Let Your Heart Break

Last weekend, I saw a video of Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul Conversation with Melinda Gates. In it, Gates speaks of the many trips she’s made to very poor sections of the world and her need, upon return, to decompress, to be alone, to let in the pain she has seen, to “let my heart actually break.”

Just back from the Texas border and service with immigrants at the Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen, I know our group is living with plenty of heartbreak.   The broken face of Jesus was everywhere, as was his love and beauty. So we continue to let it in: men in line for belts and shoelaces, women in line for shoes; travelers praying the rosary, tears streaming down their cheeks; children waiting for a simple bowl of soup or overjoyed with a mini tootsie pop; a 15 year old boy with chicken pox, a 14 year old girl with newborn baby; ALWAYS, from everyone, “gracias” for any small gesture or smile.

Our volunteer group was amazing.  They sliced dozens of loaves of bread (even when frozen!), and cut watermelons, carrots or mangoes by the crate.  They served meals, unpacked and sorted donations, cleaned up after sick kids, employed Spanish phrases, and stood for hours to serve the needs of others.

 

 

 

 

We continue to let the experience in.  And while our hearts have been broken, we are deeply grateful for the privilege of meeting these brothers and sisters who have changed our lives.  And we remain in solidarity with those who serve the poorest among us, not just one week a year, but day in and day out.

 

 

Advertisements

One World, One Family

Bitter sweet feelings as we are writing this. Today, we said goodbye to many of the people who worked with us throughout the week. With their help,  we were able to attend to the needs of many, many travelers: preparing food, serving food, collecting donations, distributing clothes, and working with the sick.

Describing the Catholic Charities Respite Center does not do it justice. You need to be there to truly experience the obstacles that the travelers have to endure. Looking into the eyes of the sick, scared, hopeful, and very grateful travelers, you will be transformed for ever.

Today, we woke up and headed to another day of service. As we walked through the double doors past the security guards, we instantly went to work. We cleaned, cooked, organized, passed out clothes/food, and played with many children. At 1:00, a new group of volunteers came to release us at our stations so we could take our lunch break. Soon after, we came back and got to work.

At 4:30, we had the opportunity to visit the local area. After that, we walked to a local food trucks court called “The Yard”.  Now we are heading to bed to get rested for another memorable day.

Through our experience this week, we have seen how immigrant people are beautifully able to rise above all differences and unite as brothers and sisters.

                                                                                                    Kayla and Faith

All Here

It took awhile to get our whole Ursuline Summer Service group here, but as of last night at 9:15, all are present.  Four of us had difficulty getting out of St. Louis because of storms, which meant missed connections and almost a 7 hour wait in Houston.  We had to relax, read, chat, and settle in until they called our flight to Harlingen.  All this meant a very late arrival in San Juan, after midnight, and we were glad to have Sunday as a free day before beginning work at Catholic Charities.

Sr. Pat and Cameron joined us from New York on Sunday morning, so we did grocery shopping in the afternoon, then took a ride to see where we will be working and  the famous Rio Grande river.  It is striking to see our border lined by barbed wire and metal barriers. There were long lines of cars waiting to come into the U.S. The weather is very hot, well above 100 degrees with a feel of more than 110.  We are becoming more and more aware of what the immigrant people we will meet have already endured.

By Sunday evening, our last two volunteers had arrived, and we took time for orientation, planning and prayer. We’ve received many notes from Ursulines around the country, promising us prayer and support.  Friends and families are also with us in spirit, we know.  Thank you to all!  More news will follow throughout the week.

Not Pawns, But Persons of Human Dignity

In less than 2 weeks, 8 Ursuline Summer Volunteers will gather for a week of service at the Humanitarian Respite Center sponsored by Catholic Charities in McAllen, Texas.  The group includes students and alums of Ursuline schools in St. Louis and New York who know well the meaning of SERVIAM–I will serve.

The byline for our place of service is: Restoring Human Dignity on the Border.  We will share in this mission as we help create hope and restore dignity to the most vulnerable among us.  We expect to sort donated clothing, clean, sweep, mop, make sandwiches, clean showers and bathrooms, make soup and prepare for the afternoon rush—that rush being when the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement brings guests by bus from their holding center.  Recently, 500 to 900 people a day have arrived.  We’ll be on call to assist families, children, and regular staff in whatever ways possible.

How will we restore human dignity?  Well, stay tuned, because we’ll be blogging right here during the week.  I imagine our efforts will include Spanish greetings and smiles of welcome; provision of a change of clothing, toothbrushes, chapstick, food; babysitting and playing games with children; and a loving sendoff to the bus station for the next leg of the journey.

It’s hard to imagine doing all this without also experiencing heartbreak.  Our service group will take time each evening to reflect, pray together, and draw strength from words of Jesus and of St. Angela.  We’ll be support for one another.  We’ve chosen to be together for this week because we share values that are rooted in our Ursuline spirit of service and our deep desire for human dignity for all persons. We’ll keep before us the wisdom of Pope Francis:

Migrants and refugees are not pawns on the chessboard of humanity. They are children, women, and men who leave or are forced to leave their homes for various reasons, who share a legitimate desire for knowing and having, but above all for being more.

This Amazing Ursuline Family

The worldwide family of Ursuline sisters and all who share with them the charism of St. Angela never ceases to amaze.  Stretching to every continent, it is rooted in local cultures, engaged in mission, and always seeks to embrace the Gospel with new life and energy.

This was so very evident to me these past 2 weeks as I assisted with the provincial chapter of our Caribbean Province. Coming together from Barbados, Venezuela and Guyana, the sisters met at our community house in Georgetown, at the northeast tip of South America. They serve in schools, have an orphanage for girls, and minister to the poor in all three regions.  Centered on the theme of our approaching general chapter, A Global Community Moving Into New Life, and like every other province in our Roman Union Ursulines, they looked together at their life and mission, discerning what to deepen, what to let go of, and what part they play in the global Ursuline family.

Our sisters from Venezuela shared heartbreaking stories of the situation in that country, where people wait in long lines outside grocery stores, only to arrive and find no food left. Concern  for justice and peace becomes all-encompassing when it’s friends and neighbors who are starving and leaving their homeland.

There is nothing like the beauty of this region.  Calypso music and the cadence of Caribbean accents blend to fill the soul with joy, especially at Christmas time!  Orchids in the garden, rain forests and rivers observed from on high—all are gifts of God’s creative genius.

We celebrated the end of chapter with Bajan songs and jokes, rhythmic dancing and a little good wine.  The commitment of our Ursuline family in this little province and around the world makes us realize how very blessed we are!