Dear Ones,
While in San Miguel de Allende several weeks ago, I had the privilege of visiting ABBA House, a shelter for migrants traveling through Mexico from Honduras as they seek political asylum in the US. Run by Pastor Ignacio, a Mexican Evangelical minister, this small ramshackle place provides respite for those merely passing through and for those who face long-term rehabilitation because of serious injury. San Miguel is one of the towns through which the train known as “La Bestia,” the Beast, runs on a regular basis. I saw this massive train, which desperate people jump on in southern Mexico and jump off of in towns along the way. It is a huge train, very tall, and constructed to make it hard to jump onto. And it travels fast. Some are lucky. But many people fall off, losing their limbs or their lives.
The Red Cross is waiting in every town the Beast stops in, ready to take people to the hospital or to shelters like ABBA House. We might wonder why people would take such risks, and often with children. Those of us who have never had to flee gang and political violence need to exercise our imaginations and trust the stories of those who have fled such things. Imagine: the lives they are leaving are worse than the risk of the Beast.
At ABBA House, people with whole limbs receive food and shelter, a place to wash their clothes, a place to sit quietly and make a few handicrafts to sell. If they are seriously injured, they get all of this and a place to stay until they are sufficiently healed to receive their prostheses and find solutions to the problems that forced them to migrate in the first place. But everyone gets much more than this. They receive attention and companionship. They receive sympathy and legal advice (Pastor Ignacio is now also an attorney). They receive a chance to express themselves through arts, with painting and music offered by volunteers. At ABBA House, those migrating are unhoused, scared, and sad. But their dignity is restored by the attention and the kindness they receive.
May we be grateful for the example of compassion shown by Pastor Ignacio and ABBA House. And may we all find ways to act with similar compassion, as you remember that you are loved, you are worthy, you are welcome, and you are needed. May you feel it so, and may it be so.
https://www.discoversma.com/news/community-news/abba-house-rotary-club-presentation/
https://www.abbahousecelaya.com/asylum-seekers
https://www.dw.com/en/la-bestia-hitching-a-ride-on-the-death-train/av-60036724
Blessings, Rev. Rita