Email: Leisha Reynolds

Dear Friends and Family,

There’s something about laughter that makes me think that, without it, the world might not be able to continue on. In a place that could be, and often is, considered the site of small-scale warfare—including arms, vigilance, and blatant denial of basic human rights—it seems that laughter might not be the most appropriate, or most possible, option on a day-to-day basis. Yes, there are days without laughter. There are days with a lot of trauma and emotional drainage when I wonder if my emotions will be able to remain intact for the entirety of a year. But there are also days with laughter, and a lot of it.

I’d like to sing the praises of the amazing folks I have the opportunity to work with at the Migrant Resource Center (MRC). I now have a Mexican counterpart, a young man from Michoacan named Beto Ramos. As co-coordinators of the MRC, we have spent the past month and a half evaluating and envisioning the current and future role of the MRC in Agua Prieta and its relationship with other organizations in Agua Prieta and Douglas, Arizona, as well as how we (he and I, and the other volunteers) can work together as an equipo (team). The concept of equipo is so important for the work that’s being done here on the border. As “coordinator” or encargada, I understand that it’s not about privilege above others, but rather shared responsibility with those around me. Without the help of Beto and every one of the MRC volunteers and donors nothing would be able to happen at the center. There would be no food or water to offer to migrants who come in to rest, no clean socks to put on tired, wet, and blistery feet, no help for wrapping a hurt ankle or getting thorns out of a hand, no log sheets to document how resources are being used, no working schedule, or perhaps the doors would never be open to those who so badly need them to be open. The list could go on. 

Laughter comes in various forms at the MRC. As serious as Beto can be about work (and as much as he makes me feel like I should be working 25 hours a day instead of 24!), he can just as equally exhibit his humorous side. His friend who came along to Agua Prieta with him to work at CAME (Centro de Attention para Migrantes Exodus), Andres Lopez, from the state of Puebla, is equally, if not more hilarious. I need not enter more than one foot into the MRC just to be greeted by some sort of Andres-inspired, “Ay! Que milagro! Ella vive!” (Oh, what a miracle! She lives!) followed by some sort of dropping to the knees with hands laced together as if thanking God for my presence. Or how about exchanges of English “lessons” for Spanish “lessons” where I have written something in English (like “I want to be just like you when I grow up”—which is funny really only because he’s 33, and I’m 22, and somehow, Andres not being an English speaker, he catches on) and I have him read it to me with his best possible diction, and in return, he draws a pretty picture for me with a random word in Spanish beside it—then makes fun of me for being the Spanish teacher, who doesn’t know this word, or that word. They love to speculate about what my last name might someday be—Lopez? Ramos? Or how about both? Oh yes, it’s in these moments that we share together in laughter and in good will that we know working together as an equipo is not only possible, it’s also a pleasure.

I’ve struggled with what to share with my great network of supporters about this past month and a half, as all the thoughts that bounce around in my head on a day-to-day basis continue bouncing and often don’t allow me to grasp them long enough to formalize them as thoughts in a word processing document. Laughter seemed to be a common trend in my life, regardless of the constant struggles and frustrations I have felt with various aspects of living and working here. The sun continues shining in Douglas and Agua Prieta, and as the sun sets over the mountains all around me, a cold chill draws near. I’m becoming a pro at layering clothing, sometimes even rocking a stocking cap beneath my bike helmet for those really chilly mornings and nights. I’ve been slowly making my way from book to book on my never-ending “books to read” list, and spending more and more time with a small family who moved to Douglas just before me, with similar intentions of being involved with border justice issues, also seeking a community in which to be involved. I’ve been receiving lessons in cooking from the volunteers I’ve been blessed to spend time with, which I’m sure will incite more than a few “oh, thank Gods” from family members back home. I’ve just begun to normalize a personal schedule of my own that allows for both work, rest, and play, all three of which hold increasing importance for me as a human being, not just a human doing. As the year seemed to skip straight from summer to almost the beginning of December I find myself wondering where the time has gone. I continue to send out thank-yous to those who have committed to keeping me in their thoughts and prayers. My prayers and thoughts return to each of you, in grace, in love, in peace…

Que la paz de Dios sea con todos Uds,

Leisha Reynolds

To find out more about my year you can explore my blog.

If you would like to financially support me over this year you can send a tax deductible check to:

St. Mark's Presbyterian Church
Attn: Linda Marshall
3809 East Third Street
Tucson AZ 85716

Checks can be made out to St Mark's Presbyterian Church with "YAV" and my name written in the memo line.