By weeks end we will have served guests from seven different Central American and Caribbean countries. The way the respite center operates, many of our volunteers have opportunity to converse with the families throughout the day. They come with different levels of trauma, fear, and anxiety. Throughout the process, the volunteers observe the travelers to gradually calm down and relax and open up. The basic necessities provided and the loving and positive human interactions have a dramatic positive impact on the travelers. For some, receiving clothes seems like the greatest thing that has happened to them recently. For many of them, their countenance dramatically changes due to the opportunity to get a hot shower and put on clean clothing. The meal that is provided is basic and culturally appropriate. The dining room is filled with snacks and drinks as well.
The stories are many and varied. Some more drastic, such as a mother and daughter being held during their journey for a month and a half for ransom, until the ransom was paid. Thankfully, they were not harmed. You can only imagine the trauma. Some have traveled for four months or longer, much of it on foot. Many of them swim across the river to get here. This included crossing the river with small children. There are stories of families losing their children all along the way; that is to say, stories of the death of their child or children.
Equally dramatic are the stories of what was going on in their country of origin. In some locations, travelers report that the terror involved in their community including physical torture that I will not here describe, and of course murder. The trauma on their faces and in their eyes is real. The motivation for travel is deep, and drives them through many terrible ordeals. Occasionally there are providential connections that become significant in relieving the anxiety of the travelers. Many of the volunteers have traveled all over the world, and have been to the countries from which these people travel. One traveler, coming from a very remote area, was thrilled to learn that her family doctor, who is actually from Canada, was an acquaintance of one of our volunteers. This totally changed her countenance from extremely anxious and timid to relaxed and open, displaying more hope and happiness about the uncertainties that lie ahead. In other cases, travelers are going to states that are the home states of our team members. This provided additional opportunity to calm the fear and uncertainty associated with the journey. And on that point, the travelers are departing here to go literally coast to coast from south to north, from California to Michigan to Minnesota to Virginia to Florida. Likewise, some have arrived at this point in their journey by traveling through several countries, not limited to the countries that are contiguous geographically. It is hard to imagine the diplomatic challenges, in addition to the practical challenges, of trying to escape a living situation that is untenable for your future and the future of your child or children.
Day 4
This day presented a lower volume of travelers, less than 20, but all were able to leave on a transport bus mid-afternoon. Reduced volunteer work load gave me the opportunity to set up the guitar mini-concert again today in the activity room. I shared music to an "audience" consisting of the clothing room volunteers, two mothers resting on cots, and 5-6 children riding around on trikes and bikes in the large activity room. Eventually, each of three young fathers wandered into the area to check out the music, and one of them was a vocalist. I handed him the guitar which he picked at for a moment, but he communicated through one of our bilingual team members that he was actually a singer not a musician. We found a live performance of the Christian song of his request, and he was happy to share with the group a beautiful vocal rendition of A Sus Pies (At His Feet). I played along on the guitar as I was able to discern the chords.
Four young men, missionaries from the LDS church, volunteered for the afternoon in their white shirts and ties. They joined in the cleaning and sanitizing of the toys and furnishings, and enjoyed lively interaction with members of our volunteer team. They also took in the impromptu worship concert in the corner of the activity room. Among the visitors today were officials from the national ministry who would later travel across the border where they are providing resources to local pastors who are serving migrant camps on that side - "tent cities" of asylum seekers and immigrants applying for entry.
It was interesting to see in the afternoon departure group three sets of father and son/s, along with three
women in separate family groups, one of whom was pregnant. It was reported by one of our team that the women seemed to have been travelling together for some time, forming, it would appear, a travelling support group. It was sobering to learn, later that day at dinner, that a woman and small child had drowned this morning attempting to cross the river.
Day 5
We arrived this morning to a quiet respite center. There were no overnight guests. Everything was placed in order and cleaned if not already clean. Around 9:00 we received word that we could expect over 30 travelers today. Three transport vans arrived within the next two hours. Suddenly the complex was hopping and we were off to a busy day. Each day presents travelers from different countries of origin. Different travelers have different perspective on what the respite center is about, and different responses to our offering of resources. Obviously they bring differing cultural practices and family dynamics. Among the thirty-plus travelers moving about the facility were about seven different family groups. The word for today was chaotic. The volunteers handled everything with grace and patience, and if any situation exceeded one team member's skill set, another team member was always close at hand. Adding to the chaos was a short schedule by which the first transport went out shortly after 11:00, barely enough time to attend to basic needs and eat a quick meal. (Meals are packaged to go and carried on the journey if needed.) Several transports loaded until the last van left at about 4:30. Four additional travelers had arrived during the day for a total of almost 40, and all were able to go out on transport the same day.
It is very hot here. I think the official weather says 97°, but the thermometer outside of our portable kitchen today reached 115, and it is not directly in the sun, although it is on the edge of a parking lot. But we are working on the edge of the parking lot, as are the team members that are operating the shower trailer, as are the supply trailers and the trash receptacles and the sidewalks where the staff continually clean the cots and toys to leave out for drying. The kitchen and the showers and the dining room are air conditioned, but the staging areas are not - they are are open-air with various tarps and covers designed to shield the sun. I say this not to complain that we are working in hot conditions, but to point out that it is nearly inconceivable to think that the travelers have been walking in the elements of heat or rain, day and night for weeks and months. The volunteers working more closely with the process of providing clothing and shower facilities report that not only are the shoes and clothes tattered and torn, but the legs of the travelers are covered with insect bites and scratches from the brush and thorns and that they have walked through. So it is no wonder that they seem to be completely different people in the short period of time that they spend in the respite center. And their sense of growing peace and relief continues as they get on the van to their next destinations where they can meet family members, or possibly other friends or acquaintances, at the other end of their travel destination. (Note: not all of the immigrants / asylum seekers have experienced this level of physical trauma and danger on their journey, but in our observation, it is the typical scenario.)
Day 6
The question would naturally arise... what about the language barrier? Among our number are several fluent Spanish speakers. An Hispanic couple from the States does a lot of the translation work and their presence is a great benefit in creating an open environment with the travelers. The staff of the local organization are all bilingual. One of the women on our team, a lady in her 70s, is very well traveled in international missions and she speaks five languages. She is part of a ministry team, and her husband speaks several languages as well. It goes without saying that not all travelers speak Spanish, but French has come into play this week, and I’m sure other languages at different times. Some volunteers use the translation app on their mobile phones for conversation, especially for providing some of the facility services.
Another question you may ask: do all the family groups remain intact? Of course they do not, and at least every other day, family groups come through with one or more of their family members remaining in detention. Typically it is a male that is held back. Of course our volunteers inquire about the possible reasons, to try and calm the fears of the travelers. But ultimately, we do not know the reasons, so we encourage them to wait and pray, and point out that sometimes there is a delay for a few days. We realize that many will be sent back.
We had about 10 overnight guests last night and there were at the facility when we arrived this morning. Soon we received word that new travelers are on the way. In the kitchen we prepped food and made trays and washed dishes continuously for over two hours, including breakfast for the overnight guests, about 35 meals for anticipated incoming travelers, and enough prepped food in cold storage to last for a day and a half, in view of the weekly "day off" for the staff.
This was a lively group with many children riding bikes and trikes around the campus. In the midst of hustle, stress, and uncertainty, it is gratifying to see the children be able to play and enjoy the universal experiences of sibling play, "Yo primero, no mi" ... (me first, no me first!!), and see them race, then bump each other, looking for new paths around the corner to explore as they pedal the trikes and bikes ...
I pray God speed for these travelers along the way, and for their future life here in the United States - for the babies not yet born, the little children, the boys and girls, the women and the men.
Post script: Our team is lodged, free of charge, in the home of a lady in her 80s who moved here from another town in this state for the purpose of setting up a residence to host guests on various missions. So we have overtaken her home which is set up with sleeping quarters for men and women, multiple toilet/shower facilities and an oversize kitchen, all attached to a comfortable and home-feeling grandmother house, full of love and missionary purpose.Thank you "Granny B" for hosting us and for sharing your love in a very tangible way with people from all of these countries that are passing through your town.