By Julie Hesed, Board Member
Immigration touches the lives of every person in the US, whether that be a personal experience, a family history, or a story in the news. Currently three members of the Isaiah 58 Ministry volunteer team have sought to learn more about immigration in the US. They’ve joined a group of ten people immersing themselves in a Just Faith seminar on the topic of immigration. We meet weekly via Zoom to study the past and present with an eye to impacting the future of immigration in the US. We have studied the different roles that US involvements in Latin American countries have had on current immigration. In a simulation of applying for legal entry into the US, we experienced what thousands of people desperate to leave their homes due to violence and extreme poverty experience – “sorry, you’re not wanted in the US right now.” Included in our Just Faith series we will spend time with a local immigration lawyer on the topic of Afghani refugees having fled their homes to seek safety in the US, specifically in St. Louis. As persons of faith we allow scripture and churches of various denominations to infuse our thoughts on the very complex topic of immigration. Whether we are talking about those immigrants who carry green cards and are invited to add to the economy and life of the US or we are learning about those asylum seekers who make the treacherous journey to the US in hopes of finding safety, we approach all immigrants with compassion and a strong sense of their human dignity.
An element of immigration not studied in this specific Just Faith series is the constant threat of human trafficking. To join a two-evening Human Trafficking series (March 15 and 22, 2022) contact Pat at [email protected].