Again from the Uncommon Book of prayer:

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.

Today is May 5^th or Cinco de Mayo. In the United States, Cinco de Mayo has become a celebration of Mexican culture with traditions such as parades, mariachi music, street festivals and lots of Mexican food. In reality it commemorates the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War (1861-1867). A relatively minor holiday in Mexico. Contrary to the belief of some this is not the celenbration of Independence for Mexico, which is September 16th and is celebrated in Mexico. There was no mention of Cinco de Mayo by our friends. Plus we saw only two mariachis headed into a hotel! Oh yes, we did have Mexican for dinner!

Our day started out with breakfast and a devotion by Ubuntu sister: Mary Stitt. She used a devotion from one of David Wilkinson’s Sound Bites Ministry Blog. http://soundbitesministry.blogspot.com. It set the tone for the day.

Susan took us out to Granjeno/Andaldua Park. The town of Granjeno sits on the banks of the Rio Grande River.  Several years ago, the US government built a new concrete wall along portions of the border.  Most of the way from Texas to California. There are portions of the wall which are not complete. Here in Granjeno there is a two-mile long barricade designed to keep illegal immigrants out of Texas and for flood control. It has in fact forced illegal immigrants to come across the border at different locations. We stopped at the wall and walked over it. The part we crossed was a mile from the actual US/Mexican border. You could see the river in the distance. Susan said the barrier has done little to stop immigrant movement. It has been reported large groups simply run around the ends of the levee or scale the top of it. While we were discussing the wall, a Border Patrol car drove by and we waved. It helped that we had a van that said McAllen First UMC, McAllen.

We drove to nearby Andaldua Park. A lovely family park on the Rio Grande River. As we walked to the pier, two Texas State Police boats pulled up.  We visited with Officers of the Texas Highway Patrol. They said that part of the time they patrol the highways and part of the time they patrol the river.  We asked if they could take their photos and the gracious said yes. Note the guns on the boats.

By 10:30 we were headed to Sacred Heart Refugee/Immigrant Respite Center. This was the day that “bent our hearts”.  Sacred Heart Refugee/Immigrant Center is run by Catholic Charities for the benefit of refugees and immigrants coming into McAllen, TX. We worked with Nayelli Sepulveda and Casar Rocha Manning.  Photo: Becky Harrell and Sister Norma.  Sister Norma is the Director of Sacred Heart Refugee/ Immigrant Respite Center in McAllen, TX. Sister Norma being interviewed by local TV station.

We straightened linen closets, made beds, fixed sandwiches, filled snack bags for the refugee’s journey in the days to come. Several weeks ago, our host Susan Hellums hosted a group from the Southwest Texas Conference. The group was Residents in Ministry or RIM. These are individual getting ready to be ordained as elders or deacons. They were generous and left money to purchase supplies for Sacred Heart Refugee/Immigrant Respite Center. Susan, Becky Harrell and I shopped. 

Supplies for Sacred Heart Refugee/Immigrant Respite Center

 Later in the afternoon we would welcome 72 travelers and hopefully in time to come new citizens of the United States.

Here is some background as to how refugees and immigrants come to Sacred Heart for help. Please realize this is an extremely complex topic. I do not feel I can fully explain or understand the intricacies of immigration. This is going to be very simple and please forgive an errors in my understanding.

The men, women and children find their way to Sacred Heart have family members within the United States willing to sponsor them. This means paying for a bus ticket to where the family member lives within the United States.

The individual or family comes to the border with no papers to pass through the border to the US. They may have traveled months or weeks to get to the Mexico/ US border. They are tired, scared and hungry. They are constantly on the look-out, knowing someone could turn them over to the authorities.  

They turn themselves in at the border asking to petition a family member so they can come into the US. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services handle immigration service functions. They are then sent to a detention center for processing, contacting family members. They may be held for a couple of hours or days depending on the family members consenting to sponsorship. At the detention center they are fitted with a tracking device around their ankle which will remain until they reach legal status in the US. It may be up to a year. After they have family sponsorship they are then taken to Sacred Heart Refugee/Immigrant Respite Center located in downtown McAllen. Here they are greeted by the volunteers with cheers of welcome, wide smiles and welcome to the US!

Administrators take their personal information. They are given a quart size zip lock bad of toiletries, a toothbrush, paste, soap, razor, deodorant and a wash cloth, a shower, a simple soup meal with tortillas, and a place to sleep until it is time to catch the bus for the next part of their journey and new start.

We all wondered how we would react if a situation occurred in our homeland which would make us flee for our safety to another country. It truly bent our hearts.

Our day was not yet over! The El-Valle District United Methodist Women invited us to dinner at their church La Santisima Trinidad UMC in Weslaco. The intake at Sacred Heart took longer than anticipated and we didn’t reach the church until 6:45 pm. The ladies fixed a wonderful meal for us. Enchiladas, green salad, charro beans and Tres-Leches cake, pumpkin empanadas and ginger cookies for dessert. 

                          

Kevin Schaner brought prayer clothes for our new friends,

We shared our stories and concerns which lay on our hearts. Concerns were for our world, our government, our church and UMW. We asked to pray for the Border Patrol, and border issues, for the homeless (or people who live under the stars), our list of concerns were long but felt by lifting them up the burden was shared.

We promised each other to always be looking to see where God shows up!

AMEN