Trip to Mexico

Yesterday I applied for my passport; I'll have it with time to spare before my trip to Mexico. Assuming that there will be a few others joining us, the Episcopal Campus Ministry will be going to cross the border March 10-12th. We will be almost recreating the trip my priest took a few weeks ago, detailed here. A few facts about the border:

1. A more and more common injury seen at the border are broken ankles and legs, particularly those of pregnant women trying to scale the 20+ foot fence (see picture below).
2. Drug cartel violence is on the rise.
3. If a Mexican is caught crossing, the border patrol takes everything from them except the clothes they are wearing. They then separate families and take people to different border towns for release. The hope is that the family will try to reunite instead of making another run on the border.
4. There are mercy centers that run solely on donations and try to track down separated family members through the network of drop-off points. St. Brigid's community has decided to help support a mercy center in Naco.




In addition to recreating the trip that Rev. Gil took, we may also visit a Catholic monastery on the way back to Phoenix.

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so
move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the
people of this land], that barriers which divide us may
crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our
divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP)