1.  Gatheringmusic:pianist’schoice
 Welcome/Announcements:Helen
 Openingsong: #153, Woke upthis morning
 Chalice Lighting
SFAA?
 Circle of Lights?
 Openingwords: Introduction
 Firstreading:GoodSamaritan,Charlie andAggie
 Firsthomily:Inthe desert
 Secondreading:A loscaidosen el desiertode lamuerte,HelenandMonica
 Middle song:TengoSedDe Ti
 Secondhomily: Deportation
 AboutKino:Helen
 Offertory:Psalm23 (recorded)
 Thirdhomily:Sanctuary
 Closinghymn: #1026 If EveryWoman inthe World
 Extinguishingthe Chalice
 Closingwords:Testigosparaamor
 ClosingMusic:Letit Be (pianist)
Chalice Lightingby Juan AntonioEspinosa
Danos uncorazon grande para amar
Danos uncorazon fuerte paraluchar.
Pueblos nuevos, creadores de lahistoria, constructores de nuevahumanidad.
Pueblos nuevos que vivenlaexistenciacomoriesgode unlargocaminar.
Englishtranslation:
Give us a heartlarge enough to love,
Give us a heartstrong enough tostruggle.
New people, creatorsof history, builders of anew humanity—
New people wholivetheirexistence
as the risk of a longjourney.

2. If you are visitingforthe firsttime,Iwantto tell youthatif you intendedtovisitthe Unitarian
UniversalistChurchthismorning,youare inthe rightplace. Our church doesnotusuallydisplaycrosses
and rosariesonthe pulpit;theyare here fora special purpose today. If youare a regularattendee,and
these crossesandrosariesare givingyoua funnyfeelinginside,Iaskthatyou prayerfullyconsiderthe
possibilitythatyoumightbe a vampire.
I placedthese crossesandthese rosarieshere thismorningasa testamenttothe faithof migrantsfrom
Central andSouthAmericawhohave crossedintothe UnitedStates. RecentlyItraveledwiththe
UnitarianUniversalistCollege of Social Justice tothe US-Mexicobordertolearnaboutthe livesand
untimelydeathsof these migrants,the perilstheyface,andthe manycomplex issuesthatsurround
theirpassages.
There were abouttwentyof usin the group,almostall ministers,andacouple of us seminarians. For
three full days,we experiencedimmigrationatfirsthand,fromsunrise tolate at night,withlittle time to
stopand processthe heartbreakwe were experiencing.Itwasa once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,one
whichI undertookwiththe prayersandfinancial supportof thiscongregation.
Thismorning’sworkwill notbe an ordinarysermonaboutimmigration,ora reportaboutthe eventsof
my trip. What I hope to do ispresentyouwithstories,images,andmusicthatI experiencedduringthat
time,duringourdailyworshipandwhile inthe placeswe visited,inordertogive youa sense of whatI
saw andfelt. I wantto transportyou to the desert,tothe courtroom,to AmbosNogales – the Two
Nogales,one northof the border,one south. To the borderwall,thatscar across the landthat divides
our people. Tothe Sanctuarythat people of faithare buildingthereinthe desert,toprotectthe people
whoare caught inthe middle.
Today isthe firstSundayof Adventinthe Christiancalendar. The adventof Christisnotjustthe run-up
to Christmas. Itis the time of year whenthe world growsdarkand cold,and the earth’screaturesbegin
to turn inward,hibernating,nesting,goingwithintoprepare forthe arrival of the Messiah. While this
can be interpretedtomeanthe literal birthof Jesus,itcanalsobe interpretedasthe arrival of a new
beginning,achance tobeginagainwitha new life. Adventendsnear the solstice,whenthe days
become longeronce more andgrowthcan beginagain – growththat can be painful, scary,andlonely.
Startingoverwitha newlife isnota task for the easilyintimidated. Itisa journeythroughaterrifying
landof darkness. Onlythe hope of reachingthe otherside cangive usthe strengthtocomplete the
Adventjourney.
While Iwas inTucson andNogales,everywhere IlookedIsaw Christianiconsandsymbols. Theygave
me newstrengthformy journey,knowingwhatpowerfultalismanstheywere forthe people inthat
desert. Jesustoolivedinthe desert,amongmanygenerationsof migratory peoples:exiles,bandits,
nomads,andmany others. The baby Jesuswashimself spiritedawayacrossthe borderina midnight
journey throughthe desert;he came of age inthe desert,overcame evil inthe desert,achievedhis
destinyinthe desert.

3. Migrants knowthese storieslike theyknow theirownhearts,andsoin the mostdesperate of
circumstancestheycall uponJesus,uponMotherMary, uponSanto ToribioRomo Gonzalés,the patron
saintof the migrant,and upon JesúsMalverde,the patronsaintof narcotraffickers,sometimescalled
the Angel of the Poor; or evenuponSantaMuerte,the dark angel of death. Theyerectsimple white
woodencrossesinthe meagershade of mesquite trees,andprayto anygod whowill listen.
I invite youtoquietyourmindandheart, and imagine yourselfinthe desert,withmilesandmilestogo.
You don’tknowwhatis ahead,andmaybe youdon’twant to know. All youpray foris water,andthe
hope that the people onthe otherside of the borderwill welcome youin.

4. The Story of the GoodSamaritan
Helen:Justthena lawyerstoodupto testJesus.
Charlie:“Teacher, whatmustI do to inheriteternallife?”
Helen:He saidto him,
Aggie:“Whatis writteninthe law?What doyou readthere?”
Helen:He answered,
Charlie:“Youshall love the Lordyour God withall yourheart,and withall yoursoul,and withall your
strength,andwith all yourmind;and yourneighborasyourself.”
Helen:Andhe saidto him,
Aggie:“Youhave giventhe rightanswer;dothis,and youwill live.”
Helen:Butwantingtojustifyhimself,he askedJesus,
Charlie:“Andwhoismy neighbor?”
Helen:Jesus replied…
Aggie:A Mexicanman wasgoingdownfromNogalestoTucson, andfell intothe handsof
narcotraffickers,whobribedhimandbeathim, andhe continuedonhisjourneyandbecame
dehydrated,leavinghimhalf dead.
Nowby chance a politician wasgoingdownthatroad,andwhenhe saw him, he passedbyon the other
side. Solikewise, apreacher,whenhe came tothe place and saw him, passedbyonthe otherside.
But a Samaritan,while traveling,came nearhim;andwhenhe saw him, he was moved withpity. He
wentto himand bandagedhisblisters,givinghimcleansocks. Thenhe puthimin hisownvehicle,gave
himwater,and broughthimto a church.
The nextday he tookout fiftydollars,gave the moneytothe church,and said,‘Take care of him;and
whenI come back,I will repayyouwhatevermore youspend.’
Whichof these three,doyouthink,wasa neighbortothe man whofell intothe handsof the narcos?”
Helen:The lawyersaid,
Charlie:“The one whoshowedhimmercy.”
Helen:Jesussaidtohim,
Aggie:“Go anddo likewise.”

5. What I learnon the veryfirstfull day of my trip is that I wouldmake aterrible migrant. Ourdelegation
drivesanhour intothe depthof the Sonorandesert,overanincrediblybumpy,rockyroadfull of twists
and gravity-defyingturns. Withlessthan24 hours on the groundinArizona,I am alreadydehydrated,
and so I emerge fromthe vancarsick,intothe most hostile environmentIhave everseen.
Evenin October,the sunblazes downonus; the sun-bakedrocksthatlookedsostable slide around
underfoot,makingeachstepperilous.Cacti ineveryimaginable shape andsize,from giantbarrelsto
tinyonesinadorable shapeslike the onesyousee atthe hardware store,grow betweenthe shifting
stones. Mesquite trees,tooshorttoprovide shade,boast two-inch-longspikesoneverybranch, and
eventhe desertgrasseshave painfulspinesthat lodge inthe meshof myrunningshoes. Thisisnot the
barrendesertI hadimagined – itis teemingwithlife,and everythinginthisplace istryingtokill me. My
firstthoughtisthat I have landedinan alienlandscape.ThenIrealize:No.Iam the alienhere. Thisland
doesnotwant or needme.
Our delegationhikes upalongtrail to a mountaintopshrine sosmall IalmostblunderintoitwhenI
reach the top. It isa simple arrangementunderamesquite tree:awhite woodencross,arosarydraped
across, a framedpicture withableached-outimage,ajarvotive burnedtoashes,a couple of emptyfood
cans. Thisaltar was builtwhere amigrantwas founddead. I am standingonhallowedground.
I learnfromour guidesthatsince theystartedkeepingtrackin2000, thisgroup alone hadfound
hundredsof bodiesinthe desert. Andthatdoesn’tcountthe onesthatthe desert consumedbefore
theycouldbe found – ithappenssoquicklyout there. Somany migrantsare onlyidentifiable bytheir
dental recordsor tattoos.
As I situnderthat tree,tryingtoregainmy stomachand mywits,I wonder:whywouldsomeonerisk
this? What wouldmake someone leave everythingtheyknow –theirfamily,theirhome,theircountry,
theirculture – and travel onfootin a place where a blistercanbe a deathsentence,nevermindasnake
bite, orthe equallydeadlyafflictionof dehydration,whichIwascurrentlysuffering? Whywouldyourisk
all this,onlyto endupin a place where noone spoke yourlanguage,andpeople wavedsigns(orworse)
tellingyoutogo home?
I think back to myyearsof workinginthe restaurantbusiness,whenIknew manymigrantswhohad
come north withoutdocumentstoseektheirfortunes. Theywere mostlyyoungmen,some of them
teenagers,whoworked all daylong,sleptbehindthe buildings,anddrankthe cheapestbeer. They
nevercomplained,nevermissedaday of work,and neverdrankthe water. I got to know several of
themmore closely,andlearnedthattheywere sendingmoneyhomeforafew years,till theycouldget
theirfamiliesahead,andthentheywere planningtogoback, getmarried,have kids,andmaybe start
businessesof theirown. Irememberthatat the time,Ilikedthose guys,butIthoughtthat what they
were doingwasn’tright. Theyshouldhave stayedintheircountryandappliedforworkvisas,playedby
the rules.

6. Here’swhatI didn’tknow then,thatI do know now:
I didn’tknowthatmigrantshad beencomingnorthto doseasonal worklegallyinthe UnitedStatessince
the earlypart of the lastcentury.
I didn’tknowthateach year,the UnitedStatesonlyissues5000 greencardsfor low-skilledworkers.
I didn’tknowthat,rightnow,the State Departmentiscurrentlyprocessingvisasforsome Mexican
citizenswhoappliedforthembackin1993 – before Ihad evengraduatedhighschool.
I didn’tknowthatthere are overa millionMexicansonthe waitinglistforimmigrantvisas,andthe
annual quotafor these visasisonly42000.
I alsodidn’tknowthatby the time I wrote the wordsyou’re hearingrightnow,9000 Mexicancitizens
wouldhave disappearedduringthe administrationof President EnriquePeñaNieto,andthatlastyear
23000 Mexicancitizenswere homicide victims. Icouldn’thave imaginedbackthenthat43 student
teacherswouldbe brutallykilledinagovernmentorder.
I didknowthat one of myimmigrantfriends,one of the most cheerful people Ihave evermet,hadonly
one topiche refusedtodiscuss:hisjourneytothe US. Sotowas able tocross intosouthTexaswhenhe
immigrated, justacouple of yearsbefore OperationHoldthe Line pushedmigrantswestwardintothe
SonoranDesert. Hispassage was relativelyeasy –evenso,itwas soharrowinghe wouldnevertalk
aboutit.
OperationHoldthe Line inEl Paso and OperationGatekeeperinSanDiegotogetherhadthe effectof
funnelingmigrants intothe mostdangerouspartof the border,inthe SonoranDesert. The United
StatesBorderPatrol arguedthat the mountainsinthisdesertwere impassable,andsowouldserve asa
deterrenttowould-be immigrants.
It has not.
Althoughmigrationhasdecreased slightly inthe pastfew years,deathshave jumped dramatically. Our
desertguidesfromNoMas Muertes/NoMore Deathstoldus that coyotes,the humansmugglerswho
guide migrantsinthe desert,oftentell themtheywillonlybe inthe deserttwoorthree days,whenin
realitytheyface at leasta weekfromthe bordertoTucson – IF theydon’tget lost. Noone can carry
that much waterontheirperson. Migrants will alsoface narcotraffickers,whomayrob them, kidnap
themor extortmoneyagainstthe livesof theirfamiliesbackhome –and who,accordingto our guides,
patrol the bordersbetterthanBorder Patrol does,exactingbribesalongeverymile of fence.
Sittingonthat mountaintopinthe desert,clutchingmystomach,sippingwarmwaterandgazingoff into
the distance,Ican’t helpbutwonderhow manymigrantswere outthere rightnow,nappingrestlesslyin
whatlittle shade theycouldfind,waitingtillnightwhentheycouldmove again. Iwonderif theywould
make it. I knowI nevercould.

7. A LOS CAÍDOSEN EL DESIERTODE LA MUERTE
En memoria de aquellosquepor buscaruna mejorvida,
Lo único que encontraron fuela muerte.
En recuerdo de aquellosquetodo lo arriesgaron y todo lo perdieron.
Se fueron con la esperanza en los ojosy el desafío en el Alma.
El sol los calcinó,el desierto los devoró,y el polvo borró
Su nombrey su mirada.
En recuerdo do aquellosquenunca másregresarán,
Ofrecemosestasflores.
A ellos con respeto les decimos:
Su sed es nuestra sed,
Su hambrees nuestra hambre,
Su dolor es nuestro dolor,
Su angustia,su amargura y su agonía,
También son nuestras.
Somosun grito que demanda justicia.
Para quenadie,nunca mástenga queabandonarsu tierra.
Suscreencias son nuestras,
Sushijos,suspadres,su familia,sus raíces,su cultura,su identidad.
Somosun silencio quese hacevoz.
Para quenadie tenga queir a buscarun destino en otrastierras.
Para quenadie tenga queir al destierro,y consumirseen la soledad.
Somosuna vozen el desierto que clama:
¡Educación para todos!
¡Oportunidad para todos!
¡Trabajo para todos!
¡Pan para todos!
¡Justicia para todos!
Somosuna vozqueel desierto no puedeahogar.
Para exigir quela patria les de por iguala todossushijosla
Oportunidad deuna vida digna y decorosa.

8. To the Falleninthe Desertsof Death
In memoryof those whowentsearchingfora betterlife
and foundonlydeath
In memoryof those
whoriskedeverythingandlosteverything
Theywentwithhope in theireyes
and struggle intheirsoul
In memoryof those whowill nevercome back
we offerthese flowers...
To them
withrespectwe say:
Your thirst,isour thirst.
Your hunger,isour hunger.
Your pain,isour pain.
Your anguish,yourbitternessandyouragony,
are alsoours.
We are a screamthat demandsjustice...
So that noone,everagain,has to abandontheirland,
Theirbeliefs,theirdead,theirchildren,theirparents,theirfamily.
Theirroots,theirculture,theiridentity...
We are a silence thattakes
voice...
So that noone hasto go searchingfora destinyinotherlands.
So that noone hasto go intoexile
and waste awayalone
We are a voice inthe desertthatcries out:
Educationfor all!
Opportunityforall!
Work for all!
Breadfor all!
Freedomforall!
Justice forall!
We are a voice thatthe desertcannotswallow up
To demandthat ournative landgive equallytoall of itschildren
the opportunity
for a dignifiedanddecentlife
"For the rightto live inpeace".

9. "How doyou plead?"
"¿Comose declara?"
"Culpable."
"Guilty."
One by one,the accusedapproachthe microphonesnearthe benchinafederal courtroomin
Tucson. Theirhandsand feetare chained,andsince theirbeltshad beenconfiscated,theystruggle to
walkwhile holdingtheirpantsupwiththeirthumbs. Five atatime,the accusedstand before the judge
withtheirappointedattorneys,andanswerfourquestions,translatedintoSpanish:
Are you a citizenof Mexico?
On thisdate,didyouenterthe UnitedStates?
Didyou enterat an authorizedportof entry?
To the charge of illegal entry,howdoyouplead?
One by one,theyanswer,“Culpable”.Thentheyshuffle outof the courtroomand off to
deportation. Some of themstoptothank theirattorneys,whopatthemonthe back andwishthem
goodluck. These are not publicdefenders;theyare contractattorneys. It’seasywork,justfifteenor
twentyminuteswitheachclient. Convincethe migranttotake the pleadeal,andfill outthe paperwork
– it’san easysell. The judge will dropthe felonycharge of illegal reentry,you’ll doyour30-180 day
sentence andgoback home. The attorneycollectsa handsome fee,the for-profitprisongetsitscut,and
the migrantis deported,sentbacktoMexicoto figure outhow he messedupand how he can try it
again.
I am observingthe proceedings of OperationStreamline,which “mainlytargetsmigrantworkerswithno
criminal history[and] hascausedskyrocketingcaseloadsinmanyfederal districtcourtsalongthe
border.”Thiscourt in Tucsonprocessesupto 70 migrantsa day – sometimesinjustanhouror two.
But on this daysomeone isholdingupthe process. One man,notquite as youngas the restseemedto
be,shuffles towardthe microphone alittle more slowlythanthe others. Hisbodyiscrumpled,histhin
hipsunable tosupporthisunbeltedpants –hisattorneyhas to helphimpull themup. Whenhisturn
comesto say “culpable”,he cannotmake the wordcome out. “I don’tunderstand”isall he can manage.
His countrymen,stillsittingonhardbenchesat the back of the room, begintowhisperloudlyathim:
“Culpable!”
“Culpable!”
“Say ‘culpable’!”
Theyare tryingto helphimout, buthe can’t hearit; he can’t thinkit,he can’t say it. He justcan’t make
himself tellthe judge he isguilty. Iimaginedthathe knowswhatitmeans:guiltyof wantingtoearn a
living,guiltyof wantingtosee hiskidsagain,guiltyof wantingtoescape the deathandbloodshedback

10. home. I can’t knowforsure what thisman isguiltyof,butI can see from hisbewilderedface,andhear
inhis brokenvoice,thathe isn’ta criminal. If he isculpable,thenIamculpable too,forI want whathe
wants:a life worthliving.
The nextmorning,we loadupin a van and headforthe border. Ourdriverchecksour passportsbefore
we are allowedtogetinthe vehicle. CrossingintoMexicoiseasy:we all passourdocumentstothe
frontof the van,they get stampedorscanned,andthenthe documentsare redistributedaswe all click
fuzzypicturesthroughthe vanwindowsof the bigsignthat says Bienvenidosa Mexico.
For migrantsbeingrepatriatedtoMexico,onthe otherhand,there’snothingadventurousaboutit –in
fact, I am stunnedbyhowhumiliatingitis. Asour vanpassesthroughMariposa Port,we see off to the
rightwhat lookslike averylongdogrun. In fact, that’sjustwhat itis – a quarter-mile-longcage where
deporteesare droppedoff,still wearingtheirprisonissue clothing. Theywalkthiswalkof shame back
intotheirowncountry. Up inthe hills,the narcosare watchingthroughbinoculars –the lightblue
prisongarb marksthese men. Theyare sittingducksforthe smugglersandkidnappers,whowill pounce
as soonas the mengetfar enough awayfromthe cage and intotheirhomeland,pennilessand
wonderingwhattodo next.
But theyare alsobeingwatchedbya more benevolentforce:Jesuitpriestsandvolunteersfromthe Kino
BorderInitiative,anon-profitagencywhogetsthese men(andsometimeswomenandchildren)off the
streets,intofreshclothesandintosafety. The KBIprovidesthe migrantswithhotmealsintheirfacility
nextto the border,andshowseducational filmstoadvise migrantsof theirmanyrights – includingthe
basichuman rightto migrate.

11. Nowisthe time forour weeklyoffering,andtoday’sShare The Plate benefitsthe KinoBorderInitiative.
The KinoBorder Initiativeisabinational organizationthatworksinthe areaof migrationandislocated
inNogales,ArizonaandNogales,Sonora,Mexico. The KBI was inauguratedinJanuaryof 2009 bysix
Catholicorganizationsfromthe UnitedStatesandMexico. The KBI’svisionistohelpmake humane,
just,workable migrationbetweenthe U.S.andMexicoa reality. Itsmissionistopromote US/Mexico
borderand immigrationpoliciesthataffirmthe dignityof the humanpersonandaspiritof bi-national
solidaritythrough:
 Directhumanitarianassistance andaccompanimentwithmigrants,inthe formof hotmealsand
cleanclothes;
 Social and pastoral educationwithcommunitiesonbothsidesof the border;
 Participationincollaborative networksthatengage inresearchandadvocacytotransformlocal,
regional,andnational immigrationpolicies.
Currently,the KBIdirect-service locationinNogales,Mexicoisaleakylean-towithacorrugatedtinroof.
Thisyear,there isa capital campaignto make improvementstothisstructure,soas to betterserve the
menand womenwhofindthemselvesunderthisroof. Today’sShare the Plate will be donatedtothis
capital campaign. If you wouldlike tomake a contribution,please make yourcheckouttoKinoBorder
Initiative,andwrite “capital campaign”inthe memoline.If youare makingyourpledge,please make
the check outto UUCB and write “formy pledge”in the memoline. All cashinthe plate todaywill be
donatedtothe KinoBorderInitiative’scapital campaign.

12. How doI tell youeverythingIsawinthe desert? How do I fitso much heartache andanger into40
minutes,withoutbreakingyourheartsaswell?
No,that isnot my purpose today. I onlywantto breakyourheart so that itcan grow larger. I onlywant
to make more room inside you,toholdthe brokennessof others,andinthiswayto helpusall grow
togetherinlove.
If you wantto hear more thingsthat will make youangryor sad,ask me later. But right now,I wantto
tell youaboutthe Sanctuary movement.
In Tucson’s oldestandpoorestneighborhood standsSouthsidePresbyterianChurch,the cornerstone of
the Sanctuary movement. That’swhere Ifound hope inthe desert,inthe personof ReverendJohnFife.
JohnFife isaboutnine feettall,and thoughhisbutton-downshirtandLevisare starchedso stiff he looks
as thoughhe mightblowaway,he has an easyway abouthim, an easysmile. He askswhere we’re
from,and whenwe tell himthatwe are a groupof UnitarianUniversalists,he makesajoke aboutnot
lettingusleave until he’ssure we properlyunderstandthe conceptof the Trinity. We respondthatwe
aren’tsure anyoneunderstandsthatdoctrine!
JohnFife isthe pastor emeritus atSouthside Presbyterian,andhe broughtthe Sanctuarymovementto
the border. In the middle ages,the churchwasa legal sanctuaryinEngland,meaningthatfugitiveswere
safe fromarrest so longas theyremainedonholyground. Thisancientpractice providedlegal
precedentforthe same practice inAmericanlaw;to thisday,ImmigrationandCustomsEnforcement
has a nationwide policyof notentering“sensitive areas”suchaschurchesand schoolstoapprehend
migrants. In the early1980s, duringthe Salvadoranrefugee crisis,those fleeingthe violence inCentral
Americawere makingthe same dangerousjourneynorthtothe US, finallylandinghalf-deadat
Southside Presbyterian’sdoorstep. ReverendFifeandhischurchbeganprovidinghumanitarianaidto
these refugees,butwhentheybegantalkingtothemandlearningmore aboutwhattheywere running
from,the congregationrealizedthataidwasn’tenough. Theywouldhave todomore.
The nextstepwas to provide advocacy,thenlegal aid. Buthow doyou helpone refugee seekasylum
throughthe courts, whenthe streamof refugeesbecomesaflood?Noone wasgettingasylumin
Americancourts – the US was alliedwiththe Central Americangovernmentthatwere causingthe
violence. Evenlegal representationwasn’tgoingtobe enough. ReverendFife begantorealizethat
whendirectservice,advocacyandlegal aidall fail,the nextstepisresistance. He begantodiscerna call
to followinthe footstepsof the UndergroundRailroadandthe movementtohelpJewsescapefrom
Europe.
The church beganto helpsmuggle peopleacrossthe border;theycalledthemselves“loscoyotesde
Dios”– the coyotesof God. Of course,itwasn’tlongbefore the ImmigrationandNaturalizationService
caught on. Southside Presbyterianwasfacedwithachoice:obeyorderstocease assistingrefugees,or
standin defiance of the order,continue providingsanctuary,andface indictment. The churchvotedby
secretballottocontinue standingupforjustice,andthe SanctuaryMovementwasborn.
Thoughthe original Sanctuarymovementdiedoutinthe late 80s,it has beenrebornthisyearinTucson,
and todaythere are 24 congregationsof manydifferentfaithtraditionsprovidingsanctuary,including
the UU church of Denver. Inaddition,there are 79 congregationsprovidingfinancial andlegal aidtothe
movement. EachSanctuarycongregation housesandcaresfor one migrantwhoisfacingdeportation.

13. The goal isto maintaina safe place forthe migrant tostay, while providinglegal representationtohelp
that migrantrequestastay on theirdeportation;the migrantcannotleave the churchgroundsforthe
durationof thislegal process. Currently,SouthsidePresbyterianisprovidingsanctuarytoRosaRobles
Loreto. Rosa is a marriedmotherof twochildrenwhobumpeda trafficcone duringhercommute one
morning,andwas stoppedandarrestedonsuspicionof beinginthe UnitedStatesillegally. Rosaspent
53 days indetention,andtriedtofightherdeportationthroughthe courts,butwhenherfightwas
unsuccessful,she turnedtoSouthside Presbyterianforhelp. Rosahaslivedatthe church since August7,
and everynightat7:00, the communitycomesouttopray for herand her family. The kidscome by
everynightafterbaseball practice,toshare theirday,have dinnerandgethelpwiththeirhomework.
Meanwhile,Rosawaits,one of eightactive casesnationwide.
The Sanctuary Movementgivesme hope. There islove inthisworld –fierce love,radical love,defiant,
reckless,love. A love thatcan waterthe parched earthand make flowersbloominthe mostmenacing
desert. There islove like thathere inthischurchtoo. Our UU church here inBirminghamcouldbecome
a Sanctuary congregation,orsupportthe movement. Orwe couldlookaround usand see migrantsand
undocumentedpeoplewhoneedourhelprighthere inBirmingham. Iam hopeful whenIsee the bright
redbannersof the AlabamaCoalitionforImmigrantJustice. Iamhopeful whenIthinkof seeingour
ownyellowshirtsbehindthose redbanners. There are forcesinthisworldthat are higherthan fences,
strongerthan borders,truerthandocuments. There are those whoare citizensof the world,citizensof
the Kingdomof Heavenwhose love hasnoboundaries. We are the chosenones,we are the oneswe
are waitingfor. We are the onesTHEY are waitingfor. We are theirSanctuary.

14. TESTIGOS PARA AMOR
By Rev.Barbara Prose,Executive Directorof Ministry,AllSoulsChurchTulsa,OK
I have testifiedtwotimesinaU.S. court of law.
Both times,Ipromisedtotell the truth,the whole truth,andnothing
but the truth.
So today,inthe civic court of ethicswe call dailylife,
withGod and mycolleaguesasmywitness,
I say,"Soy culpable.Iamguilty."
If the menand womeninthe Arizonacourtroomare guilty,
my ancestorsandI are guiltytoo.
Tambiensomosculpables.
So today,hoy!, we mustbe witnessesforGodand fora Love Beyond
Belief.
We whohave beentothe border,whohave crossedoverand come back,
we must speakthe truthabout whatwe saw,
whatwe felt
whatwe fear
whatwe know,
whatwe don'tknow,
and whatwe hope.
Nospreparamos.....we mustprepare becausewe willbe calledtospeak
aboutthe wall andthe waste,
the art andthe anger
the familiesandthe faith
the courts and the courage
the passion,the purpose andthe pain
the death,the determination,the deterrents,the danger,andthe daring.
We will be calledtospeakabout
theireyes,
theirhands,
theirfaces,
theirfeet,
theirsmiles
and whatwe knownow of theirhearts.
I've heardit saidthat inthe struggle forjustice,enlaluchapara
justicia,
there are four roleswe can play:
perpetrator,victim,bystander,orwitness.
Let usbe witnessesforLove. SeamostestigosparaAmor.
Ahoray siempre. Todayandforevermore.
For heavenishere onearth. Ya, y todaviano. Alreadyand
not yet.
Perola luchasigue. The struggle continues.
Y con Dios,todo espossible.
AndwithLove,everythingispossible.