On the Border...

A Latin American Christmas Creed

I believe in Jesus Christ and in the power of the gospel,

begun in Bethlehem.
I believe in the one whose spirit glorified a small village,
of whose coming shepherds saw the sign,
and for whom there was no room at the inn.

I believe in the one whose life changed the course of history,
over whom the rulers of the earth had no power,
and who was not understood by the proud.

I believe in the one to whom the oppressed, the discouraged,

the afflicted, the sick, the blind, the injured gave welcome,

and accept as Lord and Savior.

I believe in the one who ... with love ... changed the heart

of the proud and with his life

showed that it is better to serve than to be served,
and that the greatest joy is giving your life for others.

I believe in peace, which is not the absence of war,
but justice among all people and nations and love among all.

I believe in reconciliation, forgiveness,
and the transforming power of the gospel.

I believe that Christmas is strength and power,
and that this world can change if with humility

and faith we kneel before the manger.

I believe that I must be the first one to do so.

(Taken from Alternative for Simple Living's Whose Birthday Is It Anyway?)

I believe in Jesus Christ and in the power of the gospel, begun in Bethlehem and continued throughout the globe, including here in El Paso!

Yesterday folks brought wrapped Christmas gifts so parents could give each of their children a gift. I had heard all about the excitement especially from the children when I arrived this morning.

There were no refugees released last night or today by I.C.E. because of Christmas. So, we only had 27 refugees at the Hotel Soluna which made for a quieter day. We had a peaceful joy throughout the day with a sense of community. A group of folks brought lunch: ham and cheese sandwiches, macaroni salad and fruit salad.

A few soccer balls came with the gifts last night so some kids spent time playing soccer in the parking lot. Sr. Cecelia Hudec SC from Vancouver BC, my work partner, and I had bought coloring books, crayons, checkers, bubbles, puzzles and a U.S. map . So other kids played with these items or stared at the map trying to understand where they were and where they were going.

Cecelia making peanut butter & jelly sandwiches for folks travelling on the bus.

I am an amateur "barber" so I brought my hair cutting gear. When I asked who wanted a haircut, one of the guys came forward to say he was a barber and that he would be happy to cut hair. Go for it! I said. What delight I experienced watching him offer his gift to the community; plus he probably did a better job than I would.