So how does this current crisis impact the border, our Mexican colleagues and the already vulnerable migrant families in Tijuana?

Many have asked how our Global Immersion colleagues are doing in Mexico as we care for some of the worlds most vulnerable people through our Borderlands Initiative that was launched soon after the migrant caravan arrived in Tijuana in 2018. Samuel Perez is the Borderlands Coordinator and mobilizes its mission among migrants in Tijuana to: 1. Support/resource a network of migrant shelters, 2. Provide trauma care, 3. Offer fair-wage employment and 4. Provide humanitarian aid. 

As with everything in the world, the work has had to take a different form in this season of COVID19, but it remains in place and as important as ever. For many of our neighbors to the South, living through tragedy and uncertainty isn’t strange, it’s the norm. While most of the shelters in Tijuana have had to close their doors, they are still very committed to those already in their care. The women and men who are on the front lines of care for the “least of these” are choosing creative and costly love in the face of COVID19. 

Last week, our team bought a freezer for a shelter so they wouldn’t have to go to the store as often and risk exposure. Trauma counseling is being offered. Hygiene kits are being distributed. Food is being set on tables. And relationships of solidarity and trust continue to grow. 

It’s understandable that many of us go into survival mode when we are in the midst of so much uncertainty. We have our mental checklist of loved ones we make sure are safe and healthy, and do our best to take care of what is right in front of us. That’s important and necessary.

And, it’s easy to drop our sight lines so low that we fail to see the humanity, dignity and image of God of the already vulnerable becoming even more so in the midst of COVID19. 

It’s a luxury to be able to shelter in place while many others across the world have no choice but to expose themselves everyday to provide for their families and those in their care. Whether across international borders or on the streets of our neighborhood, who are the Everyday Peacemakers we can support and encourage today? Who are the most vulnerable among us who we have failed to SEE in the midst of our own self preservation?