LAST DAY - DAY 7 - BORDER IMMERSION in EL PASO - February 10, 2023

Terrie and Janet Thompson

NOTE: You can contribute to Cristo Rey's Refugee Ministry through ECLC by mailing a check or using this link  and indicating your donation is for Cristo Rey. Donations will be used for food and clothing for refugees both in El Paso and in Juarez. The need is great!

When the ten ECLCers set off on our border immersion, we promised ourselves and each other that we would go with open hearts and open minds. This led to a very emotional week! We heard many stories about the difficulties and risks undertaken by those traveling to the US. One woman told us, “We only want good for this country. We want to work hard and provide better opportunities for our children than we ever had.” That was a common theme, along with a strong faith that God was with them as they undertook this journey.

Our final day we met with Carol Z, a volunteer working at the Papa Francisco Shelter in El Paso. They specialize in sheltering vulnerable asylum-seekers: including unaccompanied girls under the age of 18.

After lunch, six of us drove to White Sands National Park in New Mexico for a rare treat seeing the world’s largest gypsum dune field (275 square miles). The experience was surreal, walking on the glistening and soft “sand” that has the consistency of talcum powder, and watching the sun set behind the mountains.

And so, we travel home to ECLC—carrying many stories. We often asked people, “What would you like our congregation in Minnesota to know about what’s happening here?”

We saw, heard and learned much. We also know how much more we need to learn!

Please join us on March 5, during the community enrichment time, to hear more about what we did, saw, and heard during our time in El Paso.

Travelers to the border were: Bill Davis, Camilla Madson, Dick Magnus, Janet Thompson, Lisa Novotny, Lita Anderson, Meredith Davis, Nancy Ott Pinckaers, Steve Obaid, Terrie Thompson.



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