Female empowerment. After a day of mixing cement.
Mixing cement and covering holes for poles.
We finished our first week of work at La Posada. With our group of 11 people, we were able to finish two sides of the fencing project that surrounds the perimeter of La Posada. Some people were assigned roles of concrete mixers, waters, wagon carriers, and pole measures. We all switched in and out, giving each other an opportunity for a break in the harsh upper 90 degree cloudless sky weather. After filling 22 holes with concrete, we were to move to a new location to fill holes in that location. Initiating the fence building was satisfying because it was a source of protection for people at La Posada. It would not only recognize their boundaries but also keep a sense of security for the refugees who arrive at La Posada. Interestingly, one of the security issues is with the media. Protecting the privacy of the refugees is important and I am proud to be a part of providing that kind of protection for them.
Clothes for donations. Pack, pack, pack!
Learning from the best! Donations going to Brownsville Independent School District.
After finishing putting the cement in the holes and setting the fence poles, we left to help Angel (La Posada cook) and Antoinette (La Posada Volunteer) to pack donated clothes and blankets into a car. Antoinette told us that the donations go to BISD (Brownsville Independent School District) for homeless children & Red Wagon. Brownsville school district houses one-thousand homeless children. These children live in hotels and motels. The local school has a warehouse that stores the donated supplies and clothing for these children who live in poverty or crisis.
Antoinette mentioned that Red Wagon is a nonprofit organization that swoops in and aids the homeless population on the weekends. Homeless shelters and churches that are open to the homeless are only available for their services during the weekday. It started as a church group that fed the homeless then grew into something bigger to help the homeless community in need. This service to the community is very important because they provide a source of shelter and an opportunity for the homeless to feel more human. Having a safe place for this vulnerable population is vital.
At La Posada, we do our part to save the planet!
Recycle! Save the planet!
Our group’s next opportunity was to help Sister Thérèse (La Posada Sister) with her Care of Creation project at La Posada. This focuses solely on recycling and its effects on climate change. With the increase of fires and storms, parts of the world are suffering because of lack of water and food. With the contamination of microplastics in our food and water, La Posada is committing to do their best and their part in the climate crisis. La Posada composts and recycles to put their part in combating climate change. Learning composting techniques such as use of nitrogen, oxygen, rich in cardboard, and ventilation was very interesting. As we gathered containers from five different locations: dorms, porch, pavilion, Casa Carolina, and the office kitchen, we learned what was recyclable and what wasn’t and put them in designated containers.
This experience at La Posada has been filled with unique opportunities and many different small projects. Although we are not interacting on a daily basis with immigrants, partnering with Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) and supporting the asylum seekers by building a sense of security built on values of honesty, development, and supportability, feels good because these are things that I am passionate about. There are many organizations in the Rio Grande Valley striving to aid in the basic needs of immigrants to promote a successful integration to the US. These immigrants face fears of poverty, culture shock, information such as their rights, language barriers, and powerlessness. It’s amazing with the work that is being done at organizations such as La Posada. It feels empowering to work with the MDS volunteers and La Posada staff and volunteers who dedicate their time, energy, morality, humanity, and compassion to the people who need it the most.
-Yenifer Escobedo, Goshen College Class of ’22, Public Health major
