Ten Iowa Presbyterians (and a young Californian) spent the week of November 15-21 in Agua Prieta, Mexico learning about discipleship and borders with the Presbyterian border ministry Frontera de Cristo. First on our schedule was Sunday worship with the Presbyterian congregation in Agua Prieta, Lirio de los Valles, a guided prayer walk along US/Mexico border, and then dinner with Cynthia and Sam Pendergrast, volunteers with FDC and with Iowa roots.
Throughout the trip, we studies parts of the Gospel According to Mark – where Jesus crosses “to the other side” of several cultural, political, and other human-made barriers and borders (3:8, 4:35, 5:1, 5:21, 6:45, 7:31, 8:13).
Monday we trekked to the border wall in the Sonoran wilderness to get a “taste” of what migrants encounter in their efforts to reach a safe and secure life. We then met with a few of the border ministries associated with Frontera de Cristo. On Tuesday we participated in the weekly Healing Our Borders Prayer Vigil, where we laid crosses bearing the names of some of the thousands of men and women who died fleeing victimization and poverty, seeking a better life. Along the busy street leading to the border crossing, we bore witness to those who have died, proclaiming their names when known, and recognizing the lives of those as of yet unidentified.
On Wednesday, we visited New Hope Community Center – a collaboration between Frontera de Cristo and the Nuevo Progreso Community. The community center works to improve the quality of life in Agua Prieta by providing educational, cultural, and development activities for the community. In addition, the community center provides after school and summer programming for students struggling academically. Here, volunteer teachers not only help students with their homework, but they work to meet their most basic needs by providing food, school supplies, exercise, love, and support in a safe and welcoming environment. We then visited Centro de Atención al Migrante (CAME), a ministry of the Catholic Church in Agua Prieta. CAME welcomes recently deported migrants – providing shelter and meals. CAME is a place where migrants know they are safe and cared for while they decide what to do next.
On Thursday morning, we met with a U.S. Border Patrol officer, and then had lunch with a retired U.S. Border Patrol officer. They both shared about the challenging nature of their work and its emotional toll on border staff. We then visited Café Justo – a coffee farmer-owned cooperative based in southern Chiapas Mexico, formed to address the poverty and migration from Mexico to the U.S.
On Thursday night, the delegation gave thanks for the faithful service of mission co-workers Miriam Escobar and Mark Adams during a hybrid service of “Thanksgiving and Remembrance.” Miriam and Mark have served the border ministry for 41 combined years. With the changes in World Mission, they will no longer be employed by PCUSA, but will be funded by two local Presbyteries. As Amgad Beblawi shared, “Mark and Miriam’s ministry is one of the most outstanding I have seen. Their witness is nothing less than Christ in community.” The delegation prays our Presbyteries and churches will continue to support them in their vital ministry as in Miriam’s words, “We can’t do anything alone.” We are indeed called to serve together the ones who are rejected and vulnerable.
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