For the past several weeks, my wife and I have been traveling throughout East Africa. Here in Kigali, we’ve been guided by my good friend, Theogene, who is originally from Rwanda, whom I got to know when he was living in my neighborhood in suburban Chicago, and who now lives with his wife and […]Continue Reading →
“Many church members are too afraid to come to church anymore.” I was attending a meeting of ministry leaders when the well-respected Hispanic pastor stood to share. He told us how the police had begun parking near their church building on Sunday mornings, watching as church members came to the service. “Some of our […]Continue Reading →
The elderly white man sat across the restaurant booth from his wife. They were discussing the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to rescind elements of Arizona’s controversial SB 1070 law. “So you see,” he told her, “I think it’s a terrible shame that Obama’s getting rid of this Arizona law. Why won’t they let the police just do […]Continue Reading →
I’ve been reading through Deuteronomy lately, and this passage stuck out at me. Moses is at the end of his life: after forty years of wandering in the desert, the Israelites are about to take possession of the land that God has promised to them. Moses knows he will not be going with them, […]Continue Reading →
As an undocumented youth who qualifies for the DREAM Act, I am constantly barraged by pro-immigration nonprofits and legislators with messages like these:
“They were only brought here as children, and it’s their parents who are to blame!” “These kids are American as apple pie! Deport their parents instead!” And for the longest […]Continue Reading →
Many of the moms in my community feel like there is not much they can contribute in this foreign land that they now call home. As undocumented immigrants, they are ineligible to get a driver’s license or a job. As Spanish speakers with limited English and in many cases only an elementary level of […]Continue Reading →
When I opened the non-descript, government envelope containing my husband Billy’s green card, I felt a deep mixture of exhausted relief and wild celebration. No more hyper worrying about getting pulled over. No more awkward conversations with acquaintances who ask too many questions. No more silent but ever-present thoughts of “What if he gets deported? […]Continue Reading →
Learning about immigration and our rich theology to love the immigrant is a great starting point but certainly not the end. Kingdom servants do not stop at awareness but recognize the need to move beyond awareness to engagement. Engagement in its early stages can look quite varied as you begin to enter into the […]Continue Reading →
Let’s be honest, fear fuels much of the political activism in this country, on both sides. Sometimes it’s advocacy groups with their latest fundraising letter or email sharing how the other side is “this close” to destroying the America we know. Sometimes it’s cable news shows with their smartly designed graphics, ominous music, and […]Continue Reading →
The concept of self-deportation is one solution suggested by some politicians for dealing with undocumented immigrants in the United States. Their theory is that recent federal laws passed in the United States, such as the new E-verify program and Arizona-style state laws, will deter immigrants from continuing to live in the USA as there […]Continue Reading →
