Email: Sean Kerr

Greetings to Everyone,

Thanks once again for all of your prayers and support!  I can’t begin to express the magnitude of this blessing of being here in Tucson, but I’ll at least try to convey the types of activities that I’m a part of here.

At my placement, Borderlinks, I’ve already led two trips. The first delegation was a group from the Presbyterian Church in Canada, a group of pastors, activists, and church members whose knowledge of the issues along the borderlands occasionally surpassed my own. While refreshing that I too could learn new information on a trip that I was leading, I found myself wishing my lack of knowledge and experience weren’t quite so transparent. Perhaps that was the beginning of the difficult life lesson that sometimes work and other activities take time to learn and improve. Despite the feelings of inadequacy, I’m confident that the trip participants were able to learn and grow, which is obviously the most important part of the trip.

The second delegation that I led was a group from St. Luke Presbyterian Church in Wayzata, Minnesota. This group, too, was extremely open and willing to learn about the issues firsthand. We had a moving discussion with migrants in Altar in which we felt sadness, anger, hopefulness, and challenge. One of several men from El Salvador asked us a pointed question: Were we doing this to feel remorseful for a night, and then forget about it the next day, or were we planning on taking steps toward action? His poignant question reminded us of the dormancy of the Church at times, and our need to respond so that we treat migrants (and everyone else) as dignified peoples.

After leading my first two trips, I’ve noticed that the work of Borderlinks is filled with dichotomies: trips inspire hope for change, but also frequently incite anger and feelings of despair; participants get to hear the stories of migrants and their yearnings to make a better life for their families, but almost never know for sure whether their journeys were successful; for me as a trip leader, hearing similar stories from so many of the migrants either makes my heart callous, or it breaks my heart.

Aside from work at Borderlinks, I’ve also been involved with a variety of other organizations and communities in the area. At Southside Presbyterian Church, I’ve been serving every Tuesday as a volunteer for a day labor program that offers participants a chance to receive a fair wage for their work and me a chance to get involved in the community in which I live. Also, I’ve been able to experience the desert firsthand as a volunteer with Samaritans. Basically, volunteers in this organization patrol specific trails in the desert searching for migrants in need of food, water, or medical attention. I also sing in Southside’s choir when possible, and go to meetings for “No More Deaths,” a sister organization of Samaritans, while at the same times living as a part of a community in my own house.

Other facets of the program include such things as living a simple, sustainable lifestyle, biking instead of driving a car, and developing community. These have been extremely important in forming me and all of the volunteers this year. I plan to explore those topics in future updates!

God’s Peace,

Sean

Please keep the young adult volunteers and the communities they serve around the world in your prayers. If you’re interested in serving as a young adult volunteer or know some one who is, please visit the PC(USA)'s YAV Web site. If you’d like to support young adult volunteers with financial gift please make tax deductible checks out to:

St Mark's Presbyterian Church
("YAV support" in memo line)
3809 E. 3rd Street
Tucson AZ, 85716