July 29, 2010, perhaps is a good day to remember for the history books. Not in the sense that something “great” happened on this day, but rather it’s a day in which a law goes into effect that will essentially put in jeopardy the safety, welfare, dignity of the immigrant community in Arizona – for [...]
Posts from ‘July, 2010’
In the Eyes of a Dreamer: One family’s struggle to educate their children in the United States
Ramona directs the van driver, Martin, through the pot-holed streets of Colonia Muniz in south Texas, guiding us to a bright pink building at the community’s center. ARISE (A Resource in Serving Equality) is painted in bold letters on a sign outside, signifying the presence of the 23 year old non-profit. In their own words: [...]
Snakes in the Grass
Tamara and I attended the Pharr Literacy Project Festival on Saturday, July 17, 2010. We were happy to meet another seminarian, Yvette Murrain. Yvette is a 3rd year MDIV Student at Drew Theological Seminary in Madison, NJ. Yvette will be working here in the Valley for 10 weeks as a part of the Communities of [...]
“La Ley” – The Law
Last week I had the opportunity to preach at the First Presbyterian Church of Edinburgh, Texas. The Gospel selection was a familiar one “The Good Samaritan” – Luke 10. This passage seemed so appropriate given the work Tamara and I were blessed to witness with the maquiladora workers in Reynosa and Rio Bravo, Mexico. The [...]
Buenas Noticias
In our time here on the border we have been working with Ed Krueger, a minister, community organizer, and passionate advocate for justice. For the last 30 years, since before I was born, he has been organizing with women in northern Mexico spreading the “Buenas Noticias” or “Good News” of workers rights (already laid out [...]
Tamales and Gratitude
In January when we visited the Rio Grande Valley, one of the highlights was meeting local families from an area “colonia” (see previous post for definition of colonia) and spending an evening sharing stories and dinner. On that evening I was paired with a young girl, about 11 years old, who was vivacious, smart, curious, [...]
