The Final Days

Well, my time here in El Paso is coming to an end. Tomorrow I board a plane for a 13-hour trip to Rochester by way of Chicago and Boston. As I found myself whining a bit as it’s double the time it took me to get here, I remembered sending people off on three-day bus trips to what must seem to them the end of the world. Then came the thought of how many days, weeks and even months it took them to get this far. What do I have to complain about?

Yesterday, Thursday (2/20), I rode with Andy and Maureen on our day off over to a little town in New Mexico that has a bunch of touristy shops. On the way, after passing thousands of pecan trees, we stopped at the little store that sells pecans of all kinds. As we were leaving another couple came in and when they found out I was from Rochester, the wife spoke up and said she had had open heart surgery at Strong Hospital in 2006 when she got sick while on a mission trip for her Utah church. What a small world!

Me standing outside Josefina’s gate where we had lunch in Mesilla, NM

After lunch in Mesilla, NM, we drove to Dripping Springs to hike to a mountain “waterfall.” It was lovely to be outdoors after days of hardly even sticking my nose outside. The views of the mountains were absolutely spectacular even though the “waterfall” really lived up to its name. There was just a slight flow of water dripping down the mountain and flowing through piping that once supplied water for a sanitarium that was located there. While we only walked for a couple of hours on a well constructed path, I was conscious of all those who have traveled over much more difficult terrain as they crossed the desert to get to freedom. 

A view along our path to Dripping Springs

Last evening as I went to do a load of wash, I discovered that a magician with Magicians Without Borders was going to do a show in the chapel here. I wish you could have seen the faces of the children and heard their laughter as Tom enchanted them with disappearing coins, balls that suddenly multiplied, and a balloon that didn’t burst even though pierced by a huge needle. He spoke of how the balloon and needle are kind of like enemies to each other but can peacefully coexist just as we can if we learn to welcome those who are different. The kids and their parents were just enthralled and it was a marvelous break as they waited to hear about when they would be traveling to their next destination. 

 

Tom the magician

Most of the group that came two weeks ago is leaving in the next two days. We are going out to supper tonight to say our goodbyes to each other and to relish the time we’ve spent together. It has been a wonderful experience to be here even though the number of folks passing through has been so low due to our government policies. Please pray that we may become more tenderhearted toward those seeking refuge. Only we have that power! Let’s use our vote to do what no magic wand can accomplish!