These past few weeks have been busy. I realized I have traveled a lot! On the first Wednesday of the month my supervisor and I traveled to San Diego for a meeting. The Immigration Task Force is for the entire conference however many of our meetings are held in LA, as quite a few on the Task Force live in the LA area. This summer a Border Missionary was appointed to the San Diego area and we wanted to include our San Diego partners and connect with the Border Missionary Saul. It was great to hear about the ministries going on in San Diego. I realized how unaware I was on how immigration affects people closer to the border. There are checkpoints set up 100 miles from the Mexico/US border. When we drove by they were not set up but there are permanent structures in place for times when Border Patrol decides to use them. They check every car and request documents from everyone inside the car. I also learned that within 25 miles of the border Border Patrol has a lot more power. They can ask anyone for documents without a reason. They can also be on private property without a reason. I also learned a lot about human trafficking. The United States is the 2nd largest market for the sex trade. It’s estimated that 50,000 people per year are trafficked into the United States, and 96% of those are women. The more I learn the more my heart breaks. However I see it as part of my job to educate people. If this information is shocking to me than it is likely new to others as well.
I have been attending planning meetings for an AIDs Posada that occurs every year and includes the church. A Posada reenacts the journey Mary and Joseph took when they tried to find lodging. HIV is on the rise unfortunately. The free clinic that organizes the Posada shared some statistics this week. HIV is being diagnosed in alarming numbers in young adults ages 20-39. The area where I live has seen the largest rise in HIV positive patients in the last two years. Hopefully the Posada will help in bringing HIV information to the public and help reverse this unfortunate rise in numbers.
