Happy Sunday to all of you!
I have to be honest and say I have started and erased so many posts that try to reflect on our time at the border. I am currently experiencing the fact that finding the right words to say at this moment in time is incredibly challenging. I fear anger will dominate my tone or I’ll forget to add the facts and be moved by pure emotion alone. For that reason, I’ve decided to share other important happenings with you while I continue to process and search for the words that will portray just how prevalent this issue is, without the risk of failing to do it the justice it deserves. In the meantime, feel free to check out my latest newsletter, but I highly suggest you check out these posts by some of my eloquent YAGM compadres who have done a better job than I could ever hope to in explaining these extremely complex issues:
–Gracia’s posts on Operation Streamline and the Tucson Sector Border Patrol
–Josh’s post about Prevention Through Deterrence
–Alyssa’s post about Sin at the border
–Catherine’s prose about U.S.-Mexico relations
–Ryana’s post about the vigil in Douglas, AZ
Sometimes when I’m overwhelmed by the engulfing presence of unjust systems, like that of immigration, I can momentarily forget how important on-the-ground, communal initiatives like the library really are. I get so wrapped up in the injustice and the ways it seeps into seemingly everything, that I really have to work to open up my eyes to the hopeful situations presenting themselves around me. We talked with quite a few people on the border, through whom I saw and heard the people from my community. I talked with farmers from Oaxaca who echoed the same things many of my friends from Ayotzinapan tell me: there is no money here, and the climate is so unpredictable making things even harder. But when I take a step back, and see what people like my boss Roberto are fostering here in Ayotzinapan, I see a team of people with a fierce love for their community. People who want to put down roots, and see what grows from it.
After that impactful time on the border and as my time in Ayotzinapan continues, I continue to witness the powerful ways in which the library is acting in the community. It provides an open space for students to do their homework and research without having to travel to nearby communities makes education easily accessible, and not just a privilege for those who have the time and resources to pay for the transportation there and back. Kids from different school groups, neighborhoods and families come to play and convivir together and youth and their parents come to workshops to learn new skills like weaving, print-making and photography. These workshops have even lead to the potential creation of a co-op of women who want to make macrame artesania in order to sell for a supplemental income while also preserving local traditions.
A really exciting initiative that I want to share with all of you are the pieces of art that emerged from our recent photography workshop. What do you get when you set 20 primary-aged kids loose with some cameras? A lot of craziness and some incredibly beautiful images of what they value in Ayotzinapan. I’ve been waiting to share images from the community until this point because I want you to see it through their eyes, not mine. So without any further adieu…I present to you the works of the Young Photographer’s Association of Ayotzinapan (I just made that up, but some of them really could be professional photographers if they wanted to).
It was such a joy watching how quickly these kids caught on, and how natural they are at expressing themselves through this medium. And yes, in case you were wondering, about a million selfies were taken that day, each one more adorable than the next. The phrase we coined that day was “Xik patanaltik mo tanemililis” which translates to “Let your imagination soar!” a pretty fitting mantra for a day full of creative expression, don’t you think?
I hope you are well, wherever you may be in the world.
Up From Below 
Love reading your well written words! The kids did a great job with photography!!!😃
Thank you for sharing the children’s photos! Continuing to pray for you! Mariposa Lurheran