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Cultivating Relationships
and Understanding
Across Borders
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"Welcome" in any language is a blessing.
Welcome sign (33 languages) of the Migrant Resource Center designed
by MRC Co-coordinator Bridich Sarago.
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Dear Friends,
"Your case has been approved. Welcome to the United States."
These were the last words Federal Immigration Judge Jeremiah Johnson said from the bench before being fired the Friday before Thanksgiving 2025. He joined us for last week's "Healing Our Borders" Prayer Vigil and encouraged us with his presence, his joy even in the face of being fired, and his commitment to seeking to uphold that part of our country's history/values/mythology that says we are a nation of immigrants who are a city on a hill and a refuge for "the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free."
Appointed in 2017 during the first Trump administration, Judge Johnson is one of 100 immigration judges who have been fired this year for being "too welcoming." Close to another 150 judges have chosen to retire or leave, bringing down the total number of immigration judges from 700 at the beginning of this year, an already inadequate number, to less than 500.
The current administration continues to dramatically curtail the number of legal avenues for immigrants to enter or to remain in the country, to target persons who are in the asylum process, and to aggressively revoke legal status for Haitians, Venezuelans, Somalians, and Nepalese, as well persons from other nationalities who previously have had protected status in the United States.
In January, we saw the aggressive enforcement operations of our federal ICE and Border Patrol in the streets of Minneapolis as well as the community standing in solidarity with the most vulnerable populations in their midst. Two US citizens, a poet and a nurse, were both shot and killed by our federal agents. Children were used as bait. Car windows of citizens and non-citizens smashed, and people violently dragged out of their cars.
"Welcome," as well as "compassion," "empathy," and "love," have become "four letter" words for our federal government, but these values and practices continue to be core to our call to discipleship rooted in Jesus' life, teachings, and ministry.
May God give us courage and wisdom to live lives of welcome, compassion, and love and to accompany the most vulnerable among us in these challenging times.
Peace,
Miriam Maldonado and Mark Adams
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"I Guess They'll Have to Arrest Me, Too"
Remembering Shirley Jewell (1928-2026)
A Founding Member of Frontera de Cristo
by Mark Adams, Coordinator, Frontera de Cristo
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“I GUESS THEY'LL HAVE TO ARREST ME, TOO.”
These words are prophetic words.
These words are healing words.
These words lifted my spirits when I was very discouraged.
And these words were the last words I expected to hear from Shirley Jewell, the 92-year-old founding member of Frontera de Cristo whom I was visiting on July 2, 2019.
| | Café Justo Now Available! | | | | |
CAFÉ JUSTO IS AVAILABLE AGAIN, after a few challenges in the latter part of 2025.
The new price through the coffee and compassion order page will be $15 per pound, which includes shipping, with a two-pound minimum. The new price reflects the first increase in price in 4 years and only second in 14 years which, when combined with the falling value of the dollar, the 150% increase in the Mexican minimum wage over the last 6 years, and the pandemic-fueled inflation, led to severe cash flow issues for the coffee cooperative.
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Priority will be given to shipping back orders (at the old price), and the new price of $15 will apply only to new orders beginning February 1, 2026.
Click here to order
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How Long, O Lord?
by Lorena Ocampo Campos, Pastor for Children and Families
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ZECHARIAH CHAPTER 8 is an answer to the great question: How long, Lord? ...
Zechariah 8 exudes messianic, apocalyptic, and eschatological aromas. It is a heavenly revelation, but also a recognition of God’s children and servants who remain steadfast. “The remnant of Israel,” during the time of King Darius, saw the reconstruction of their city, which seemed impossible. Yet they did not lose faith and strove for courage, finding encouragement in the promises of Jehovah, “Our Father.”
Today, these words, with sweetness and relevance, springing from grace, are reincarnated in the communities, large or small, where God has placed us as salt and light, to work together for peace, justice, and mercy. Surely on more than one occasion, we have said, “How long, Lord?”
Read the article on Substack, in Spanish or in English
| | Some of the children and youth in our Children's Enrichment Ministry | | |
The Scandal of Christmas
by Mark Adams, Coordinator, Frontera de Cristo
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ON THE TUESDAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS DAY, as I was crossing the border on foot into the United States for the 1302nd “Healing Our Borders” prayer vigil, I was struck by the image of the US flag just beyond the concertina wire that adorns the US side of the border wall. I was also conscious of the DANGER DO NOT ENTER signs that are plastered on both sides of the 18-foot steel bollard wall that we have built to divide ourselves from our neighbors to the south... especially the humble neighbors of whom Mary sang in the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) ...
Continue reading
| | 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
| | 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. | | 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 Children's Enrichment Ministry | | to Support the Ministries of Frontera de Cristo | | | | |
