It's Clovis!

I was able to squeeze in one more visit with Lauren before she and Rusty move to Scotland at the end of September. I had a great time in Clovis, New Mexico hanging out with her and the fam! =)

Borderlands Trip: "No More Deaths"

We arrived in Tucson and were greeted by John Fife and Gene Lefavbre. John and Gene are retired Presbyterian pastors who started the Sanctuary Movement in the 1980's and provided sanctuary to Central Americans fleeing Civil War in El Salvador and Guatemala. They have a long history of getting into trouble! They are AMAZING people and I learned so much from them. They're pretty darn funny too. =)

The "No More Deaths" camp is in Arivaca, south of Tucson and north of the border. Each day we divided into patrols and hiked the trails to deliver water and food. Volunteers date the water and this helps them know which trails are being heavily used. The area is enormous...over hundreds of thousands of square miles. No More Deaths services about 180 square miles.

One of the volunteers had brought tags that were made by migrants who have successfully crossed. We tied the tags around the water. Each tag had a different message on it. For example, one tag read (in Spanish) "You are beautiful and strong. Remember this when people here tell you that you are less."

There were many difficult moments on the trip, but an especially difficult one was visiting Josseline's shrine. Josseline was a 14-year-old girl from El Salvador who was trying to get to Los Angeles to reunite with her mother and grandparents. She was traveling with her 10-year-old brother and along the way, she fell behind and could travel no further. Her brother made it safely and the family contacted "No More Deaths" to plead for help in finding Josseline. She was finally found, three weeks after she separated from the group, and the coroner discovered she had survived alone for two weeks. She was 14 years old, and she died alone in the desert. Since recovering her body, a shrine has been erected and all NMD volunteers carry her picture in their pockets.

One of my favorite moments in camp was our dinner on Tuesday night. The "No More Deaths" camp is located on the land of Byrd Baylor, a famous author of children's books. She came for dinner and we enjoyed Pad Thai and fried rice, brought to us by a Buddhist monk who brings meals every week to the camp. Our guests of honor were the three migrants who were resting and rehydrating in the NMD camp. It rained most of the time we were in camp, but let up for dinner, and in fact, there was an enormous rainbow to entertain us at dinner. Byrd read us one of her articles, and we laughed, sat by firelight, and dined on Pad Thai. My heart was full of joy.

Unfortunately, the next day when we returned from our morning patrol, we were greeted by Border Patrol agents who had raided the camp. The migrants who had been recovering were taken and deported. Gene was held in custody for over 2 hours and it looked like Border Patrol might arrest all of us for "harboring migrants."

The Saturday before we came to camp, NMD volunteers had finally convinced a migrant staying in camp that he needed to seek medical help. He was in the early stages of renal failure and the volunteers told him that if he didn't get to a hospital, he would die. He finally agreed and as he was being wheeled into the ambulance, Border Patrol intercepted and took him away. I think this recent incident helped us avoid arrest. Plus, we think Border Patrol knew it would be a media nightmare if they arrested 12 seminarians!

After our time in Arivaca, we drove to Altar, Sonora in Mexico. Altar is a staging area for migrants and is about 60 miles south of the border. Most migrants are coming from Central America or southern Mexico so Altar is where they rest before crossing the border. The Center we stayed at gives migrants a place to sleep, eat, shower, get clean clothes, and receive medical care. Enrique, the coordinator of the center, gave us a tour and one of the group members asked him why he does what he does. His response? "Mateo 25." (Matthew 25: "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.")

One of the migrants I met in Altar is named Martin. Martin is from Honduras and migrated to the US 7 years ago to work. He recently returned to Honduras to see his two girls (now 9 and 10 years old) and to bury his mother. He told me his daughters wanted desperately for him to stay, but there is no work and he must return to the US if his daughters are going to eat.

There are so many more stories to tell. I don't pretend to be an expert on Border issues and the more you learn, the muddier the water gets. It is a complex situation. However, here's what I believe to be true:

*The US needs to revisit NAFTA and take responsibility for the greed and self-interest that has contributed to the economic crisis in Mexico. Since NAFTA passed, the US has flooded Mexico with products that drove down prices and caused farmers to lose their land. Farmers who had supported their families by growing and selling corn could no longer afford to do so.

*In 1994, the US initiated a Border Policy that tightened security in major US cities along the border and forced migrants to cross through the deadly Arizona desert. The American people were told that migrant deaths would result, but it was "collateral damage" for ceasing illegal border crossings. The policy has not been effective and has been recognized by the international community (UN) as a violation of human rights. Let me repeat, the international community condemns our current border policy!

*Over and over we heard the familiar rhetoric "They choose to come here and it's their fault if they die in the desert." I met dozens and dozens of migrants who did not choose to illegally cross the border. To apply for a visa or work permit would take 7-15 years and there's no guarantee of approval. Most of the migrants I met couldn't afford to wait 7 years. It was cross or starve.

I don't know what the solution looks like or should be. What I DO know, is that in the meantime, I salute "No More Deaths" for taking Matthew 25 seriously.

I'm home!!!

Wow. I just woke up from a long nap in MY BED!!! Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. I made it home safely this afternoon and am waiting for David to get home from work.

I will definitely post pictures and stories soon. I am still processing everything we saw and did. I talked to some of you right before I left last Saturday and you know I did NOT want to go, however, I am SO glad I did. I was pulled and stretched and it was great because it just made more room for love and blessings to fill my life!

Last Sunday we worshipped in Tuscon and we sang a hymn I hadn't sung in a LONG time. The chorus has been running through my head all week.

"There's a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place.
And I know that it's the Spirit of the Lord.
There are sweet expressions on each face,
And I know they feel the presence of the Lord.

Sweet Holy Spirit,
Sweet Heavenly Dove,
Stay right here with us,
Filling us with your love.

And for these blessings,
we lift our hearts in praise.
Without a doubt we'll know
that we have been revived
When we shall leave this place."

Disclaimer

I just posted about my trip to the border and thought I should offer a disclaimer. I know immigration is a hot issue and not everyone who loves me and reads our blog will agree with my choice to go on this trip. I wanted to offer the following:

I do not view the immigration debate as a Republican or Democrat. I approach the issue as a person of faith, wrestling with what it means to provide "hospitality to the stranger."

I believe the crisis at the border is indeed a humanitarian crisis. I am hopeful to learn more about why people migrate and how Christians can drive public policy toward a solution that is fair and just.

I posted earlier about my belief that Christians are called to the periphery to be in solidarity with the suffering people of the world. I am trying to respond to God's call to "be present at the bleeding points of humanity."

I will have no access to a computer while I am gone, but I am planning on journaling and will post when I return!

Borderlands Trip

I leave on Saturday with a group of Iliff students to go to the Arizona/Mexico border to work with the organization "No More Deaths." (Just in case you don't know, I've embedded the link so click on No More Deaths for more info!) I received a schedule from my professor and thought I would post it!

Saturday, August 23: Arrive at the Tucson airport at 4:26 P.M. Dinner at the Fife's. Get acquainted. Sleep at the Lefebvre's and the Desert House.

Sunday, August 24: Background orientation, Worship at Southside Presbyterian Church. Volunteer training for NMD. Travel to camp near the border. Get acquainted with other volunteers.

Monday, August 25: Training in use of gps and map reading. Afternoon patrol looking for migrants and setting out food and water. Evening de-brief.

Tuesday, August 26: Morning and afternoon patrols. Evening de-brief.

Wednesday, August 27: Morning patrol. Pack and leave for Tucson. Rest. Evening de-brief of camp experience. Pack for Altar.

Thursday, August 28: Leave for Mexico. Stop at NMD Aid Station at the border. Travel to Altar, a staging area for migrants who will enter the U.S. Stay at a church migrant center. Conversation with staff and guests at the center.

Friday, August 29: Visit with migrants at the plaza in Altar about their experience. Return to Tucson . Rest. De-brief aid station and Altar trips.

Saturday, August 30: Morning trip to the Tohono Oldham reservation and the cultural center. Talk with Mike Wilson who saves lives in the most deadly section of the border. Return to Tucson. Rest. Dinner at the Lefebvre's and de-brief of the whole trip.

Sunday, August 31: Return to Denver

I am excited to go but VERY nervous! Prayers are always appreciated! =)

Interfaith Worker Justice

Friday was the last day of my internship and tomorrow I leave for debrief in Chicago. I realized I haven't written anything about the work I've been doing this summer! Here is some basic info:

The internship I did was through an organization called "Interfaith Worker Justice." Their philosophy is:

1.The US faces a national crisis in terms of the rapid increase in workers earning poverty wages and the vast number of workplaces that routinely violate workers' rights. This crisis requires a broad-based approach to the work.

2.All religions believe that workers should be paid fairly and treated respectfully.

3.People of faith want to help low-wage workers but generally do not know how to get started. Getting people involved is an organizing challenge, not particularly an ideological one.

4.The majority of people of faith wants to help low-wage workers but do not see unions as vehicles for economic justice. Talking cannot change these negative stereotypes. Rather, people of faith must get to know workers who are struggling for unions and union organizers who are on the front lines of justice, which is why building local interfaith committees is so important.

This summer I worked at Service Employees International Union. SEIU is the fastest growing union in the U.S. and represents service employees like janitors, security guards, and home healthcare workers. Here are some things I learned about unions this summer:

1.In the 1950's union membership stood at a high of 35%. Unions helped negotiate social policies that helped all working people rise out of poverty and helped bring about Social Security, the 8-hour work day, paid overtime, vacations, and pensions.

2.Union membership now stands at 12% (8% in Colorado) which means there is less negotiating power. It also means that most workers don't know anyone personally who has benefitted from a union.

3.Unions are blamed for increasing costs and causing outsourcing. However, what has increased is CEO salaries, not low-wage worker salaries. Between 1973 and 2003, the average member of the top 1 percent of wage earners saw an after-tax income increase of 129%. During the same time period, the bottom 20% of wage earners saw an after-tax income increase of 4%. Regarding outsourcing, Sweden is 87% union and does not outsource.

4.In Japan, the average CEO makes 11x more than the average worker. In England and Germany, the average CEO makes 13 times the average worker. In the United States, the average CEO makes 540 times the average worker.

5.Unions help close the gap for women and minorities. Nationally, the gap between men's and women's pay is 32%, but between union men and women, the gap is only 5%. Latino union members earn 45% more than nonunion Latinos. African Americans earn 30% more if they are union.

6.Workers in the United States face some of the weakest worker protection laws in the industrialized world. In the US, over 10,000 workers are illegally fired each year for union activity.

7.80% of employers hire high-priced anti-union consultants and lawyers when they find out their workers are trying to organize.

8.Workers who try to organize are often punished by the employer. Employers change their shift, cut their hours, threaten job loss, and sometimes threaten deportation.

Here are some pics from Chicago and Denver:

Denver Urban Gardens/SAME Cafe

The group of young adults I work with at Trinity UMC have been studying Shane Claiborne's "Simply Enough" DVD series. In response to the lesson on "food," we decided to visit Denver Urban Gardens and volunteer at Delaney Farm. Delaney Farm is in the middle of a suburban/urban community and grows organic produce for the community. Never being much of a gardener myself, I have a whole new appreciation for the work that goes into producing food. We were pulling weeds and I bent down and there were carrots popping out of the ground. I nearly shouted! It's pretty cool to see the vegetables in the ground/on the vine/on the plant! =)





After pulling weeds, we had lunch together at SAME Cafe. SAME is an acronym for "So All May Eat" and is a restaurant in Downtown Denver that was started by a husband and wife. They were frequent volunteers at food banks and shelters and were discouraged by the quality of food served and the fact that people who ate there had no choices. They decided to open a restaurant that uses local, organic produce to create healthy (and delicious!) meals, and the best part is that it's "pay as you can." There are no set prices so people who can't afford to pay a lot don't have to. If people can't pay at all, they can trade an hour of work at the restaurant (washing dishes, serving, cooking) for a meal. Pretty cool! =)