A little update….
Tijuana has virtually been shut down for about a week now. For people seeking asylum, • No new numbers are being given out for at least a month. • No numbers are being called for people to cross.
Everyone in Tijuana is being asked to stay indoors, and according to some reports, police are ticketing people who are out without a good reason. Shelters are trying their best to keep people inside and the Covid-19 virus out.
Meanwhile, Javier still walks over to El Chaparral every day to see if anyone who happens to be there needs help. Because the house will likely not be open for people to stay for a couple months at least, he’s helping in other ways. Two small shelters he visited recently were both nearly out of food, so he went to the grocery store, bought a bunch of food, and took it back to each of them. The women who cook at those shelters were so grateful. He will keep track of them and make sure they have enough food. He can do that thanks to your donations.
I mentioned to Javier how I thought he should start wearing a mask a couple days ago and he said, “I think I can make one.” Sure enough, that night he shows me one he made. It's perfect. He said, and I quote, “I could probably make 100 of these to give to people at the shelters.” Make 100 of them?! He doesn’t have a sewing machine, although we wished we had one many times. Hey, no problem. He will sew them by hand and they will look as though they were machine sewn. He said his grandma taught him to sew. He thinks he has enough fabric and elastic. Stay tuned!
He’s also working on La Casa and has a big list of repairs he intends to tackle in the afternoons. This week he’s repairing and repainting all the doors. Imagine having a renter like that.
Several families we’ve helped have gotten in touch with me in the last week to ask how Javier and I are and to make sure we are safe. It makes me teary that they would think about us at this time. Our friends who made it to the U.S. are scared and wish they were with family. The ones who are stuck in Tijuana are scared, wondering what will happen and when. They wonder if it’s safe to cross on their court date and don’t know what to do. How can anyone know? It’s so messed up. But I try to contact them every week now to make sure they’re okay and if there is anything we can do.
In the midst of so much upheaval and uncertainty, thank you for your continuing support of La Casa and families at the border.