Monastery tables decorated for Easter. The last couple of weeks at the monastery have been even more chaotic than usual - we have often had over 400 guests and for the first time we had to turn people away because we just didn't have any more space to put cots. We even ran out of clean linens so anyone available took home bags of Red Cross blankets to wash. The city has made a local recreation center available for the overflow but it's a less-than-ideal solution to the problem. But today is Easter Sunday and despite the chaos and the monumental task of keeping 400 people fed and housed, the kitchen volunteers wanted to do something special to celebrate the holy day. They asked for fresh flowers and treats for the children to be donated and the community provided. The volunteers turned the usually drab dining room into a bright welcoming space. Spread out along the tables were little cellophane packages of treats for children who haven't had much of anything for themselves in the past few weeks.
Volunteers brought lovely flower arrangements for the tables. I thought there might be fewer volunteers than usual this weekend as people gathered with their own families to celebrate, but no, the monastery was humming. Greyhound buses were still running and a steady stream of volunteers filled bags with snacks and took refugees to the bus station to catch their rides to their final destinations. They are so excited to be that much closer to seeing their relatives and beginning their new life. "Adios" one mother sang out to me. "Buena suerte" I replied. But she will need more than luck to be granted the asylum she seeks.
A fresh "intake" of asylum seekers were delivered to us by ICE this afternoon and four unusual visitors, local police officers, stopped by. They were big and could have been an intimidating presence to asylum seekers who have been held in detention by people wearing uniforms, but they greeted our guests with reassuring smiles. One thanked me for the work I'm doing and then stayed to provide security in the parking lot. It made me think of the administration's "threat" to send asylum seekers to sanctuary cities. It's a laughable empty threat since I'm sure sanctuary cities would welcome these refugees, as Tucson has welcomed them.
A fresh "intake" of asylum seekers were delivered to us by ICE this afternoon and four unusual visitors, local police officers, stopped by. They were big and could have been an intimidating presence to asylum seekers who have been held in detention by people wearing uniforms, but they greeted our guests with reassuring smiles. One thanked me for the work I'm doing and then stayed to provide security in the parking lot. It made me think of the administration's "threat" to send asylum seekers to sanctuary cities. It's a laughable empty threat since I'm sure sanctuary cities would welcome these refugees, as Tucson has welcomed them.
Easter treats. I brought a few Easter treats with me today - home-made macarons and the small foil-covered eggs you buy to put in Easter baskets. I handed the eggs out to any child I came across. At her mother's prompting, one little girl (about six years old) gave me a shy "thank you" in English. About five minutes later I saw her eating her egg. She had carefully peeled the foil half way down and was licking the egg, savoring every sweet taste, instead of popping it into her mouth and eating the whole thing at once. I couldn't help but think of all the children around the US today who went on Easter egg hunts or received baskets stuffed with chocolate and candy. These refugee children have so little that even one small egg brings tremendous pleasure.
Disclaimer: The opinions in this blog are mine alone and do not represent an official Alitas account. Any mistakes are mine and mine alone.
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Disclaimer: The opinions in this blog are mine alone and do not represent an official Alitas account. Any mistakes are mine and mine alone.
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