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Cultivating Relationships
and Understanding
Across Borders
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Excerpt from wall hanging at
Frontera de Cristo in Douglas, AZ
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Dios Nos Ama - God Loves Us!
During the month of February, we will greet twenty-two people—members of three different delegations from across the US; people who chose to visit and encounter an international border and the work of Frontera de Cristo and partners.
While in Douglas, Arizona/Agua Prieta, Sonora, they might—
- see laughter shared by a small group of repatriated migrants gathered at the Migrant Resource Center and preparing, once again, to step toward hope,
- shake the hand of a recovering addict at CATPSIC, a child of God struggling to find renewed life,
- see tears shared by a staff member struggling with the distance from home,
- see the smiles of a classroom full of children engaged in creative work at Centro Comunitario Nueva Esperanza (New Hope Community Center), or
- share a meal with members of the DouglaPrieta Trabaja, a women’s cooperative.
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They will see the remarkable, stunning high desert and mountains of southeastern Arizona and northern Sonora, and they will see a large monolithic wall cutting across the desert and mountains.
In the borderlands, there is diversity, there is opportunity, there is challenge, there is poverty, there is under-standing, there is engagement, there is despair, and most importantly, there is love. God’s amazing love and grace is evident all around. Come, see, feel, experience the borderlands. Join the radical love, mercy, compassion, kindness...as God loves each of us, we love.
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During Menaul School's Mission Week, Menaul seniors attended a tamale-making class led by CATPSIC and made tamales for the Migrant Resource Center
(Photo courtesy Menaul School)
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There are a number of new adventures described in this e-letter, and we invite you to experience them. ~~ If you would like to provide material goods to the Migrant Resource Center, you can do so through Village Church's Sock Drive. ~~ The dates for the 2023 Border-to-Border delegation to Chiapas have been set and you can register now. ~~ And we hope you'll join Miriam and Mark for their Mission Dinner and Book Club meetings starting February 24th. Download the flyer, order the books, and sign up for the e-Minders. You'll be glad you did!
In peace,
Catherine May, for~
Jocabed Gallegos, FDC Coordinator
Dan Abbott and Catherine May, Interim Ministry Liaisons
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Great Things the Lord Has Done for Us
by Jocabed Gallegos, FDC Coordinator
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WHEN I WAS READING PSALM 126, I realized that in living with adversities, often people cry out because of separation or hopelessness. Much of today’s news tells of unhappy situations in border cities. Have we grown accustomed to the realities of suffering, or do we open our hearts and eyes and ears? Do we extend our hands and give hope and compassion? At Frontera de Cristo, you will find friendship, goodness, and compassion. You will find faith in action. It is a positive story.
Here in Douglas, Arizona/Agua Prieta, Sonora—the borderlands—there is so much that is going on around us. All of the people and the situations give life or essence to the border. Some of the news focuses on the immigration situation and the many injustices that are lived by migrating peoples from around the world. There is a Latin American song that says: "I am not from here, I am from there." It tells the story of displaced people, people struggling to find their identity as they face an unknown future, often a future with closed doors. In Agua Prieta, Sonora, there is a small place where the door is open. As a migrant, you can find a welcome space, if even just for a brief time. ...
Continue reading Joca's story
Lea en español
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Mission Dinner & Book Club
with Miriam Maldonado & Mark Adams
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YOU ARE INVITED TO JOIN Miriam and Mark for their 2023 Mission Dinner & Book Club starting Thursday, February 23rd. You'll read 4 books, gather in person or on Zoom once a month, meet the authors, and have a discussion. Those who live near Clover, South Carolina, have the option to attend a Mexican cooking class that afternoon, and learn how to prepare those marvelous meals we've come to enjoy. | |
Whether you attend in-person or at a distance, the first thing to do is email Mark Adams and he'll email you the Zoom link, the recipes, and monthly e-Minders (email reminders). Click on the flyer above to get all the details, and order your books now! | |
You Can Support Our Border Ministry Supply Drive | |
VILLAGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KANSAS has very kindly set up an online supply drive for the Migrant Resource Center (MRC) in the form of an Amazon Wish List, and you can participate. | |
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Migrant asylum seekers trek across Mexico on foot for months to reach the US border. When they finally arrive, many suffer from serious foot injuries.
Currently, the most pressing need at the MRC is for thick, warm socks for the thousands of men, women, and children they care for each month.
If you'd like to support our brothers and sisters on the border, you can purchase socks or other items from Village Church's Amazon Wish List.
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Your order will be shipped directly to Frontera de Cristo in Douglas, Arizona, and then delivered across the border to the MRC in Agua Prieta. We so appreciate Village Presbyterian Church for taking the initiative to do this drive, and we thank you for participating and providing this kindness to our sisters and brothers on the border. | |
Coming Soon: Café Justo 20th Anniversary Photo Book | | |
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ORDER THE NEW CAFÉ JUSTO 20th anniversary photo book now, for spring delivery. Just $20, shipping included. See how your coffee grows from seed to cup and how this amazing coffee co-op grew from just a few coffee farming families to the wide-reaching co-op that ships delicious organic coffee all across this country today. | |
Border-to-Border 2023: The Dates are Set! | |
Love Mercy, Do Justice, Order Coffee | |
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FRONTERA DE CRISTO AND CAFÉ JUSTO CREATED the "Love Mercy, Do Justice" initiative to provide coffee for migrant shelters across 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, roasted, and shipped by the Café Justo cooperative. To order by mail instead of online, just download this form.
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Interpretation Assignment | | |
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MARK & MIRIAM ARE TRAVELING THE COUNTRY NOW on "Interpretation Assignment." We invite you to connect with them when they're at a church in your area.
View their speaking schedule for the year (subject to change). They welcome opportunities to fill in the blanks. Just email [email protected] to inquire about the date you'd like to host them.
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Keeping Families Together | | | | |
