Prayer Mailing List: Fw: Tuesday border update

[Mark Krause (mkrause111]

This is a daily update I receive on the facts about what is happening on our border. Please read and pray for all who are involved. And if you feel called to help you can go to missionborderhelp.org and find resources to do so.

May God bless you and yours abundantly!!

Mark Krause

First United Methodist Church

PO Box 583

105 West Juanita Ave

Mertzon, Texas 76941

cell 830-486-6526

Office 325-315-6659

Begin forwarded message:

On Tuesday, May 21, 2019, 9:45 PM, GEORGE Barnette <george [at] bnpr.com> wrote:

Rev John Fluth reports the Salvation Army now has a mobile “Cantina” in Del Rio to provide meals for the asylum-seekers throughout the day. The Southern Baptist Convention is providing a shower trailer. 

Although the local officials originally were opposed to the point of hostility to helping the immigrants, that corner apparently has been turned. Not only does the coalition have a city building as a respite center, with overnight stays, which were adamantly opposed in the beginning, but the mayor has been driving a van to the airport and bus station for the migrants!

 Rev Bun Jackson has been trying to stimulate support for DR within the West District, but has been diverted this week by tornadoes in San Angelo and vicinity.

She also is running into the same response we’ve hit frequently here in the Hill Country District: No. We’ve had some success countering what members and even pastors hear from some politicians and the media who support them. (1) We don't help illegal aliens; they are not released if they are not legal. (2) We don't help undocumented immigrants; everyone released by the Border Patrol has documents showing they are here legally. (3) These aren't drug gangs; they all are parents with children who are here, in many cases, specifically to avoid being drafted into drug gangs back home. As for the argument that we don’t owe migrants anything because nobody invited them to come here, nobody invited their ancestors to come here, either…except the Africans, whose “invitation” was at best a mixed blessing. 

In Eagle Pass, Rev Beck Baxter Ballou continues trying to acquire a building for use as a respite center/contact point. She’s hoping to get that nailed down soon…with soon remaining undefined. Her numbers continue to rise, with more than 200 a day being common. 

Piedras Negras is the fourth biggest border crossing between Mexico and the US in terms of asylum-seekers. Piedras Negras continues to be full and overflowing, and migrants also shipped in from other points for processing and release. She said a Border Patrol agent told her the reasons were (1) PN has a reputation for being a safe place to wait a turn to apply for asylum, certainly safer than some of the violent border towns farther downstream, (2) the PN-EP crossing has a reputation as being an easy crossing, and (3) he said Becky has a reputation all the way to Central America as a helpful, friendly person who will assist immigrants who make it through Border Patrol screening.

Still, the limited number allowed across for processing each day makes for months-long waits ion the PN side, and record numbers of families, running out of money for food and no way to earn more, are taking to the river. Becky reported that this week the Border Patrol pulled 172 swimmers out of the Rio Grande in three hours!

Needed things include more of the same: diapers, clothes, shoes, feminine hygiene products, personal hygiene kits, small toys for children, blankets, baby formula, and MONEY. Becky estimates she has a three-week supply of clothes. Other items are in even shorter supply. 

Although other churches are beginning to assist in EP, Becky doesn’t have anything like the coalition in DR. She’s trying to manage the support for the migrants every day (as late as 10:30 pm), plus solicit donations and services for them, plus write grant applications to get money to fund all of the above, plus persuade local churches and agencies to help her, plus talk some local property-owner into providing a building they can afford, plus…oh, yeah…pastor a church. Becky needs not only volunteer worker bees to do the lifting, sorting, and distribution, but also some office help to free her to do some of the paperwork only she can do.

Whatever size and type of volunteer team you can pull together, please check with Becky before committing to a job or date, She is pretty well booked through June with worker bees. She’d love to be able to say that about the rest of the summer.

If you have less than a full team interested in going either to EP or DR, you also can contact me. Ditto if you have an almost full team but can take a few more with you. We’d like to see team go with every slot filled, and every interested volunteer put with a team. Tell me how many and when and which capabilities, and we’ll try to make matches.

George Barmette

Missions Coordinator

United Methodist Church

george@bnpr,com

713-252-2288