“Love is what happens when you stop trying to figure out who deserves it.”
Karen Faith
It is always a joy to share the many ways in which the work of Cruzando Fronteras and our partner
shelter, La Casa de Misericordia y de Todas Naciones, is making an impact on the lives of present and
past shelter residents.
A few weeks back, I spent the morning and afternoon helping a young couple and their two beautiful
kids, now settled in Phoenix, pick up a furniture donation given by a wonderful Trinity Episcopal
Cathedral family. As we gathered on that cold early morning to make our way to pick up the furnishings,
I was struck by the realization that a little over a year ago I sat across this wonderful family at the dining
hall at La Casa. Like many of our migrating and newly arrived neighbors, this family left all they’ve
known in search of a safe place and to be reunited with loved ones after being separated for 12 years. I
realized that not only is La Casa an amazing place of care, respite, and hope, it is also a story that we
share as siblings in Christ; a story that grows more and more as we open our hearts to provide and
receive a warm and loving welcome from our newly arriving neighbors.
I think that is what the love of Jesus and his way of love creates; the weaving of stories of love and
welcome transformed into a rich story of a God that never leaves nor forsakes us, a God that shelters and
strengthens us in the midst of the many storms of life; a God that shows up in a myriad of embodied
ways in a community marked by the grace and the courage to face the challenges of being pilgrims in the
way of love in a world that is so fractured and in need of healing. Stories of welcome and love harbor the
power to heal the world—to heal us.
The holidays are a time of gathering with family and friends, of lingering with our memories, and longing
for the many we wish were still with us, a time of joy and somber holy moments. As you gather to
celebrate this holiday season, I would ask you to also remember our migrating siblings, many of which
are separated from family and like Mary and Joseph go in search of a safe and warm place, in search of
posada, of shelter.
Right now, over 120 shelter residents have found posada, family, and warmth at La Casa de Misericordia
y de Todas Naciones shelter in Nogales, Sonora. I invite you to support the work of Cruzando Fronteras
and La Casa de Misericordia as together we serve to continue weaving God’s stories of welcome, love,
and hope; stories that we believe draw us closer to becoming the beloved community where everyone
experiences their worth and dignity as children of a loving God.