Mission Pilgrimage Blog
August 9-16, young people from the Diocese and their adult companions went on a week of mission and pilgrimage to Las Fronteras, learning about life in the Arizona/Mexico borderlands , organized in partnership with the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona.
As our young leaders prepared for the trip, amid the packing, they reflected on something they needed to leave behind in order to be more present to what God has in store for her or him on the trip. Throughout the trip, daily posts were being made to share their collective experiences and reflections.
And now, the travelers each share some final reflections.
WOW!!!!! While being on the borderlands I have learned so much in our short time. We have visited many places that have opened the eyes of our hearts up to many different people. Something that has been very inspirational for me is when we met the founder of the Juan Bosco shelter in Nogales Mexico. He talked about how he started the shelter by just taking migrants into his home and then it evolved into and amazing shelter that had helped so many people.
Read MoreFrom this YLA mission trip, I will take away the new understanding of how the border is much more complicated than I thought. As I listened to the many stories at the migrant shelter, I began to realize how much of a barrier and obstacle the border and the physical fence are and what it does to families that are simply trying to get a better life. It further confused me when the group got the chance to get a tour of the Border Patrol Station. It made me want to start doing research on Border Patrol in particular and the government in general, along with the immigration laws themselves. It was also a slap-in-the-face reminder (suggestion) to maybe watch the news longer or more often than I normally do. Listening to the stories made me want to keep asking for stories even back at home. All in all, I’m going to gather as much information as possible through the internet, people, television, and, yes, even social media so I can be as educated as I can on such a topic as the border. Someday, it will come in handy.
- Libby, Trinity Church, Concord
I learned so much from this trip. I came here thinking we would talk to two sides of one argument. But, we talked to more groups than I can count and there is not one issue, but several. One of my take-aways from this week is that there is a good and bad to every side of an argument. All the people we met have their own struggles and their way of solving them is not black or white. I think before the trip I had a much more negative view on the whole situation. This is mostly due to the media.
Read MoreIn leaving from the mission trip to Arizona and Mexico with YLA, I am taking back with me confirmation that undocumented migrants are still genuine human beings who deserve love and listening. I discovered this confirmation in talking to and feeding the migrants. Hearing their stories- where the people told me they had families at home worrying about them, they wanted to be better people, or that they had not slept in a long time- really inspired me to want to help. Especially stories where migrants were leaving their homes because of violence moved me, since I cannot imagine it.
Read MoreEven before our trip started, we were told to listen to the stories and take what we have learned from the people back to our churches and communities and tell their stories. Throughout the week, there were several stories that stuck out with me, and I will be keeping and sharing along my travels. We have heard how media plays a role in the misinterpretation of the problem at the border, both with border patrol and with the immigrants themselves.
Read MoreDuring our short week in Arizona/Mexico I have learned so much. The experiences I have had this week opened the eyes of my heart and mind and have touched me in many ways. Leaving this trip I want to take the stories from the migrants and others home with me. One moment that really meant a lot to me was visiting the Juan Bosco migrant shelter in Nogales Mexico.
Read MoreI will remember this week forever. We met so many selfless and hospitable people this week. What stood out to me most was the number of truly selfless and giving people that we met this week. The Reverend Ernie and the congregation of St. Andrew’s welcomed us as soon as we arrived on Friday night with delicious authentic Mexican food, and they were so open in telling their stories to us during the forum after the service on Sunday.
Read More
Most of us braved the 103 degrees to walk the labyrinth outside of Trinity Cathedral in Phoenix during our visit to this church.
Quote of the day: “The migrants are the heroes here, the strangers in our midst who are angel in disguise.” (Gene LaFavre, No Mas Muertes, making reference to Hebrews 13:2
We started off the day in our hotel in Tucson. We then drove to Phoenix for our last day in Arizona. We visited Gene LaFavre, the founder of No Mas Muertes (No More Deaths). Our guide Ricky is a volunteer with No Mas Muertes, and introduced us to Gene. No Mas Muertes is a humanitarian aid organization that takes trips into the desert and leaves water for the migrants. The program was started because a group of people, including Gene, were upset about the amount of migrant deaths in the desert. They started three organizations, No Mas Muertes being the last one. The program was started in 2004. Gene is in his late 80’s and is still going out doing water drops! Gene talked about some of his encounters with migrants and their outstanding stories. He told us about a women with her two kids that had prayed to god for an angel and the next day Gene and two other volunteers showed up. She said that God had sent her three angels to bring her water. Gene said that he likes to think of the migrants as the real angels.
We then had lunch at a fusion sandwich restaurant. The restaurant was two blocks away from the Episcopal cathedral, Trinity. We toured the worship space and altar. There were some beautiful stain glass windows. We finished with dinner at La Piazza and ice cream at Novel. We are staying at a hostel tonight to finish the year in a place with a feeling of community and togetherness.
We look forward to getting home to our families and friends, but we will miss Las Fronteras, with its beautiful landscapes and beautiful, heroic people.
Today we traveled. And traveled. And traveled. But no luggage was lost, our van was ready, and we all arrived safely in Nogales in time for a delicious home-cooked meal provided by the good people of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church where we met Fr Ernie and Deacon Rodger and began to learrn a little bit abouut life in Las Fronteras--the borderlands. Back at our hotel, we met for a brief reflection and orientation, reviewed our community covenant, and worked through tomorrow's logistics. Tomorrow our encounters begin in earnest as we head to across the border to spend the day in Nogales, Sonora.
Metal sculpture installed on the Mexican side of the fence in Nogales, depicting life in Las Fronteras in ancient times and modern times.
Quote of the day: “Juntos hacemos camino al audar (together we walk the way)”
Today was our first full day in Nogales! We started our day with a stop at the Mueso de Arte de Mexico (Nogales, Mexico; in the borderlands). There we met with Guadalupe Serrano, the director of the museum and a well-known Mexican artist. He spoke of the importance of art expression in the border lands through murals, painting, and sculptures. Next, we went to a basilica in Nogales, where we met and talked with the priest about the food program they run. After that we walked around around downtown Nogales and stopped at the vigil of Jose Antonio, a 16-year-old boy who in 2012 was killed on the Mexican side of the fence by gunfire shot by US border patrol officers on the US side. After paying our respects to Jose, we made our way over to the Hogar de Esperanza y Paz (Home of Hope and Peace) where they give the people of Nogales values, education, shelter, and life skills. There we met Mario and Tito, people who volunteer at the center. They gave us a presentation on what goes on there daily. After we toured around the center we stopped for a late lunch at Café Leo’s. Following our delicious meal we shopped around in local markets where we bought many souvenirs. Lastly, we visited the Albergue Para Migrantes de San Bosco, a shelter for migrants that either got deported or are planning on crossing the border. We met some of the migrants and they shared their stories and the harsh and deadly reality of trying to cross the border and desert. We were moved by their stories, and they were moved that we had come all the way from Massachusetts to hear them. After meeting some migrants we met Juan Francisco Loureiro Herrerera, the founderr and director of the center and he talked about how he started the shelter. As one of our pilgrims remarked, "I think I just met my new hero." Then we headed back to Nogales Arizona to worship and get some very badly needed rest—it was a great day, but a very, very full day.
Powered by Squarespace.
