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Cultivating Relationships
and Understanding
Across Borders
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In the Children's Enrichment Ministry, kids are proud of their achievements | |
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Dear friends,
Last week at the Casa Hogar children's home where our children's enrichment supports children and teenagers whose families cannot care for them, one of the teenagers shared: "I am grateful to God to have a safe place to live." We join her in that gratitude as well as praying and working for the day where all children have a safe place to live.
In a world that is too often inhospitable for the most vulnerable among us, we recognize the vital importance of and grateful for the children's enrichment ministry, the CATPSIC rehabilitation center, the Migrant Resource Center in AP, or in the Douglas Welcome Center that provide safe, welcoming and healing spaces.
We also recognize for our partnership with Cafe Justo that has been responding to root causes of migration for over twenty years seeking to cultivate just relationships across borders. And we join them in working for the day when "people can migrate if they want to but not because they have to." Order coffee.
Thank you for your encouragement, prayers and support they help us not only provide temporary alleviation suffering, but also work with communities toward more long-term solutions that allow for children, families and communities to thrive.
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Frontera de Cristo Participates in Launch of
Central America Mission and Migration Network
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FOUR REPRESENTATIVES from the Douglas/Agua Prieta community attended the launch of the Central America Mission and Migration Network: Mark Adams, PCUSA Mission Co-worker serving with FDC; Bridich Saragos, Frontera de Cristo serving with Centro de Recursos para Migrantes; James Martin, Coordinator of Tucson Borderlands Young Adult Volunteer program; and Perla del Angel, Centro de Atención al Migrante Exodus (CAME).
PCUSA mission co-worker Joseph Russ, who lives and works the "northern triangle" of El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, stated, “We believe the church has a prophetic word to share on the issue of migration and can add value to the conversation that goes beyond just providing support and advocating for human rights. The church goes a step further. Jesus did not say ‘just tolerate or just fulfill the human rights of your neighbor.’ Jesus said, ‘love your neighbor,’ and that is the vision we need to be sharing.”
Read more about this amazing effort of mission and migration coordination in these articles from PCUSA:
An Oasis of Peace on the Migration Trail
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Bridich Saragos represented FDC and the Agua Prieta delegation at the launch of the Central America Mission and Migration Network in San Salvador, El Salvador | |
Attendees at the Central America Mission and Migration Network launch in San Salvador | |
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Here Am I: Send Me
A reflection from Bridich Saragos, Assistant Coordinator, Migrant Resource Center
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IN MARCH, I REPRESENTED Frontera de Cristo and the Migrant Resource Center at the Central America Mission and Migration Network launch in San Salvador, El Salvador, a country whose wealth lies in nature, its people, its culture, its struggle, resistance, and resilience.
It was a great blessing in my life to meet more people from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, other parts of Mexico, and the United States who are actively helping and improving the situations of people in transit who are leaving their homes, families, and countries to reach their destination. Churches are looking for a way to respond in faith to help them by strengthening our connections and communication. The realities of migration are different in each country: each has its own migration procedures and stories.
Continue reading Bridich's reflection
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Perla del Angel, James Martin, Bridich Saragos, and Mark Adams attended the network launch in San Salvador | |
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Getting to Know Us: Bridich Saragos
FDC Staff Cameos by Mary Goodwin, FDC Volunteer
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EVERY WEDNESDAY MORNING, Frontera de Cristo’s staff meet at Café Justo y Mas for weekly biblical reflection. At a recent Wednesday gathering, Bridich Saragos, Assistant Coordinator for Frontera de Cristo’s Migrant Resource Center (MRC), lifted her voice in prayer in Tzeltal, her native language. Having grown up in a small southern Mexico town in Chiapas, Bridich treasures her indigenous heritage. When she migrated to the Borderlands, she brought her language and cultural traditions with her.
Continue reading about Bridich
Lea en español
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Small Graces
by Lorena Ocampo Campos, Pastor for Children and Families
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These three reflections emerged from last Saturday's "Celebration Party," where two adults and four youth received the GED, the children of the program who chose to go through a Bible study received recognition, and children who created recycled crafts had a craft fair. | |
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Grace in the Restoration of Broken Homes
Have you ever made mistakes while raising your children? What were the consequences of that error?
Francisca, of Tarahumara origin (an indigenous community in Chihuahua) made a mistake with her 14-year-old eldest daughter that led to her daughter and three other younger children being separated from her and put under the care of the Casa Hogar children’s home in Agua Prieta. Their story is one of brokenness and of God’s grace uniting and restoring families.
Casa Hogar has asked Frontera de Cristo’s Children’s Enrichment Ministry to support the children in their academic, intellectual, social and spiritual development.
On the day that Francisca’s children were taken to Casa Hogar, Pastor Ramón and I were doing visitation there. Francisca was sitting in the reception room of the Casa Hogar with a serious and somber face and seemed to be trying to unravel her thoughts. We could feel her worry, guilt, fear, and loneliness—she had a look of disbelief that was shouting “help!”
Continue reading and see more photos from the event
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Love Mercy, Do Justice, Order Coffee | | |
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FRONTERA DE CRISTO AND CAFÉ JUSTO CREATED the "Love Mercy, Do Justice" (Amar Misericordia, Hacer Justicia) 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. | |
The Immaculate Conception Shelter in Douglas, Arizona, is the newest partner with the Love Mercy, Do Justice ministry. It opened in September 2023 to receive persons seeking asylum who are released in Douglas by Border Patrol. Love Mercy, Do Justice has donated delicious freshly roasted Café Justo to help welcome to more than 6,000 guests who have found a safe and loving place on their journey. Frontera de Cristo provides the welcoming team each Friday. | |
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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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Two Dates to Save!
Frontera de Cristo's 40th Anniversary
2024 Border-to-Border Delegation: Coffee, Migration, & Faith
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Mark your calendars now and plan to celebrate Frontera de Cristo's 40th anniversary with us in Agua Prieta, October 18-20, 2024. | |
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Travel to the Guatemala border and learn about the Café Justo cooperative.
(Dates include participation in Frontera de Cristo's 40th anniversary celebration.) Download the flyer here. Download the registration form and pay by check or register and pay online.
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A Week in the Borderlands | | | | |
