Email: Leisha Reynolds

Dear Friends and Family,

It has changed from winter to springtime here in the borderlands. Believe it or not—it was a cold winter! Perhaps not the amount of negative degrees, like folks have seen back home, but 20 and 30 degrees can feel like a negative temperature when heating systems lack at home and at work, and dishes are often washed in cold water. Nevertheless, the sunshine has started showing its face again and allowing the land, and therefore people, to be heated by it more and more. I hear that the borderlands here in Arizona and northern Mexico experience a couple of months of “tolerable” weather before things “really” heat up.

Something that I have noticed about this change in weather is that it’s accompanied by a feeling completely different from the one I have been used to in the Midwest. The turn toward springtime there, to me, always meant new life—colorful flowers, blooms on trees, green grass. Here, however, springtime manifests itself a bit differently for those who are conscious of the bitter realities of what’s happening in the borderlands.

By the end of February, we at the Migrant Resource Center had heard word of four migrant deaths in the desert that had already happened. As February ended and March got under way, we were seeing an ugly trend: Almost all migrants were entering the MRC without having been given anything to eat or drink by the U.S. Border Patrol Detention Center during their time in detention.

The law says that after six hours of being detained an individual must be given an entire meal and drink—not just crackers or cookies. What we’ve found is that people are being detained between ten hours and two days without being given anything at all, and for those who get the courage up to ask for food or drink, they are knocked down either by words or by force. Neither of these situations are acceptable.

While I understood that the there was injustice in the borderlands before I came here, never had I imagined being so involved in the ongoing documentation of very straightforward human rights abuses of so many people. And never had I hoped that the vast majority of these abuses would be carried out by those who are employed, trained, paid, and supported by the United States government. And it’s not only undocumented migrants who are victims of these various types of abuses. Victims include travelers with legal documentation and even those who were born and have lived in the United States their whole lives. Fear and indifference are common trends in this area. From my observations thus far, fear and indifference lead to violence, and violence leads to death, especially when the violence is systematic.

During a post-Semana Santa (Holy Week) reflection with Frontera de Cristo, we looked at the resurrection of Jesus and Jesus’ words to those who were witnesses to this miraculous event: “No tengan miedo.” (“Do not fear.”) Various verses repeated these words or phrases: don’t fear, be not afraid, have no fear. In light of my reflection on the borderlands (as well as the rest of the United States) being a culture of fear, I observed that God knew what the people needed to hear then, and God knows what we need to hear, here, now, and it’s written so many times in the Bible because God knew it was the message that we needed to hear. Do not fear! Do not be afraid!

I have had the opportunity to see many of my loved ones recently. At the end of February I took a trip to my alma mater, Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa. The purpose of the trip was to talk about the realities of the borderlands and try my hand at recruitment for the Young Adult Volunteer program. My time was full of conversation, philosophy teas, presenting in open forums and classes, and sharing meals with friends and professors. I was blessed fully by all those who took care of me during this time.

During Holy Week, my parents came down to Douglas and Agua Prieta to visit me for a few days. It was a short visit, but just enough for them to see the places I’m involved in and the people with whom I am involved. I felt like I was on cloud nine, standing between them, singing “Let Us Break Bread Together” in Spanish during the Maundy Thursday Communion service at Lirio de los Valles Presbyterian Church in Agua Prieta. It truly was a joy to share with them the many aspects of the borderlands that have had me so tied and involved this year, knowing that it’s so different, me telling them about my experience here, and their seeing it with their own eyes.

As time moves on and I feel like I’m just settling in here, I want to thank you once more for continued prayers, thoughts, and support. Without these very important pieces, I would not be here, and I would not be experiencing both the very difficult challenges and the sheer hope and joy of living on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Que la paz de Dios sea con todos Uds.,

Leisha Jo 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.