More photos...

Sleeping room at Sacred Heart

 Giving prayer shawls at La Santisima Trinidad UMC

 The fence at Brownsville, TX

 Hope Park in Brownsville, TX

 Kevin giving a prayer shawl to Maria Elena de Fuentes

Sunday worship at Manos Juntas

 Site visit with Julian

 This is one way to get back to Manos Juntas

(The van broke down-no one injured)

 Julian asked how we liked our ride?

 Mexican Mother's Day dinner-Kathy, Becky and Willie

Lunch time at Vamos Tamaulipas School

Mary helping make pinatas

This is the full prayer I used for several of our Ubuntu Days.

I believe this if from the Book of Uncommon Prayer.

O God,

Expand our awareness to others whom we shall meet today, and tomorrow.

Help us to look for signs

Of our common humanity among the people we meet.

Help us listen to what people are saying,

Not just their words

But to what they are really saying.

Sensitize us to calls for help that we might give.

Alert us to signals that we can heed if we will.

In this big booming world of ours,

We are always bumping into people,

Then glancing off to pursue our restless, lonely ways.

We need to constantly remind ourselves

that life and love are found in relationships,

That you are speaking to us through human voices

And touching us by means of human hands.

We pray for others and thereby touch them with our thoughts

Ill people who know what it is to hunger

For someone's concern,

Pressured people who fear that they are going to crack.

As we think upon those whom we know

and touch then with our thoughts,

Help us to whatever extent we can touch them with our life.

As we feel our along in prayers,

So may we feel our way along in our daily relationships,

Looking, listening, reaching out and touching.

As we would keep alive the memory of Jesus.
Give us fuller measure of his living and healing Spirit. AMEN

Mission Opportunities with the United Methodist Church

I was asked how can I find other mission opportunities within the United Methodist Church and how can I give to some of the UMC Missions we have visited?  

This is the link which will help you find information about all sorts of mission opportunities and how to get in touch with people in the know!

https://www.umcmission.org/Get-Involved/Volunteer

If you would like to be a part of an Ubuntu Journey:

http://www.unitedmethodistwomen.org/ubuntu

How to give:

http://www.umcmission.org/Give-to-Mission

http://www.umcmission.org/Give-to-Mission/The-Advance 

 UMC projects we visited:

Good Neighbor Settlement: http://www.unitedmethodistwomen.org/donate/umwprojects/nmi-good-neighbor-settlement-house,-brownsville,-t

Manos Juntas

http://www.umcmission.org/Give-to-Mission/Search-for-Projects/Projects/3020527

Willie Berman

http://www.umcmission.org/explore-our-work/missionaries-in-service/missionary-profiles/Berman-Guillermo

Methodist Border Friendship Commission
http://www.umcmission.org/Give-to-Mission/Search-for-Projects/Projects/10759O 

5/11/16

Today is the last day of our official Ubuntu Journey on the Border. The theme for this journey has been “A Walk in the Light-Journey with Us on the Border.” This was the perfect tag for this past week. This has been a journey for each of us. We each came to this Ubuntu with different expectations but with one similar goal to learn more about the Border issues and we did. We are going home to share what we have learned and hope others will follow our footsteps to come to the Border and learn as Joann said ... I know that many see the (along the Border as an) issue as simple – black and white but I now understand even more fully that it is far from simple and consists of many shades of gray.

We said good-bye to our Manos Juntas family with promises to return when we can.  Before we left, Iva shared her devotion with us. The basis of her thoughts were from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book “Life Together” and the verse from Luke 10:27: He answered, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind. And you must love your neighbor as yourself.” She shared that we are to thank “those who have touched our hearts” and “to help quietly and with love”. We as Ubuntu sisters are in a ministry of ‘sharing burdens”. I could not agree more with her assessment of our ministry of this past week.

The border crossing was uneventful. But we remembered those we met on our day at Sacred Heart Refugee/Immigration Respite Center and how difficult their crossing of the border was for them. We hope and pray their travels to their new homes are not as fraught with fear and danger as was the beginning of their journey. We wish them god-speed and safe travels.

Back at McAllen First, we met up with Susan. She fed us lunch and filled is in on the afternoon and evening plans.

Susan and Willie (Manos Juntas, Director) explained their roles with the Methodist Border Friendship Commission (MBFC). Prior to the creation of the Methodist Border Friendship Commission (MBFC), resources from the UMC (in the US) were not connected to the Methodist Church (in Mexico or US) or were not directed to priority of the needs of the Church. Many resources went to the areas where the needs were visible, or due to verbal requests made but not necessarily where identified needs existed as determined by the Church officials of the area-Bishops and District Superintendents from both sides of the border. As a result, MBFC was designed to coordinate, develop and organize resources to meet the needs of the UMC/Methodist Church and ministries along the US/Mexico border. 

 

Our first stop was to visit with Romana Casasa at ARISE-South Tower. This is a community based program which works with low income families to help them create a better future for themselves and to work to be contributing members of society.  ARISE provides educational programs for children and youth and adults. They engage their communities in civic participation. The goal is to encourage families that with an education the world is in their hands. To learn more about this ministry: www.arisesotex.org

Our last stop of the day was to the beautiful Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle. Famous the mosaic mural of Jesus introducing Mary. Crafted by two Italian artisans the mosaic is 45 feet high and 34 feet wide. The mural also depicts the Rio Grande Valley with Rio Bravo running through it. On the grounds of the Basilica are the fourteen stations of the cross. These life-size states are crafted in bronze and resin. The path where the stations are located is almost a mile long. People come from all over the world to walk the stations and see the Basilica.  We left the Basilica to have our last ‘official’ meal together and say good bye as we head back to our respective homes.

This has been quite a week, filled with laughter and tears. I would like to thank everyone we met for their love and caring of this very special group of women. With special thanks to Becky our fearless leader, for bringing us all together. We were each where we needed to be this week. Susan for her friendship and great organizational skills which made this journey so wonderful.  To our hosts across the border- Willie and Julian and the staff at Manos Juntas. Your faith and dedication to the ministry of Manos Juntas is truly inspirational. We all thank you for getting us to the sites for our visits-even if it did mean riding in an ambulance! The hospitality at Manos Juntas was extraordinary. We thank all of you who took such good care of us, our meals, and sleeping arrangements. We all agreed it was our home away from home.  To Alicia for her amazing knowledge of the UMW, her outgoing personality, faith and love of her God. May you always have a song in your heart. To Kathy for her steadfast faithfulness and care for all of us. Safe travels as you journey to Japan. To Mary who proves age is just a number, and a reminder to keep on keepin’ on! There is still work to be done. To Joann for her quiet faith and wisdom and picture taking par excellence!  To Kevin the best roomie ever. I am forever in your debt for your gift of friendship. To Iva for her grace and wisdom and for being our song leader. May we all take a page of her book on grace.  

This has truly been a Journey of lifetime for me. It has been an honor and delight to get to know these ladies who truly have become my sisters. We laughed and cried. We oohed and awed over beautiful babies. We were shocked and horrified at the terrible stories we heard about journeys to get to the border. And the lengths people will go for a new life. And we became family through this time together.

I have enjoyed sharing our time along the Border with you. Thank you for your faithful reading and caring of us while we have been away from home.

‘May the Lord bless and keep you,

May the Lord make his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.

May the Lord life up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”

           

May 10, 2016 

Our devotion today was titled:  HOPE from Kathy Knutsen of Iowa.

Jeremiah 29:11 The Lord says I have a plan for you.  A plan for good and not for disaster.  A plan for a future and hope. Kathy’s gusto for mission work was to have an impact on people’s lives to fix the oooweees. She says those things are alright but what she realized was that people appreciated her for herself.  “That my presence was a gift of encouragement and value to their life.”  That was more lasting than physical fixes. Hope is something that is invaluable. It gives you peace, serenity and assurance. Mission is about being a presence and being present.  

A reflection from Joann Smith of Georgia

I confess to procrastination ... I think part of the problem is information overload. I came on this journey, not really knowing what to expect. I just knew that God was sending me for a purpose.

I have met so many wonderful people along the way and learned so much about them ... and myself.

I will say that I have friends on both sides of the immigration "fence" ... I know that many see the issue as simple as Black&White, but I now understand even more fully that it is far from simple and consists of many shades of gray.

The people who live on both sides of the border have much to offer one another and are much more alike than different. We sat around the table with folks (mainly women ... like us) from Texas and Mexico as well as other areas of the world and shared with one another. We found that the concerns of our hearts were very similar. We worry about the loss of family values, quality education for our children & grandchildren, health issues and communities that no longer come together in unity. We found that we all have similar hopes and dreams for a better future.

We looked in the eyes of mothers, fathers and children who live in fear and have risked everything to try and reach a safe haven.

We worked alongside folks who are seeking to provide comfort and hope to these children of God.

I don't have all the answers and perhaps I have even more questions than before, but I do know that God calls us to love and serve others as He loves and serves us. We are called to show compassion to those who are hurting ... that includes those who are different, those who may not look like us.

I pray that God will continue to allow me to see through His eyes. May I never forget what I have learned on this journey and may I never stop learning as long as my life journey lasts. I pray for words to speak and wisdom to know when and how to speak them when I return home.

My time with this amazing team of United Methodist Women has been filled with love, laughter and blessings beyond measure. Thank you God for allowing me to be a part of this life-changing experience.

With these words there is nothing more I can add for today.

Prayer for World Peace 1978

Lord, we pray for the power to be gentle;

 the strength to be forgiving; the patience to be understanding;

and the endurance to accept the consequences of holding to what we believe to be right.

 
May we put our trust in the power of good to overcome evil and the power of love to overcome hatred. 

We pray for the vision to see and the faith to believe in a world emancipated from violence,

 a new world where fear shall no longer lead men to commit injustice,

 nor selfishness make them bring suffering to others.

 
Help us to devote our whole life and thought and energy to the task of making peace,

 praying always for the inspiration and the power to fulfill

 the destiny for which we were created. AMEN

Here is some background of Manos Juntas Mexico (MJM). It is a ministry of the Methodist Church of Mexico, located in Rio Bravo in the state of Tamaulipas in Northeast Mexico. It is a 45-minute drive from McAllen, TX. Manos Juntas has been helping the community and surrounding areas since 1992.

MJM has come to the point in their ministry to have the focus of long term, high impact effects and measurable results.  MJM Community Center Project works to improve the lives of all members of the families through education for the young, skills and job training for parents, nutritional and health education, health care, counseling and prayer. More importantly, MJM works empowers the community to solve problems on their own. MJS has started the “Vamos Tamaulipas Community Center” with kindergarten and elementary school classes for children left out of the official school channels. The focus is working to help break the circle of poverty. By partnering with several government and private agencies to provide resources for families in these low income areas of Rio Bravo.

There is a great commitment to improve the quality of life in the MJM community. The medical clinic now has two family doctors, three dentists and two lab technicians. The staff works with the schools and the people of the colonias. The clinic now helps to teach good health care. It is now financially independent.  Over 21,000 families are helped directly or indirectly by MJM over the past years. The future plans at the MJM center are to open an internet café and welding shop.

We visited Proyecto 92. They teach sewing class, classes for GED, ESL and parenting resources. They were learning to be haircutting and become nail techs. We also visited with Pastor and Mrs. Raul Garcia de Ocha for Reyonosa, MX.

DID you know…that Mexico’s official name is United States of Mexico?

Tomorrow is the Mexican Mother’s Day?

AMEN!

Monday evening, May 9^th, 2016

Hi! We wanted “All Ya’ll” to know that we are fine. We are having a great spiritual as well as educational time here on the Border. The folks at Manos Juntas are wonderful hosts.  If you are considering a mission on the border you might want to consider coming here. You will be treated with great hospitality.

The internet has been spotty due to fiber optic cable being laid throughout this area. Since it tends to be slow I will post a photographs once we are back in McAllen on Wednesday.  I will also post links to United Methodist Women’s Ubuntu Journeys and upcoming mission dates, the United Methodist Volunteers in Mission Project links for US and International projects and also how to give through the United Methodist Giving program called the Advance.

 We welcome your thoughts and comments on the blog.

Please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers as we are keeping you in ours as we wrap-up our final days of this Journey.

Buenos Noches!

Deb

Editor