By Stephen Reeves

I’ve written before about the wide gulf between what I hear, see, and experience at the border and the tenor of our political debate. Never has the contrast been as stark as what I experienced last week.

On Tuesday morning I flew to El Paso. At the airport I was met by two of Fellowship Southwest’s border ministry partners, Pastors Carlos Navarro and Rosalío Sosa. We immediately drove to the international bridge and crossed over into Ciudad Juárez. Fortunately the line was short and we arrived at a hotel just in time to have lunch and begin a conference with Como Nacido Entre Nosotros. In English, the name of this coalition of Latin American Christians means “As one born among you.” It comes from Leviticus 19:33 -34 where the Lord told Moses how his people are to treat foreigners.

The 70-plus attendees came from about a dozen countries from South and Central America as well as Mexico and are active in serving migrants making the journey north. Fellowship Southwest sponsored the gathering along with folks like TearFund, Church World Service, and CBF’s La Familia network. We also made sure that our most active border partners could participate.

Late afternoon on that first day of the conference I saw on social media that the Take Back Our Border Convoy would be stopping in Dripping Springs and holding a rally Thursday evening. I half-jokingly wondered where I should really be.

The conference got off to a great start seeing friends and meeting for the first time folks I’d only met on Zoom. The full Spanish immersion meant I had to work hard to understand it all, and it stretched my speaking skills.

On Wednesday morning I got a call from Cameron that a Texas Monthly reporter thought of Fellowship Southwest when she wanted to get a different Christian perspective of immigration and the border. The reporter wanted someone to attend the rally with her. I knew then I had to cut my time in Juárez short.

Doing the work of advocacy and racial justice for so many years, I’m crystal clear about the many forms of privilege I hold. I’m an educated, straight, white, Christian, middle-class, Texan male who also happens to be about 6’3” and 215(ish) lbs. There are places I can go and feel perfectly safe and comfortable where others wouldn’t. While this is most often a benefit, I also consider it a responsibility. There is little I can do to change the privilege our unjust society affords folks like me. I feel no need to deny, diminish or apologize for that IF I use my privilege for the benefit of others. It is this conviction that made me so sure the choice I had to make.

Before I left Juárez, though, I had full day to experience the conference. This included listening to Dylan Corbett of Border Hope Institute, an incredible advocate I’d long admired but never met.

I accompanied several dozen attendees on a bus to visit a FSW shelter run by Pastor Rosalío Sosa. Pastor Sosa gave tours, talked about the ministry, and introduced us to several migrant families. There were about 65 folks staying there that day including a dozen or more children.

Before we left Anyra prayed for them. I was proud of our network and the part we play in providing food, safety, and shelter for these families.

The entire group also held what can only be described as an international worship and prayer service.

We drove out to the western edge of Juárez and parked our three busses on the side of a bumpy, dusty road. We then walked to the giant rusty iron wall, carrying pages of liturgies and lyrics, a guitar, microphones, and an amplifier. Many of the pastors wore collars or stoles.

Once we got to the wall we reached through the bars to meet the dozen or so folks who drove out from El Paso and were now participating with us on the other side. Through the wall Anyra and I shook hands with Sami DiPasquale who leads Abara, whom I’d met before, and introduced ourselves to other members of his team.

We then began worship with songs, prayers and liturgies led by Anyra, Rubén Ortíz, and others. We shared communion through the wall. Finally, we joined hands in a circle that joined two countries. We were united in our care for those fleeing desperate conditions and suffering persecution and trauma. It was a moving and powerful experience.

The next morning I packed up and left after breakfast. I began to prep for my next trip by reading about and watching videos from the Take Back Our Border convoy organizers. I was struck how careful they were not to sound anti-immigrant. They also went to great pains to declare their movement peaceful, even as, ironically, militaristic imagery filled their language.

I got to Dripping Springs just in time to meet Cameron, FBC Austin Pastor Griff Martin, and the Texas Monthly reporter for coffee and an informal interview before driving a few minutes to the rally.

There were lots of cars in the parking lot, and on the corner near the highway a small market of booths sold pro-Trump flags and t-shirts, anti-Biden items, and lots of pro-second amendment, pro-gun paraphernalia.

When we got to the nice outdoor venue on a beautiful evening we were first searched to make sure we weren’t carrying any guns. I carried a folding chair since the promoters told attendees to bring a chair and a kind heart. Not all the speakers got that message.

We walked up as principal convoy organizer Robert Agee was speaking. He was calm and deliberate with his words and his delivery. He did not come across as angry or fearful, but as a man very much convinced he has been called by God for a mission. He spoke of shining a light in the darkness all around us. He was also convinced that the migrants on our border prove that our political leaders have failed us. He was certain that “the divine hand of God has designated America to be a light to the world.” He stated that he was not anti-immigrant and welcomed those “who come the right way, legally.”

He then called Sarah Palin to the stage. She railed against President Biden calling him treasonous because “our Federal Government is sanctioning an invasion.”

Next up Ted Nugent went further off the rails. He mostly just cursed, talked about guns, described Biden with expletives, and told the crowd it was their job to piss off liberals.

I don’t recall him saying much about immigration. The fact that we’re under an invasion seemed to be common knowledge. I also don’t think any of the three speakers we listened to mentioned President Trump or his campaign.

Despite Robert Agee’s religious language and calm demeanor, this rally felt nothing like a worship service. It seemed clear to me that anger was the driving force for the audience. They roared in approval of Palin and Nugent’s messages.

It was a far cry from the pleas for mercy and protection I heard at the border wall the day before.

In a video and in his remarks I recall Robert Agee saying he would be going to the border to listen for what God is calling him to do in this moment. If I could ask him one question it would be this - Jesus is very clear about how we are to treat our neighbors and foreigners. Do you think his message has changed, or does it no longer apply?

No, we don’t get to turn Jesus’ words into policy, but for those claiming Christ as Lord, it seems like an appropriate place to start.

If you haven’t yet, read the Texas Monthly article here.