By Bishop Jaime Vázquez

Since last July, I have been in charge of the coordination of the Hispanic Ministry in the Desert Southwest Conference, headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. This time has been a period of learning while trying to understand how to carry the message of salvation to our people who live in these communities.

Recently, two situations presented themselves to me that could help me describe how we minister the presence of God to the people within the Hispanic Ministries.

The first situation was with a family that actively participated in the United Methodist Church. One of our church members called my cell phone very early in the morning and informed me that her husband had been arrested by the immigration patrol, and had been deported to Mexico. She was devastated. "What are we going to do? Our four children are here in school. My job, our home, our life is here. What are we going to do?"

They were a part of our Hispanic Ministry and had the desire to serve the Lord. They were in the midst of finding themselves with God.

I shared a few passages of Scripture with her, where God speaks about caring for His children in spite of the circumstances. I prayed for my brothers in Christ and their family. Then I immediately began communications with a pastor in Mexico where her husband was deported. That Pastor helped the husband get boarded onto another bus to travel to another border town where his parents and the rest of his family live.

How can we demonstrate the love of God to these and other people who find themselves in similar circumstances?

In the evening my wife and I tried to visit that family again but their house was empty. Their neighbors came out and informed us the remaining family members had moved from their home to another city or another state. They said it is a common occurrence within the Hispanic community all over the United States.

The empty house we visited brought us shock and a sense of helplessness. A member of our church family was caught and deported. From one day to the next all traces of their life there had been sold, donated or packed up, and taken away. They had relocated to a new neighborhood where no one knew them and started building a new life after cutting all ties with their community.

The next day without prior appointment, I felt in my heart to visit another one of our church leaders and their family. The surprise I found could not have been greater.

"Pastor," they told me, "we are returning to Mexico. For months the work has declined and what little we had saved is being consumed. As I have no legal papers, I cannot easily find any work. Jobs here were good for many years, but now it's over."

The wife and mother explained how every day they left the house they prayed that they would not be detained, deported, and separated from their family. She prayed that if they did get caught it would be in a moment when they were all together with their five children. Whatever the cost, she prayed for their family to remain together.

Their decision to move back to Mexico brought them terrible anguish about an uncertain future but they insisted it was a necessary decision. Leaving the U.S. and their life in the shadows would mean finally living in peace.

They were returning to their home state in the center of Mexico. With the money they had saved and already sent to their extended family they were able to buy a house. They just need to find a way to earn a living.

I prayed for them, and asked God to give them direction and carry them in His hands. I was sure the seeds sown in them from the word of God would thrive and be fruitful in time.

In these circumstances we must proclaim the peace and the love of God. We must provide the people a sense of hope in the midst of this life. Personally, I do not promote illegal immigration. I understand that laws should not be broken. But these people are already here and they only seek a worthy way of life to provide the most basic needs for their families.

This is where God has called us to proclaim the good news of His love and mercy.

Obispo Jaime Vázquez

Desde julio pasado estoy a cargo de la Coordinación del Ministerio Hispano en la Conferencia del Desierto del Suroeste, con sede en Phoenix, Arizona. Ha sido todo este tiempo un período de aprendizaje y el tratar de entender como llevar el mensaje de salvación a nuestra gente que vive en estas comunidades.

En estos días se me presentaron dos situaciones que me ayudan describir como deseamos hacer llegar la presencia de Dios a estas personas. La primer situación fue una familia que me llamó muy temprano a mi celular. La esposa me indicó que la patrulla de inmigración había detenido y deportado su esposo a México. Ella estaba devastada.

"¿Qué vamos a hacer? Los niños están aquí en la escuela. Yo estoy trabajando. Aquí esta nuestra casa y nuestra vida. ¿Qué vamos a hacer?"

Ellos estaban encontrándose con Dios, estaban tratando de incorporarse a un ministerio y tenían el deseo de servir al Señor.

Compartí con ellos unos pasajes de la Escritura en donde Dios habla sobre el cuidado que tiene de sus hijos aún a pesar de las circunstancias y oré por mis hermanos y su familia. Inmediatamente me comunique con un Pastor en México en la ciudad en la que fué deportado, y allí le ayudaron a llegar a la central de autobuses en donde él partiría a otra frontera donde viven sus padres y el resto de su familia.

¿Cómo mostrarles el amor de Dios a estas y otras personas que se encuentran en circunstancias similares?

Traté en la noche de localizarles pero su casa estaba sola. Los vecinos salieron para informarnos que tuvieron que cambiarse de casa, de ciudad, y probablemente de estado. Nos dijeron que esto pasa frecuentemente en la comunidad de Hispanos viviendo en los Estados Unidos.

La casa vacía que encontramos nos hizo sentir golpes en el alma y una sensación de impotencia.

Al día siguiente sin previa cita, sentí en mi corazón ir a visitar a uno de nuestros líderes de la Iglesia. Fuimos a visitarles y la sorpresa no pudo ser más grande.

"Pastor," me dijo, "nos regresamos a México. Desde hace meses el trabajo ha disminuido y lo poco que teníamos ahorrado se ha ido consumiendo. Como no tengo papeles legales, no podría conseguir trabajo tan fácilmente. El trabajo aquí ha durado muchos años, pero ya se acabó."

Su esposa me comentó que estaban seguros de su decisión, porque todos los días al salir de casa oraban que ese día no fueran detenidos, deportados, y separados como familia.

Por una parte tenían la angustia de no saber nada sobre el futuro, pero por otra parte vivirían con más paz, ya que no estarían en constante temor, viviendo en las sombras, con miedos.

Se regresaban a su estado en el centro del país, allí habían logrado levantar una casita con el dinero que enviaban a sus familiares y buscarían un modo de salir adelante.

Oré por ellos, y pedí a Dios que les diera dirección y los llevara de su mano. Estaba seguro que la semilla de la Palabra de Dios sembrada en ellos prosperaría y daría fruto a su tiempo.

En medio de estas circunstancias, debemos proclamar la paz y el amor de Dios, llevar a la gente una esperanza en medio de su vivir. En forma personal, no promuevo la inmigración ilegal, entiendo que no deberían romperse las leyes. Pero, a estas personas ya las tenemos aquí y solo buscan un modo de vida mas digno para suplir sus necesidades más esenciales.

Y allí Dios nos llama a Proclamar la buenas noticias de su amor y su misericordia.