Soccer game in progress. When our guests first arrive at the monastery they're hungry, thirsty, tired, and confused. But the setting is reassuring to people who appreciate what was once a holy space. They relax, especially when they see familiar faces of people who were held in detention with them. When the children see the toys in the playroom and out in the courtyard their faces light up — they haven’t had the freedom to play in weeks. Outside there’s usually a lively soccer game going on and children racing each other on an assortment of tricycles, bikes and scooters. Our guests are shown to a room (jf we have one or a cot if we have not) where they can leave their few belongings while the intake process begins. The goal is to get them on their way as soon as possible; the longer they stay means the less space we have for new arrivals. Despite not speaking a word of Spanish, David sometimes acts as a monastery tour guide for the new arrivals. He escorts them to their rooms, shows them where to eat, shower and get a change of clothes, and where to meet with a volunteer who will help them make travel arrangements. He walks the hallways like a mother duck with her ducklings following in a line, a big grin on his face and Google Translate at the ready on his phone.
Destination - somewhere in the US. Our goal is not to have our guests stay with us; our goal is to get them on their way as soon as possible. But our guests have no money for bus or plane tickets so a volunteer will contact their sponsors who must then make travel plans. Schedules must be checked, routes must be planned, tickets bought and confirmation numbers recorded, all managed by volunteers. We show them on a big wall map where they will be going - Seattle, Miami, Atlanta, Boston, Champagne (Illinois), Nashville, Los Angeles, Charlotte, all over the USA!
What was once a quiet contemplative place now rings with the laughter of children, the staccato of people speaking fast on phones, the screams of tired toddlers, the slap of mops on the floors and the rattling of pan lids on the stove. It’s busy and bustling and chaotic and filled with hope — hope for an escape from gang members who will chop off your hands or gouge out your eyes if you won’t sell their drugs, hope for an escape from the extortion rackets that take what little money you have, hope for a life where there is work and you can earn enough to feed your family, hope for an education and a better life for your children. The road ahead for our guests will be difficult and most of them will not be granted the asylum they seek but at least for now they are safe, warm and well fed.
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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What was once a quiet contemplative place now rings with the laughter of children, the staccato of people speaking fast on phones, the screams of tired toddlers, the slap of mops on the floors and the rattling of pan lids on the stove. It’s busy and bustling and chaotic and filled with hope — hope for an escape from gang members who will chop off your hands or gouge out your eyes if you won’t sell their drugs, hope for an escape from the extortion rackets that take what little money you have, hope for a life where there is work and you can earn enough to feed your family, hope for an education and a better life for your children. The road ahead for our guests will be difficult and most of them will not be granted the asylum they seek but at least for now they are safe, warm and well fed.
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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