By Stephen K. Reeves

I mowed my lawn Saturday morning. No, this is not an unusual chore, but it didn’t feel the same. 

After spending 10 days along the border with pastors who sacrifice so much for their neighbors and talking with refugees who walked out of their homes with only what they could carry, it was jarring to go back to such a common, mundane luxury. It seemed just so inconsequential. (According to their letter, my homeowners’ association disagrees.) I rarely consider how fortunate I am to have this chore. 

It is hard to put into words the meaning of our trip, which concluded last week. I’ll be reflecting on moments and on the people I met for a long time to come. 

After reading about them for years, it was a wonderful experience to look people in the eye and shake their hand. I’m also grateful for the dedication and incredible Christian witness of the pastors and church members who comprise Fellowship Southwest’s immigrant relief network. 

Your contributions make our support of these ministries possible. So, it is an immense blessing to be a conduit of your generosity. Numerous times, we were the recipients of moving and sincere displays of gratitude for Fellowship Southwest—for our stewardship of your gifts. It is humbling to be able to lend support to such incredible Christian servants. 

There are so many stories I want to share, but they’re not my stories. The stories belong to the pastors and migrants striving and serving along our border. Fortunately, you’ll get to hear from many of them directly. All along our trip, we conducted dozens of interviews and recorded hundreds of videos. You’ll first see these stories in August as CBF highlights our trip and the work of Fellowship Southwest in two of their Tuesday night CBF Gathering episodes. 

But I do want to share how part of our trip intersects with my own story. 

When we landed in El Paso on a hot Saturday afternoon, Pastor Rosalío Sosa picked us up, and we immediately crossed the border into Juarez. As we were getting acquainted, I mentioned I came to the area many times growing up—on mission trips with First Baptist Church in Austin. When I said we did work in churches, an orphanage, and a medical clinic with Pastor/Dr. Marco Samaniego, Rosalío lit up. He knew him well. In fact, one of the migrant shelters in his network is on a property owned by Dr. Samaniego who passed away five years ago. Later in the trip, I asked for a detour to go by the orphanage, Casa de Esperanza, where I had worked over twenty years ago.

It is hard to overstate the impact of those trips on my life and faith. Providing medical supplies, construction materials for churches, and teaching Vacation Bible School to young children living in desperate conditions was formative. To be working again to support those same communities is nothing less than a powerful example of how God so often moves through our lives. 

This weekend, as you celebrate our Independence Day, think of those risking their lives so that they, and their family members, might know the peace and security most of us enjoy. As we give thanks for our freedom, consider those whose freedom is robbed from them by cartels, hunger and violence. 

May we remember our best ideals and strive to be a refuge for the persecuted, a shelter for the vulnerable and a people of generosity willing to share out of our abundance. 

To support Fellowship Southwest’s immigrant relief network—and to minister to refugees all along the border, click here.

Stephen Reeves is executive director of Fellowship Southwest.