Saludos del Sur de Texas!! I hope you're doing well!

If you're reading this, it means you've chosen to support me — financially, emotionally and/or prayerfully — during my six-week trip serving along the U.S.-Mexico border in South Texas. The gratitude I have for you cannot be measured. Thank you for choosing to join me on this new adventure — I can't wait to share my thoughts, prayers, experiences and (of course) photos with you during these next few weeks!

As soon as I arrived last Sunday, I was thrown right into my current role for the first week or so, which is essentially being a student and a leader at the same time. While I'm supporting Border Perspective's team with photojournalism this summer, I'm also supporting the groups of students that come each week for their own service-learning trips in South Texas. I've joined groups of students at each of their sites, made and prepped three meals a day for them, cleaned the dining space and kitchen, and invested in the students through conversation. At the same time, I have myself been learning through experience — about immigration law, Border Patrol, the asylum process, immigration history and current events and the history of migration in South Texas. I've attempted to balance processing my own emotions and experiences being in this unfamiliar and nuanced location with becoming a knowledgeable, prepared and capable leader, gathering story ideas and working physically every day (and being thrown into an immersive Spanish experience right off the bat!).

At the end of each day (usually between 12-1 a.m.), I spend a few minutes documenting my experiences and feelings from each day. As I read back on the descriptions I groggily wrote down each night, I noticed a shift in the words I chose to describe my first few days. Adjectives like self conscious, overwhelmed, nervous and shy were eventually replaced with words like determined, trusted, capable and connected (tired, of course, made the list every day). I'm loving learning more about how my heart, mind and body are responding to these heavy — physically and emotionally — experiences in South Texas. Although I expected a lot of challenges during the first week of this trip, I'm surprised to see how this shift started just a couple days in, despite knowing next to nothing about how much work this experience would be. I hope to continue sharing with you words or moments from each of the next few weeks.

As we move past week one and enter into the rest of my trip, I'll pick up my camera and continue developing relationships with some of the local community leaders I've met this week. Story themes are emerging, and I'm excited to continue learning about the people and culture of South Texas. Patience and intentionality are key in sharing authentic stories, and it'll be a beautiful process to see these stories gradually develop.

Again, thank you for deciding to love me and this community through your support. I can't wait to continue on this journey with you!

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." -Matthew 5:9

Much love,

Katia

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Katia is serving in South Texas from June 19th – July 29th, 2022 as part of our Leadership-Development Program. Her ministry involvement consists of photojournalism work, serving alongside local organizations in South Texas, and supporting our mobilization summer program.