It’s so hard to believe that my first MVS term is quickly coming to an
end. I have decided to stay in Tucson
MVS for another year. I am currently
looking at different placement options as I have decided to try something new and
different for the next year. My second
term will begin at the end of August.
There are three of us staying for another year. We will get two new VSers at the end of
August after two of my current housemates move out. I will miss Carrie and Emma very much, but I
am looking forward to another year here with new people and new adventures.
This last month at BorderLinks has been really busy. At any given time we had three or four groups
on delegations. My last delegation was
at the beginning of June with a group of students from Duke University. I am currently working on organizing the
12 day trip delegations that will take place during the Phoenix
convention. There will be approx. 40
people coming down from the convention to Tucson and Nogales, Sonora on July
2-5. I really hope that all of the trips
go well and people find the border learning experience meaningful.
Our house is looking forward to attending the convention
ourselves! Two of my housemates are
going to work with the Servant Projects, and another housemate and myself will
be Youth Sponsors for Shalom Mennonite.
We are really looking forward to it.
I am also looking forward to catching up with some friends and
unexpectedly bumping into people that I know…yes we all know that will happen!
I don’t know what things are like in Columbus, but immigration reform
is part of conversation and news every day here in Tucson. I attended a teach-in this weekend to try and
understand the components of the bill. I
still have plenty to learn. What
concerns me the most is the increase in border militarization. More drones, miles of wall and border patrol
agents will not change the reality of
the situation here. People are migrating
here out of desperation. They will
continue to come no matter how tall the wall is or the number of customs and
border patrol agents there are. People
are dying here; last year alone 179 remains were found in the desert. It is estimated that for every remain found,
three are never discovered. That means
around 540 people likely died crossing the desert this past year.
So much money is going into the militarization of this region…money
that could be spent for education, healthcare or other systems. I often stop and ask myself, what is it that
we are so afraid of? What sort of fear
and paranoia is driving us to do all of this?
Is a wall and technology really going to make us feel safer?
Sometimes when I ask all of these questions, I stop to ask what keeps
us all going? I will say that it has
sometimes been a real struggle for me to love everyone involved in this issue,
but I think that love is the answer that will help me understand why all of
this is happening. I realized this past
week when I was on my bike commute home from work how thankful I am for God’s
presence in my life this past year. I
must have looked like a crazy person on the bike path because I started talking
out loud to myself and God (not uncommon for me really). I said “thanks” right out loud. Because it’s God’s constant accompaniment in
us, with us, that drives us to love
and accompany, listen or sit with others whoever they are and whatever they
bring. If everybody has that piece of
God’s love itching to relate and speak with “the other” then maybe we can actually
get somewhere with all of this.
"Together we make the road by walking"
Home of Hope and Peace in Nogales, Sonora
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