Published: Oct. 15, 2021
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Friends may want to support this work by our friends on the boarder.
I received this message from Rose Mary Sanchez-Guzman, Pastora, Iglesia Cristo Rey, on 10/12/2021:
We have been receiving refugees at Cristo Rey again since the month of September. Several came sick and their experience in Mexico and at the detention center was heartbreaking. They were sick, tired and overwhelmed. We have received people from Honduras, Chile, Nicaragua, Cuba, Venezuela, and Haiti. Thank God we have been able to do their travel arrangements fast and they have left within two days of their stay.
We have spent quite a bit of money to get our facility ready and to buy supplies needed in the last weeks. We are still in the process of replacing our entire roof and painting some of the rooms used by the refugees. We are in need of your support as our funds are low at this time. As you know, we also go once a week to take food and buy groceries for one of the shelters in Juarez.
We are ready for a new group this week and we pray that we can provide hope, love and both spiritual and physical food.
On Tuesday of last week, was the first time we did the COVID-19 testing to all of the refugees we received in our facility. We had five trained volunteers doing the test in our parking lot. We rented a portable restroom and set up tents. Thank God, all of them were negative.
On Wednesday, we helped to do the testing for 40 refugees who were going to the shelter in Las Cruces. If we have anybody that tests positive, that person waits in our parking lot until somebody transports him or her to a Hotel in EL Paso where people stay for 10 days until they are negative.
Thanks to the volunteers who were able to change plans, and start at 1:30 instead of 4:30 to do the testing as the ICE buses arrived earlier than expected. We had to buy pizza for the early arrivals, do intakes, give out clothing, prepare dinner, pick up family members who were separated from another shelter, make travel arraignments, make a few trips to buy shoes and other needed items. Thanks so much for all who brought donations of diapers, formula, baby food, kids medicines, breakfast items, snacks, travel blankets, fruit, clothing, etc.
The most important need right now is financial help to be able to continue helping refugees on both sides of the border. You can send your donation to:
Iglesia Luterana Cristo Rey
1010 East Yandell Drive.
El Paso, TX 79902
(Put in the memo on your check: Refugee Ministry)
from Vona Van Cleef, El Paso Friends Meeting (10/14/2021)