Howdy from South Texas!

How has it already been 5 weeks? Eduardo and I are so grateful to each one of you for your support of us being here at the US Mexico Border this summer. We sense your prayers, miss your presence, and cannot wait to share all of the stories with you in Atlanta that cannot be captured in a brief email update. The last 5 weeks have been a whirlwind.

The first week here there was an outbreak of COVID in the Rio Grande Valley. Myself, the rest of the Border Perspective staff here on the ground and many of the local IMCV (Iglesia Misionera Cristo Vive) church members all came down with COVID within the first 72 hours of my arrival. While not optimal, quarantine was a week of forced rest in preparation for the upcoming four weeks of back to back service-learning teams that we would host. We were all grateful for recovery as well as God’s timing, in the sense that we were not sick while hosting teams.

The last four weeks (6/13-7/8) we have been hosting teams from Minnesota, Colorado, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. These teams come asking the question, “where is the church in all of this,” (as it relates to immigration). Many have left excited to go home and to serve migrant communities in the cities from which they come. It has been incredible to spend time with and serve alongside people from all over the country, from different walks of life, and from different backgrounds, denominations and perspectives. It’s been such a blessing to experience such tangible gospel unity as we all seek to know God, to serve Him and others and to view all of His beloved creation through the lense of His love. We have sang songs in Spanish and English, shared stories, served jointly, learned from one another and have had many sacred moments of repentance as we have all grown individually and corporately.

In addition to hosting teams we also have been a part of weekly church activities, including services on Wednesdays and Sundays, as well as receiving and organizing pallets of food on Friday afternoons to be distributed to 100-200 families each Sunday after church. I am unsure of what the next 2.5 weeks hold, but if they’re anything like the last 5 I am certain they will be incredible.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Caroline is serving in South Texas from June 4th – July 29th, 2022 as part of our Leadership-Development Program. Her ministry involvement consists of serving alongside Iglesia Misionera Cristo Vive and supporting Border Perspective’s mobilization summer program.