We have experienced so much that we can't blog fast enough.

• We've experienced heat so intense that we couldn't stay outside for an hour without someone passing out, yet we know people have walked through this inferno for DAYS.
• We have seen that no matter how militant and unwelcoming and racist our culture may be, the people of Nogales rushed to our rescue when we collapsed in the sun.
• We watched people efficiently "processed" in groups for deportation--with intentional, individual attention given to assuring that they understand their situation--yet we have seen that their attorneys may not even know their name and they are given 20 seconds for their personal case.
  
• We have met people in Tucson who founded the Sanctuary Movement, people who are passionate about the rights of the oppressed, people who have met weekly for over ten years to remember those migrants who died crossing.
• We talked with men and women who are homeless or illegally in the US, who enjoyed sharing their persona of needing a new pair of glasses but being too blind, too debilitated by hepatitis C, l stories of sleeping outside for 13 years in the same "safe" place, of working for unions, of being too debilitated by Hep C, cirrhosis and blindness to find a new pair of glasses.
• We walked the desert in the places they walked, filling the water tanks and picking up the empty water bottles--and went back to all the water we could possibly ever want, without thinking.

And we learned:

• That it's a good thing to recognize racism--to understand white privilege and -- yes -- to feel some guilt for the luck of the draw that makes us members of that privileged group. Because we did nothing to deserve it and we feel guilty for being treated so "special."
• We learned that there are many symbols of racism-- the laws passed to enable local police to stop people because of the color of their skin; the casual wave-through by Border Guards who look only at our white faces.
• We learned that people of passion can risk everything to support the rights of oppressed people--and that those people can be our role models, defeating our cynicism and hopelessness about systemic change.
• We learned that we can create moments of sanctuary for people by being there when they are in need, ministering to their most basic needs for survival and safety, their needs for self-esteem and belonging by sharing with them, listening, caring. witnessing their pain.

It's only part of the story, but if this were the whole story, it would be more than enough to justify our church's support, our hard work, and our time. There is growth in experiences and in learning from experiences. And perhaps...just perhaps...it will also lead to actions that make us act on what we have seen and thought. We owe it to the migrants, the Sanctuary people, Border Links, Humane Borders, Cross Street Ministries--and to ourselves!

Here's to continuing the work!
Marge