Hope on a Tuesday

It was a Tuesday night and I planned on meeting with a small group of neighbors who I thought might qualify for the new Deferred Action Immigration Policy.  I had talked to maybe 20 people and expected about that many to show up. I set up a few chairs in the living room of our Solid House and waited for our new lawyer friend, who graciously agreed to help our neighbors file, to arrive. You see, normally how these community meetings go is maybe about 50-75% of the people we expect to show up actually do, and usually they are 15-30 minutes late. It's the way of the neighborhood and something I have come to embrace.

But this Tuesday was different. It wasn't even 7:00pm yet, the scheduled start time of our meeting, and the little living room was packed. People were overflowing into the patio and we definitely did not have enough chairs for everyone. It was hot and muggy, but the energy was high. We decided to move our meeting to the church down the street so everyone would fit. All SEVENTY people walked through the neighborhood to the church. It looked like a parade! When the lawyer arrived, he went right into introducing himself and sharing about the basics of the new policy. There were arms flying up left and right with questions about themselves or "their friends." I couldn't quite put my finger on it at the time, but something was special about this night. A group of people who daily feel the weight of their societal labels, like "illegal" and "criminal", were eager, anxious, and excited. There was fear in the room, but as the night came to an end, it hit me: for the first time, a room of undocumented immigrants from our neighborhood were gathered together and the normal overwhelming feelings of struggle and fear were strongly overshadowed by hope.

Hope is powerful thing. Hope gives you confidence, drive, and determination. As I scheduled individual appointments for each potential applicant that night, I heard countless people talk about how they were going back to get their GED now, re-enroll in college, or apply for a job in the field they love, have a degree in, but could never pursue without a work permit. Hope was in the air and it was a beautiful thing to be apart of. 

As the night came to an end and as I locked up the church, feeling physically tired but emotionally rejuvenated, a mom and her 13 year old daughter came up to me. They had just heard about the meeting and were wondering if I could help the daughter apply. I explained that she was too young right now, but as long as the policy was still in place when she turned 15, I would definitely help her. I gave her the basics of deferred action and her face literally lit up as I explained the potential for a work permit and driver's licence...things this girl didn't dare dream about. Her mom looked at her daughter as she put her arm around her. She didn't have to say it but I knew what she was thinking.

This is why she made the difficult decision to come and dangerous journey here...for hope. 

And this is why I got involved in this work to begin with...to see that look of hope on the faces of my friends and neighbors.

My DREAM for Change part 2

My life has most fully been lived on a little street in Fullerton, Ca.

This neighborhood means so much to me. It's where I fell in love with my husband. It's where I discovered who I truly am. It's where I have experienced Jesus in the deepest way. It's where I learned to dream BIG dreams for those I love, even if they are not able to dream them for themselves.

My neighborhood is far from "beautiful". There is trash everywhere, gangsters hanging out on the corner, worn down apartments, and I have broken up a fight or two. But it's not this physical place, full of imperfections, that has so deeply impacted me. It's the perfect God I have experienced through my neighbors that is what brings me to a deep place of reflection.

In the countless meals I have shared, walks to Target I have taken, and conversations had at the food trucks, I have come to realize how connected I am to my neighbors. We are not all that different. We all want to be safe, provide for and protect our families. We all want to be valued.

We all want to dream.

As similar and connected as we are. There is a stark difference between me and my neighbors: I have been given the right to dream. In fact, I have almost been forced to dream. I grew up with the idea that I could do anything. I was free and even entitled to follow my dreams, whatever they may be.

My neighbors? Sure they can dream, in theory. They can imagine being doctors, engineers, teachers, artists, musicians, lawyers, politicians...but the reality of their circumstances often crushes those thoughts before they even fully play out in their heads.

When I first moved into my neighborhood I was an idealistic 19 year old. I thought with a little love and imagination this neighborhood could transform. What I have come to realize over the last 7 years is that love and imagination will only take you so far. I pray everyday not to lose my idealism, but I have accepted the reality that transformation takes time. It takes work and it is often times very difficult. When it comes to the reality of my neighborhood, there is just so much we have to overcome. We have systemic poverty, slum lords, a broken education system, and too many kids who don't know how to dream. We have generations of people who can't see past the corner of Garnet and Placentia and the second they do they are quickly reminded that for them, there is no point. Over the years I have also come to realized how deeply connected these issues are with the fact that so many of my neighbors are undocumented. When you don't belong, you have no rights, and you are treated like a second class citizen, what's the point of dreaming? I fear our lack of just Immigration policy is robbing our neighbors of their God given right to dream.

I think, as the Church, we need to acknowledge this as a viable possibility.

We also need to begin repairing the damage we have caused by allowing our big corporations to cause systemic poverty in our neighboring countries, taking advantage of cheap labor, creating a demand for drugs, weapons and prostitution, and allowing years of outdated and unjust laws go unchanged. Too many people want to criminalize the acts of those who came here unlawfully, but I think we need to take responsibility for our role in this mess.

We were so busy asserting our American right to dream for power and prosperity that we forgot about the dreams of our neighbors.

I know that changing our immigration laws will not instantly make everything better. There will always be poverty, corruption and injustice. But for my neighborhood, and countless other Immigrant communities across the nation, we will not see our dreams of transformation fully come to fruition without it. What Comprehensive Immigration Reform would do is restore my neighbor's ability to dream...something we had no business destroying in the first place.

My Heroes

What would you risk for God's calling?

I have to admit, I've never had to risk too much. I know who I am, what I am called to do, and I am blessed to freely pursue it without putting myself at risk. Well, I suppose an anti-Immigrant activist could stumble upon this little blog and decide I am so valuable to their opposition that they should take me out...but really, what are the chances of that happening?

As you might have read here, I have been feeling a little discouraged about my efforts in this fight and quite hopeless that I will actually see meaningful change. God is funny though. I guess He actually listens to my whining because He sent me 2 great reminders of His hand in all this. It was just what I needed.

The first reminder happened as I was catching up with a dear friend and colleague the other day. This girl is one of my heroes and throughout our conversation, I remembered why. This friend is an amazing advocate for the poor, oppressed, and immigrant. Funny thing is, she happens to be undocumented her self. Having come here at a young age, she knows full well the struggle of an Immigrant family. Although her family was able to legalize, because of one incorrect form, she was not able to attain legal status here. As we were talking about some recent events in her life, she shared with me how some of her family is afraid she is putting herself at risk by being such an outspoken advocate against injustice. She said to me, "But Bethany, I refuse to live in fear." It is clear that God called her to this work, or should I say, God called her to be HERE and do this work. She is willing to risk everything for her calling, not just because Reform will be worth it, but ultimately, because He is worth it. She is not bitter. She does not complain. She is not afraid. She just lives how God has called her to live.

My second reminder came later that day as I connected with another friend. I have admired this friend from a far for quite a while. For starters, she is brilliant. Seriously, brilliant. She is so articulate, humble, kind, selfless, determined...really, the list could go on and on. She is also undocumented and the perfect representation of a DREAM Act student. She not only graduated from college, but she has her Master's in Psychology. Like I said, she's pretty smart. Even though her status here prevents her from fully pursuing her career, she refuses to sit on the sidelines and wait for our government to recognize her worth. Instead, she uses her education and experience to help people who could not otherwise afford the support of a counselor. After we spoke, it hit me that she gets something most do not. You see, she knows that God has called her to something bigger and no matter what the law prohibits her from doing, she will find a way to pursue that higher calling.

My friends. My partners in the Kingdom. My heroes. They remind me why I am here. They remind me that it's not really about the cause, but about chasing after a God who loves us all equally. It's about for-going this earthly kingdom for His Kingdom. You know...the Kingdom where no one is "illegal".

Yeah, that's what I am living for.

That's what I am fighting for.

And to my dear friends, you know who you are, thank you for inspiring me, teaching me, and being in this fight with me. Thank you for reminding me that His Kingdom is worth risking everything for. I look forward to the day when you receive that little piece of paper in the mail that tells you what we already know: you belong here. I am with you to the end.

Will Things Ever Change?

I am feeling discouraged.

Over the last couple of weeks I have spent a lot of time catching up on what's happening in Sacramento and Washington DC in regards to Immigration. I have read articles, listened to speeches and even watched all 2 hours of a committee hearing on the DREAM Act. Maybe it's just because Immigration is my "thing", but it seems like it's everywhere these days.

Everyone is talking about it, but nothing is changing. In fact, things are getting worse. There have been more deportations under the Obama administration then under Bush. There is complete chaos at the state level as everyone tries to take a federal matter into their own hands. And most important to me, those I care so much about feel more hopeless than ever. The list of faith communities, organizations, government entities and business' that support the DREAM Act and Comprehensive Reform are staggering. Most people who have taken the time to educate themselves on the reality of our Immigration system have come to the conclusion that the status-quo just isn't right. But still, nothing changes.

The more I seek out answers to my questions like, "Why did Obama promise to pass reform in his first year of presidency and then do nothing?" or, "Why did Republican Senators who previously sponsored the DREAM Act vote against it last December?" I have come to realize that those checks and balances we learn about in 12th grade government can be kind of pesky at times. I don't mean to sound like a conspiracist or ungrateful for our democracy, but the truth is, I am pretty frustrated.

While politicians are busy figuring out how to get re-elected or what bills to hold hostage to get their own bills passed, my neighbors are paying the price. They are struggling to put food on the table, help their children get through school, and push forward in the midst of dear loved ones being deported. I know that some will say they brought this struggle upon themselves by coming here without documentation, but I still can't help but sense God's deep love and compassion for their situations.

I am committed to seeing this through but I often wonder how long I will have to wait to see my friends and family receive the same rights I was given at birth.

I am praying for a victory...even a small one.