Mexico (MNN) — Driven by poverty and gang violence in their home country, thousands of Haitian immigrants have converged on the U.S. southern border.
Last month, pictures circulated of Haitians being chased by border patrol agents on horseback. The photos produced outrage in the U.S. and beyond.
The U.S.-Mexico border has long been a source of political tension, but Claudia Adame with e3 Partners says that’s not the whole picture. God is working in amazing ways among the immigrant communities.
She tells of one community in the city of Reynosa, where e3 Partners works with refugees from countries like Columbia, Venezuela, Honduras, and Haiti. “What I saw was a peaceful camp. People were taking care of each other, even taking turns doing night watch to just keep things safe. And for the most part, the city of Reynosa has responded very generously.”
Stories from Reynosa
The Christian community there has grown to about 2,000 people in recent months. E3 Partners brings humanitarian aid, listens to their stories, and shares the story of Jesus with them. Adame says, “That first week when we were there, we saw God start a church in six or seven days. New believers were discipled about sharing God’s story, but also demonstrating His love. They heard that the Lord accepts them unconditionally.”
This new community has reached out with love to others as well. Claudia tells of one man who the church encountered. “He had been deported from the U.S. to Mexico. They didn’t know why. We didn’t know why. He had no food or shelter. So they embraced him. And they were able to share their food with him. They found him a tent. And they were able to share the Gospel and disciple him to the point of him wanting to make a public profession, including baptism.”
Ask God to continue moving in this region.
Want to visit areas along the Texas-Mexico border or other areas around the world with e3 Partners? See their upcoming mission trips here.
The header photo shows Haitian immigrants protesting U.S. border policies in 2018. (Photo courtesy of Fibonacci Blue from Minnesota, USA, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
