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December 31, 2025
7th Day of Christmas
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31 de diciembre 2025
7o DIa de Navidad
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Dear Friends,
As we celebrate the birth of
Emmanuel, God with us,
who crossed the Divine/Human border without official documents
as a poor baby for whom there was "no room in the inn" and
who had to flee with his family as a refugee because the government wanted to kill him, may you experience the scandal of Christmas and its surprising gifts
throughout the year:
hope in the midst of despair,
peace in the midst of conflict,
joy in the the midst of sadness
and love in the midst of apathy.
We are grateful for your partnership in ministry that helps us reflect the
Light that shines in the darkness and
build bridges of peace
here on the border and beyond.
Paz,
All of us of the Frontera de Cristo Board and Staff
PS Please prayerfully consider a year end or a year beginning gift to our partner CAME whose ministry reflects God's hope, peace, joy and love throughout the year. Donate now.
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Between Courage and Fear
by Yadira Camacho Villa, Painter
| | Café Justo y Más celebrated the opening of Yadira Camacho’s art exhibition, “Between Courage and Fear,” on Saturday, November 22. Yadira, a lawyer and artist born and raised in Agua Prieta, has witnessed the city’s transformation—from a quiet border town in the 1980s, to a destination in the 1990s for people from across Mexico who worked in U.S.-owned assembly plants, to a major crossing point for migrants in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and finally to present-day Agua Prieta, a community living between courage and fear. Prior to the exhibition, Yadira taught intensive art classes at each of our four children's enrichment ministry sites. | |
HOW CLOSE ARE WE to the pain of a stranger?
Can we look at a wound that is not our own and feel it as if it were?
“Today I am not only presenting an art exhibition; I am presenting the Way of the Cross of our migrant brothers and sisters. This is my way of saying: Look, feel, understand.”
Migration is a phenomenon that has marked the history of humanity.
Each of these works is NOT just images; they are visual testimonies of the ordeal lived along the route and also upon arrival at the destination, since many times the suffering and danger do not end with reaching that destination. Instead, they can intensify—it becomes a new emotional and social ordeal.
Read the rest of the article, and see her paintings, on Substack
| | Two Stories from Our Binational Posada | | |
ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, Frontera de Cristo, the Exodus Migrant Assistance Shelter (CAME), the Young Adult Volunteers (from the YAV Program), and the Migrant Resource Center held a binational posada on both sides of the border. We gathered together in community and ministry, remembering the birth of Jesus and the beginnings of his life: migrating, seeking refuge (inn) and desiring a safe place—a reality that our migrant sisters and brothers live and walk with hope every day. Watch this short video from the Posada.
The following two stories are reflections on the event: the first from the Tucson Borderlands Young Adult Volunteers, and the second from Lorena Ocampo Campos, our Pastor for Children and Families.
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When the Deserts Become Borders
by the Tucson Borderlands Young Adult Volunteers (YAVs)
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“The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night.” -- Exodus 13:21-22
GOD WALKS WITH HIS PEOPLE. But now the desert is no longer made of sand it is made of walls, of papers that decide who is worth something and who is not, of laws written in fear. The same God who walked with His people in the Exodus still walks today with the migrants who cross rivers, mountains, and barbed wire in search of a piece of life.
He walks with the mothers who do now know if their child is still alive. ...
Continue reading, and see photos from the event.
Read the story on Substack
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The Star Within Me
by Lorena Ocampo Campos, Pastor for Children and Families
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MATTHEW 2:10. A story of encounters an misunderstandings, of faith, hope, joy, and misinterpretations.
THE WISE MEN FROM THE EAST are among the favorite Christmas characters in Mexican celebrations, especially for children. We call them “The Three Wise Kings.” Children write letters to ask for gifts that arrive in January.
But this ancient biblical story has much to tell us today: To begin with, we don’t know whether the “Wise Kings” were three or more. Moreover, they were neither kings nor magicians. But they were not criminals either! They were people who had made a long journey, facing real difficulties, dangers, exhaustion, and who knows how many other challenges — all to fulfill the dream of their lives!
Continue reading the story and see more photos from the event.
| | A Watch the Video from our Advent Procession | | Donate to the Capital Campaign for CAME | | |
CAME is one of Frontera de Cristo's ministry partners. CAME provides—
- lodging, food, health care, and clothing to their guests
- education and social awareness activities
- support, care, and protection for children, teens, and adults
- breakfast for older adults and food security for the entire community.
Your donation will help keep the doors of welcome and compassion open at CAME as they deal with the loss of international aid grants.
Download the CAME Capital Campaign Flyer
Donate Now to Support CAME
Watch the CAME Video
| | 2025 Peace Pals International Art Exhibition | | Congratulations to Eduardo Arreguin Caperon, from our Children's Enrichment Ministry's Casa Hogar -- a finalist in the age category 11-13. | | |
Café Justo: Toward a Successful 2026
Addressing the 2025 Challenges
December Update
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AS CAFÉ JUSTO LOOKS FORWARD TO 2026, As Café Justo looks forward to 2026, they recognize that the year ahead will be shaped by the challenges and lessons of 2025. The past year has been marked by significant hurdles—chief among them are supply shortages, cash flow difficulties spurred by rising costs, the 12% decrease in value of dollar (currency in which majority of Café Justo’s income comes) in comparison with the peso (currency in which the majority of Café Justo’s expenses are paid) and a landscape of uncertainty around import/export requirements and tariffs.
The leadership of Café Justo reached out to Frontera de Cristo (FDC) seeking support in several areas, to position itself to avoid the challenges faced in 2025 that caused inconsistent coffee delivery to the churches, farmers market vendors, organizations, and individuals who have been faithful partners of Café Justo in creating relationships across borders and addressing root causes of migration. (2026 price in article).
Read the rest of the article.
| | Order Your Café Justo Photo Book | | THE CAFÉ JUSTO PHOTO BOOK is still available! Order yours now and learn about the founding families who brought the dream to fruition, and the process of growing coffee from seed to cup. It will give you a new appreciation for your morning cup of coffee! | | | | | Read about the benefits of Café Justo in the community and the unique ways some of their customers sell and serve the coffee. Get a glimpse of the activities that make the Café Justo y Más coffee shop a place for creativity, comfort, and camaraderie in Agua Prieta. And reminisce over photos of the fabulous 20th anniversary celebration. | | The photo book is just $20. Or you can buy a box of 12 for $200. Shipping is included. Just scan the QR code above or click here to order online. Or download this order form to pay by check. | | Love Mercy, Do Justice, Order Coffee | | | | FRONTERA DE CRISTO AND CAFÉ JUSTO CREATED the "Love Mercy, Do Justice" (Amar Misericordia, Hacer Justicia) initiative to provide coffee for migrant shelters along the southern border. Thousands of women and men each week are greeted with a cup of coffee, a meal, and vital medical attention when they are repatriated into Mexico. You can help support this effort with a donation to Love Mercy, Do Justice. | | | | In the mean time, why not order some coffee for yourself today? You will enjoy delicious 100% organic coffee cultivated, freshly roasted, and shipped by the Café Justo cooperative. Online orders placed by Tuesdays at 8:00am Mountain Standard Time will be shipped the same week. Scan the QR code to order online or download this form to order by mail | | Follow us on Social Media! | | To access the QR codes in this newsletter, first download, to your cell phone, the "QR Code and Barcode Scanner" from Google Play. (You can use the same phone app to scan special sale barcodes at the grocery store!) | | Our Young Adult Volunteer Ministry | | to Support the Ministries of Frontera de Cristo | | | | |
