Second. The How.

How it came about.

Amid election turmoil, the pandemic, and racial violence, I reflected on societal conflicts and sought understanding from diverse perspectives. A Tres Dias weekend brought my husband and I unexpected and much needed healing and connected us with a diverse and love-in-action community. The  immigrant work of the San Antonio Mennonite Church, a podcast by Returning to Joy, and the activism of Women of Welcome—a group addressing immigration issues—reinforced my desire to care for the marginalized.

My husband and our pastor went to Haiti a third time in 2022; unfortunately probably the last time for a while due to political unrest in the country. While we had not given up on supporting the ongoing ministry in Haiti, we also didn’t want a hiatus in helping the least of these.

In the wake of our pastor’s disappointment at not being able to return to the people he had grown to love, the Lord connected him to an organization in New Braunfels called Strategic Alliance that has been pouring into an impoverished community in the Texas/Mexico border city of Reynosa. Our pastor joined a trip to see the work they were doing. He came back energized and excited because he encountered a Haitian migrant community and potential for engaging in an accessible mission need in a meaningful way. As soon as he announced the plan to organize a group for our church to go, I knew this was it. I was in. I was finally going to the border.

Then, in September of 2023, I received an invitation to attend an evening with Shared Tables, getting to know your San Antonio neighbors. The pastor from the San Antonio Mennonite Church I mentioned in my last post, John Garland, spoke about his experiences with immigrants and migrants. My heart continued to stir. I waited with eager expectation as plans and dates solidified for our trip to Reynosa.

And in the posts to come, as I have felt prompted to share, is my experience.

Let’s just say the four months leading up to the trip were insanely busy—impacted by an unexpected and emotional family situation, filled with travel and holidays, and gave very little time for rest and recovery.

We traveled from the soggy, cool northeastern states in October to the chilly Colorado mountains in November to the warm, balmy Caribbean in December. In a space of three months we packed, unpacked, and repacked three different climate wardrobes. At Christmas, we packed again—this time with work clothes, tools and painting supplies.

On Tuesday, December 26th, our team of 12 from our church, Journey Fellowship, head out to Reynosa, Mexico with Strategic Alliance to build homes for the least of these.