the same divine love that holds the Trinity together. Because one thing the mysterious Trinity makes crystal clear is that when it comes to the Father’s love for the Son and the sinner, the love is the same.

CJE

Hope Film Series 2018: Who Will Stand In The Corner?

Good afternoon. Below you will find the full text my closing remarks at this year’s Hope Film Series, a fundraising effort for the Marcus Ewing Memorial Fund……

Good Evening. If we have not yet met, my name is Chris. Like always, I want to convey my family’s deep gratitude for deciding to be a part of this 8th Annual Hope Film Series. More than a time for fellowship and film, this annual event represents the sole fundraising effort for the Marcus Ewing Memorial Fund as it supports Shiloh’s HI-DEF mentoring program.

HI-DEF aims to enrich the lives of teenage children with unceasing love and unrelentingly encouragement supplied to them by incredible mentors such as Angela and Allison. The Hope Film Series intends to see such enrichment endure for generations to come. As we end our time together this evening, I would like to take a moment to connect our cause with the man whose name inspires us to gather here each year. Because in many ways they are one in the same.

First, the man…and lets be honest, in some ways a man-toddler, Marcus Ewing. Much like in our film tonight, Marcus Ewing had to fight when it came to his education. Whether it was fighting to catch up with his other classmates at Ruth Moyer Elementary, or battling against “professional educators” at Highlands High school telling his mother verbatim, “Marcus isn’t college material.”

In both fights, however, Marcus won by knockout when he achieved a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Cincinnati. Yet despite this amazing achievement, Marcus found himself in one fight after another when it came to battling against the stigma of having a noticeable speech impediment. Other than Adrienne, I’m sure any of us know just how many rounds Marcus went to convince teachers, employers, and others that he was not incompetent or inferior.

Besides his own battles, Marcus Ewing also fought with great vigor to preserve opportunities for children and their families that he encountered in New York City. Like Rocky’s encouragement to his son, Marcus frequently advised the children of HI-Def to not let others stick a finger in their face and tell them they were no good. When a child at HI-def wanted to blame something keeping them from where he or she wanted to be, Marcus routinely reminded them that they were better and stronger than that.

For Marcus Ewing did not submit to many who assumed that children born in New York City were fated to misfortune. Marcus Ewing refused to concede to some who hypothesized that a child’s access to a great education depended on affordability or genealogy. Marcus Ewing could not yield to others who presumed that higher education was reserved only for those with ivy league aspirations.  

While it remains difficult to measure or quantify Marcus’ impact on the lives of the children of HI-Def, there are two thing I am certain of. First, the boys and girls of HI-DEF became confident they could go the distance in any fight knowing that Marcus Ewing was in their corner. Second, the boys and girls of HI-DEF grew in assurance they could absorb the hits of life trusting that Marcus Ewing would never throw in the towel on them.

Now when it comes to the fight for quality education in America; many students, parents, teachers, counselors, principals, and superintendents also find themselves on the ropes. If not battling against state legislatures slashing their budgets and pushing ineffective curriculum, schools today also fight without success to find any apparatus of the federal government willing to enact meaningful measures aimed at improving their safety.    

 Instead of committing all their time to reading and mathematics, students today find themselves having to dedicate precious class time to active shooter drills and anti-bullying seminars. Rather than worrying about graduating or going to college, students today find themselves most concerned with getting out school alive.

And therein lies the cause that unites all of those who feel Marcus’ absence the most. Without Marcus, who will commit to fight for children not just in New York City, but across America? Without Marcus, who will pledge to stand in corner of children ducking the jabs of statistics and skeptics? Without Marcus, who will promise to not throw in the towel on children repeatedly knocked down by prejudice and injustice?

In light of Marcus’ lingering absence, I would submit that it is you and I who can train and encourage students unsure of their ability to make it through the next round. As the problem of bullets and bullies continue, students today need someone in their corner to tell them, “keeping moving forward no matter how hard you get hit.” So long as high rates of suicides and dropouts persist, students today need someone to keep him or her from throwing in the towel on themselves.

No matter the amount, our donations to the Marcus Ewing Memorial Fund help HI-DEF in its effort to provide an occasion for young boys and girls to get off the ropes of illiteracy and truancy.  We aid HI-DEF in its desire to offer an opportunity for young boys and girls to get up off the mat of aggression and depression. We support HI-DEF in its hope to supply a chance for young boys and girls to deliver the knockout blow to generational poverty and cyclical inequality.

It is true that Marcus very much wished to see the boys and girls of HI-DEF become victorious in all their bouts with adversity and disappointment. However, Marcus Ewing fostered an even greater desire for the young boys and girls of HI-DEF learn about how life’s most important fight, which Jesus Christ had already won for them.

In times when hate and vengeance seemed to be winning, Marcus tried to assure the boys and girls of HI-DEF that the reviving mercy of Christ would stay unbeaten. In moments when violence appeared to be succeeding, Marcus worked to convince the boys and girls and HI-DEF that the refreshing peace of Christ would remain unchallenged. Even in instances when death and grief looked to be prevailing, Marcus attempted to persuade the boys and girls of HI-DEF that the resurrecting love of Christ would go on undefeated.

CJE

En el borde: Día Ocho

This morning began with quick shower and packing up my small suitcase as I prepared to leave the border to head home. After a double checking the room I headed for the front desk to check out. I had several hours before my flight and thought stopping at the local IHOP for breakfast was a good way to start the morning. 

This turned out to be a great decision and after paying the bill I walked another 20 minutes before reaching the airport. The airport in McAllen marks the first time I saw no line at the ticket counter or at TSA security screening.  

Now I’m at the gate with another hour before my flight to Dallas, then to Cincinnati. I thought I would use this time to provide a couple final thoughts about my time at the respite center. Some might be wondering why I haven’t posted any pictures of the immigrants themselves. Besides the respite center forbidding the taking pictures of any new arrivals, I felt a part of restoring human dignity was to treat them like human beings. These immigrants are not zoo animals or some museum exhibit put on display for our enjoyment. Rather, they are flesh and blood human beings living through perhaps the most vulnerable and tenuous moments of their lives. 

If there is any photographing or video recording, Sister Norma does an exceptional job at monitoring those requests. For Sister Norma is fully aware of the importance of raising awareness about the plight of the immigrants coming to the respite center. However, Sister Norma also never permits any form of media to address the immigrants without their consent, nor allow the media to pry too deeply into their affairs. 

Therefore, the best way to see the immigrants is to meet them as you serve them a cup of warm soup or hand them a set of clean clothes. And when you meet them you are likely to discover what I discovered this week. First, you will not find a single terrorist, gangster, or thug. Instead, you will encounter small children with no clue as to gravity of their situation and greet middle-aged adults with little formal education unsure of where they will be able to find work. 

But Chris, “ I don’t understand why these immigrants can’t pursue immigration through the proper legal channels already in existence even if it takes longer?” Well this leads me to the second discovery I made this week. These immigrants who disregard laws and procedures are not unintelligent or ignorant, nor are they reckless or disrespectful. In reality, these immigrants are simply desperate.

What do I mean by desperate? Well my co-volunteer, Mark, relayed to me a story told to him by a immigrant father he encountered this week that defines what it means to be desperate. The father had a small business back in his home country that did well enough to provide for his family. Then one day a local gang approached the father with an ultimatum. Either hand over all future profits from your store or we are going to harm your children. 

Rather than waiting for visas or green cards, this father made the choice to pack up his family as quickly as he could and head for safer ground. And for whatever reason this father believes that America will be a place where he and his family will be safe. I pray that he is right.

If you still find yourself not understanding the choices immigrants make, then most likely it’s because you’ve never been desperate. And when I consider the absence of desperation in my life, I confess that I don’t understand either.

CJE

On The Border: Day 7

It’s hard to believe that the week is over, but was my last day serving at the respite center. I arrived about quarter til 8:00am and went to survey the shower trailer. I found the trailer more or less in the same state of disarray after a morning round of showers.

I met more volunteers today than any other day I spent at the respite center. I suppose that’s because it’s Friday and the start of the weekend. So a couple new volunteers and myself took it upon ourselves to start the washers and one working dryer, throw away dirty clothes, wipe out the drains, clean the shower floors, and sweep the floor.

After restoring order the shower trailer, we moved the storage room to start making sandwiches. However, we found there wasn’t much deli meat left and made as many sandwiches as we could. I then returned to the laundry where one volunteer was transferring loads between the washers and dryer. I took over the laundry briefly while she went to lunch.

Soon after I left the laundry it was time to replenish the snack pack shelves. This didn’t take long with all new volunteers on hand. So many volunteers that there were enough to form another group to unpack and sort clothing donations by size and gender.

Then it came to my attention that a father and his toddler needed to get to a local Western Union to retrieve funds for expenses when they reached their final destination. I offered to walk with Juan and his, Diego, the seven blocks to the Westren Union. While on our way to get the money, I learned that Juan and his son had travelled from Honduras before being detained at the border. Unfortunately we found that the pawn shop listed as a Western Union outlet no longer fulfilled Western Union transactions. So the three of walked the seven blocks back to the respite center where I found a volunteer with a car willing to drive to the nearest operating Western Union outlet. 

As the noon hour approached I helped again to serve soup to the children in between checking on towels and supplies in the men’s shower. Not long after serving lunch I was asked to help remove the broken dryer to make room for a new dryer scheduled to arrive later in the day. 

Towards the end of my time at the respite center I spent my time delivering snack packs to departing families and collecting trash as the new arrivals finished eating their soup.  Overall the number of arrivals today was down slightly numbering about 200.

Before I left I made sure to say my good-byes to Sister Anne and Sister Norma. They were both extremely gracious and kind at expressing their deep appreciation for my willingness to serve. I expressed to them my desire to return and perhaps bring senior high students from my church’s youth group with me.

As I headed back for the hotel my thoughts were with both the respite center’s staff and the immigrants they served. For the respite staff I pray that God supplies them with the resources and energy they need to assist immigrants in need. For the immigrants I pray that God keep them safe and provide them with the better life they all have come such great distances hoping to secure.

CJE

On The Border: Day 6

Well four days down with one to go. Today I again planned to work at the respite center from 8:00am-4:30. After stopping at a local Burger King for a cup of coffee, I got to the respite center a few minutes before 8:00am. I signed in and saw I would need to make my name tag with scotch tape and a sharpie. One must certainly have an appreciation for improvisation if he or she wants to enjoy their time at the respite center.

With my scotch tape name tag I headed for the shower trailer. I got the washers and dryers running, and folded the clean towels I pulled from the dryers. I gathered up dirty clothes on the floor, wiped out the shower bottoms, and restocked the toothbrushes. 

Now it was time to head for the stock room to assess the amount of sandwiches in the fridge and the number of snack packs on the shelves. There were exactly 4 packs of sandwiches remaining despite having filled it to the brim before leaving yesterday. From the 12 full shelves of snack packs present yesterday afternoon, there were only two shelves of snack packs left.

Thankfully we had several mid-morning volunteers to help with making the snack packs. Some were locals from McAllen and some from Missouri. While filling the shelves with snack packs, we discovered that the same Methodist church delivered another 300 premade sandwiches for the respite center. So immediately after finishing up the snack packs we started to bundle up the sandwiches in groups of four. And just like that we had a full fridge of sandwiches again. 

Now for the past five days the laundry had been run and operated by two wonderful women from Minneapolis. Unfortunately yesterday was their last day and it was left to me to wash, dry and fold towels most of the day. The proved challenging after discovering that the right side dryer was not working. I can’t I was surprised given the fact that both dryers have been going nonstop all week. I can only imagine how many more dryers the center will go through over the next year.  

In between loads of laundry, I checked on the sandwiches and the snack packs, emptied out garbage cans, served soup, and helped restocked items for the snack pack assembly team. One fun fact today came when I learned that one of the regular volunteers at the respite center actually spent time living in Dayton, Ohio. She had recently moved back home to McAllen to help care for her father whose health was becoming more fragile.  

Now by the time my day ended I was able to load the dryer with the last round clean towels. I then folded the remaining dry towels and made sure both the men’s and women’s showers had an adequate supply of towels. 

I left the shower trailer to my gather things and head back to the hotel. As I passed through the waiting area towards the center’s entrance I came across a familiar scene. A large room filled with men, women, and children unsure of what tomorrow will bring. Where will they go? When will they get there? Will they be able to remain there? So many questions. I hope and pray that tomorrow can provide answers to some of them.

CJE

On The Border: Day 5

This morning I arrived at the respite center just after 8:00am to find yesterday’s arrivals wiping down and putting away the thin blue mattresses they slept on overnight in the respite center’s waiting area. After signing in I headed straight to laundry closet attached to the showers trailer. Sure enough towels needed to switched out of the washer and put in the dryer. I then gathered the dirty towels from the 1st round of morning showers and started a new load in the washer.

Next on the agenda was to wash out shower floors, remove hair from drains, wipe down sinks, throw away dirty clothes, and mop up as much excess water as I could. All week I have found little adherence to putting dirty clothes and towels into their assigned baskets despite having clearly marked signs in Spanish as to where each should go. But then I reminded myself that immigrants arriving at the respite center were most likely illiterate and unable to read in any language. 

After tending to the showers, I went to check on the supply of sandwiches only to find two immigrant women and a young immigrant boy already hard at work making sandwiches. Immigrants wanting to help has been a constant occurrence since I arrived on Monday, but today presented an even more special opportunity in this regard.

So the two women and young boy assembled the sandwiches, while I followed behind to package the sandwiches in ziplock bags and store them in the fridge. It wasn’t long that we had exhausted what remained of the bread for the morning, but thankfully the fridge was mostly full by that time.

I next turned my attention to the snack packs and found what remained from yesterday’s supply (see above). I processed to arrange an assembly line of snack pack items. By the time I was ready to begin making the snack packs there were two young boys passing through and asked if they could help. This proved critical because a number of other adult volunteers had been called away on shopping errands for the respite center. So Danny, age 13, andosualou, age 7, dived right in to help to replenish the snack pack shelves until we ran out of space. I pointed to each snack item and said how many of each were to go into a snack pack. They caught on very quickly and soon  these two boys were filling packs so fast that I found it was me running behind to refill boxes of the snack pack items. What little Spanish I know allowed me to ask the boys how old they were, when was there birthday, and if they had any brothers or sisters?

After thanking the two boys for their awesome effort, I found it was time to serve soup to the children. So I took my tray of six soup bowls and took them out to the children until all of them had been served. Sister Anne then came and asked if I could reorganize one of the pod storage units behind the respite center. She wanted to make room for several gallons of water and other supplies that the city’s local food bank would deliver later in the day. With a little creativity I managed to make enough space for the food bank’s delivery. 

Another delivery came soon after, which had been rather unexpected. A local Methodist church dropped close to 200 deli sandwiches to included in the snack packs. This incredible example of inter-faith cooperation was crucial because we had run of bread by late morning and our sandwich supply had begun to dwindle. But thanks to the Methodists our fridge was busting at the seams with sandwiches.

I finished the day checking on the men’s showers, helping a couple families find new shoes from the donation closet, serving more soup, and handing out snack packs to families leaving for the bus station. 

I also learned a little more about how the immigrants make their way to the respite center. Some cross the border on rafts and some on foot. Some have tried their best to elude ICE and the border patrol, while others cross fully expecting to be picked up.  

Once they are picked up, a couple of scenarios begin to play out. Many will seek asylum, some will make some other kind of petition for entry, and others will be sent back. Anyone with children are pretty much assured they will be able to plead their case.

However because the determination process is so long, the border patrol cannot hold these immigrants indefinitely. Once it is determined that they will not be sent back right away, the adult immigrants are given a GPS track that is fasten around their ankle. In addition they are given a kind of “electronic router” that is to be plugged in as soon as they arrive at their next destination and they must remain within 12 miles of that router at all times.

From there it is a series of court dates and other legalities that will determine if their stay will be permanent or not. I don’t have the time right now to discuss how this process is not only incredibly flawed, but totally unsustainable. 

But the one thing I can say for now is that if one thinks that ICE, the border patrol, detention centers, and lengthy court proceedings act as deterrents to illegal immigration, then consider the respite center’s new reality. A reality where 500 arrivals a day is no longer an anomaly, but the expectation. Yeah you’re math is right, 500 x 365 days a year= 182,500 immigrants arriving at just one small humanitarian respite center in one small border town. If this does not meet the definition of crisis, then I’m not sure what does?

CJE

On The Border: Day 4

Back at the hotel now.  Hope to get some rest after another fruitful, but busy day at the respite center. After dinner I plan to watch a couple innings of the World Series before watching this week’s episode of This Is Us.

This morning it became clear that the first place to start at the respite center each day will be the showers trailer. So I wiped down the eight shower stalls top to bottom with a can of Comet that I bought yesterday.  Once the showers were washed and the drains cleaned out, I moved to gather any dirty clothes left behind and designated them for the dumpster.

Shortly after finishing with the showers trailer I was able to meet Sister Anne. As the day unfolded it would become clear that Sister Anne, like all committed to doing the Lord’s will, was the unstoppable force that kept the respite center operating in the face of overwhelming needs arriving at their door.

As was the case yesterday, the fridge needed restocked with ham and cheese sandwiches. However, I found myself spending the next two hours just trying to put in as many sandwiches as were being taken out for families leaving for bus station. Eventually me and another volunteer were able to get ahead and the fridge  was filled with close to 200 sandwiches.

The next item in need of restocking were the snack packs. Again, we first were just trying to keep pace with bags going out. I lost count of how many snack packs we assembled, but we filled both racks to ceiling. And by morning all but one or two shelves of snack packs will remain. 

In between checking on sandwich and snack pack inventory, I helped serve more soup to newly arrived children and their relatives. Every 20 minutes or so, I also went to tidy up the men’s showers and take dirty towels to be washed. Then there was the taking garbage to the dumpster, cleaning up soup spills and doing my best to greet everyone I encountered with a warm smile.

My last task of the day was to accompany Sister Anne to the grocery to gather supplies for soup and breakfast. It was great chance to hear Sister Anne express her joy about how was providing for the center, while at the same time sharing her fears about the growing number of arrivals that shows no signs of letting up.

Yesterday I saw the center shower and feed a little over 500 people. Today was no exception with another wave of 500 plus people arriving from the detention center. And so many of the arrivals continue to be small children including several infants I saw in the waiting area today. 

I’m thinking that tomorrow will be more of the same. Consequently, I will tomorrow to try my best to explain the detention and release process that these immigrants experience before being dropped off by the border patrol at the bus station. For now, I just ask that you pray for all the families being aided by the respite center and pray often. 

CJE

On The Border: Day 3

Just finished dinner after an 8hr day at the respite center. I arrived at the center around 8:30am to find it already humming with activity. The first thing you notice is how many children under 10 have made the journey with a parent or relative. Next I signed in on the volunteer log and met briefly with one of the center’s coordinators, Cesar. Cesar appears to be in his early 20s doesn’t get much rest for one working at the center full time and going to school full time.

Cesar proceded to lead me outside to the back of the building where the Department of Health and Human Services parked a mobile shower unit.   This mobile shower unit is essentially an semi-trailer with 3 showers for men and 3 showers for women. It was there that I met another out-of-state volunteer from Seattle.

He was a retired police officer who had visited with a group last month to volunteer. Then last week he got a call from one the nuns operating the center to tell him how the center was being overwhelmed with new arrivals. So he decided to come down by himself and give another two weeks of service to the center.

My first job was to help him clean the showers and wash the towels after the morning arrivals finished showering. Clean the showers amounted to refilling the soap dispensers, wiping out the shower bottoms and removing any hair left behind, throwing away dirty clothes, and collecting used towels for the washer. 

In between loads of laundry, we moved to our next project of filling the refrigerator full of turkey sandwiches that would be included with snacks packs each arrival would recieve before moving on to their next destination. Each sandwich got two pieces of white bread, 2 thin slices of Oscar Meyer turkey meat, and a slice of American cheese. 

Once the fridge was full, we then replenished the supply of snack packs. Each snack pack includes two bottles of water, two granola bars, two small bags of chips, animal crackers, small bag of goldfish, and a small bag of pretzels. In between assembling snack packs, we also served a bowl of chicken noodle soup and a glass of lemonade to the morning arrivals.

After all the morning arrivals were served, we went back to filling snack packs. In addition, we were put in charge of putting together the last 5 gallon batch of chicken noodle soup from ingredients previously prepared by a pair of saintly women earlier in the day. 

Soon it was time to get ready for the afternoon arrivals that would be arriving at the bus station just after 3:00pm. Not surprisingly, the head count for morning and afternoon arrivals changes day to day. The count for this afternoon’s arrivals...500. 

I was asked to assist with meeting first two bus loads of immigrants released from the detention center and escort them the two or three blocks from the bus station to the respite center. Like when I first entered the respite center, you immediately notice the number of small children coming off the buses. I personally took two trips of 20-30 men, women, and children to the respite center. 

By the time I escorted my second group it was almost 5:00pm and I decided I’d better call it a day if I want to avoid burning out on the first day. So I signed out and headed out to find dinner and return to the hotel. Overall it was a great day filled with doing exerting work and meeting precious souls created in the image of God. But what I will remember most are the children.

CJE