DAY 2 - SUNDAY

BILINGUAL WORSHIP, AREPAS, A MIGRANT'S STORY

We had a leisurely start to the day. At breakfast we met Julie, Tom, and Anna who had arrived at 2:30 AM without their luggage due to massive delays in Denver. We went over to Cristo Rey for the 11ish worship service, conducted by Pastor Juan with assistance from Pastora Rose Mary. There was a lot of music in the service and Rose Mary said that it is in music that she finds the Holy Spirit. Pastor Juan brought out his puppet for the children’s story, wondering where the tamales were on this special day. He preached about the importance of prayer, saying that in the midst of our busy lives we need a way to recharge and that we can do that through prayer. After the service lunch was served. We had rice and beans, tamales, a pork dish, salad and cake for dessert.  We celebrated the birthdays of Allexa(13) and Aziel (15).

In the afternoon we had a couple of hours to recoup and when we met in the lobby to go back to the church, Pam and Bob had arrived after delays in Denver and an unexpected overnight in Houston. Hail, hail the gang’s all here!

The church has a family staying there- Bryan, Elizabeth, and their baby, Mateo. Bryan is a chef and he showed us how to prepare arepas, a typical Venezuelan dish. The dough consists of corn flour, water and salt. He patiently showed us how to shape and flatten the round cakes which he then put on an electric griddle to cook. He knew they were done when he knocked on them and they sounded hollow. He had already prepared a filling of chicken with onions, garlic, red pepper, tomatoes, and some sugar to cut the acidity. The secret ingredient was a little bit of mustard. We grated cheese to serve with the arepas and had some salad to go along with it. The correct way to eat arepas is to open them up so that there is a pocket and then put the filling in. Delicioso!

After dinner Bryan told us his story. He lived in Venezuela most of his life, but went with his father to Chile to find work. He was also in Peru and bounced back and forth between several countries, always trying to find a good job. He met Elizabeth in Columbia and together they decided to come to the United States. His primary objective was to find a better life for his son, who had been born in Chile. The first challenge occurred when they had to cross through the Darien Gap in Panama.  On the first day there was a flash flood and they lost almost every thing- the tent they had been sleeping in, all of their food and other supplies.  Several people, including children, were killed. As the journey continued they saw many bodies. They had a relatively safe journey through Central America, but the problems really started when they got to Mexico. When they attempted to cross the bridge into Mexico, the men were separated from the women and for a while Bryan did not know where Elizabeth and Mateo were. Thank goodness they were safely reunited. Mateo was constantly sick on the  journey and they had to get medicine for him and take him to a hospital at one point. Bryan contacted relatives and friends who were able to send them money when they were broke. They stayed for several weeks in Mexico City where Bryan got a job to earn enough money to continue the journey. While there they applied for a special program that would let them enter the US legally, but without any permanent status and they were accepted. They left Mexico City soon after Bryan had earned enough money for the trip and rode outdoors on the top of trains to reach the border in Juarez. Once they crossed the border with their legal documents, Bryan got in touch with his cousin in New York, who had promised to receive them. He informed them that he could not help them. Having finally made it to the US, they had nowhere to go. They found refuge in a couple of shelters before finally landing at Cristo Rey where they can stay for 3 months.

When asked at the end of his story if he would make the same choice or listen to his mother who had told him not to go, Bryan said he would make the same choice, because what is most important is giving his son the things he never had. 

I was very impressed by the perseverance this young couple showed on the journey. They encountered many hardships, especially the fact that the baby was seriously ill much of the time. It would have been so easy to give up and go home, but they were determined to get to the United States so that they had a chance for a better life for themselves and for Mateo. Theirs is but one story of the journey that many migrants make. Robbery, rape, and extortion are common on the trail north. The lack of opportunity, fear for their safety, and poverty are the motivating factors for leaving their families and everything that is familiar to them. I am happy that they are now safe, though their future is very uncertain. I wish them best of luck in realizing their dreams.

Debbie Roberts