Day 3 Group 2

Today started quite early for half of our group. They went to Primavera, a men's homeless shelter, at 5:30 AM, making them the first up and out of the church. While there, that half of the group was able to speak to the residents who were very friendly and willing to speak about their lives and experiences.
My half of the group got the chance to go to Casa Maria, a small food distribution center. We formed an assembly line and made at least 300 sandwiches (by the end the whole group never wanted to touch a sandwich again). The lady who was instructing us, Adrianna, told us about how she has been waiting 20 years for a response as to her citizenship status. Now that she has applied for her paper work she is stuck in the US and can't go back to Mexico until her paperwork process is complete, or else she will lose any progress she has made. Unfortunately this conversation was held in Spanish so the whole group wasn't able to hear it directly from her, but I was fortunate enough to hear and understand it.
Later in the day, we got the chance to go to the courthouse, with another group, to witness firsthand how the undocumented immigrants are tried. The men and women who were being incriminated had both hands tied to their waists and both feet in shackles. At first glance you would think that they had committed a first degree murder. The hearing itself was incredibly systematic, about seven questions were asked to each person, and in the end each one plead guilty and were given a sentence of 30 up to 150 days in prison.
Once our groups got back we saw that there was a protest in support of Libya. Katelyn, Marina, and I tried to go up to them in order to ask them about the cause, and instead wound up being able to join into a worship they held. We stood in a circle with them and listened as a megaphone was passed around for people to speak from their minds and hearts about the idea of Libyan freedom and they recited prayers in Arabic. The whole experience was incredibly inspiring and we were very fortunate to be a part of it.

Written by: Leslie(mostly) and Katelyn (the ending) Edited: The wonderful Katelyn

Day 3 Group 1

First thing in the morning today, we went out the the Gospel Mission Project where we helped in the construction of a shelter for women and children. The girls where sent off to clean the floors of rooms that were already ready and the guys were sent to aid the workers in landscaping; yes, the staff there was wonderfully sexist. After that we left for the courthouse to witness the judicial proceedings of the undocumented immigration process first hand. It was a very striking experience for many of us because of how real and mechanical the system for the conviction of undocumented was. Since it was very depressing and gloomy we needed something to raise our spirits. For this purpose we visited the wonderful land of Dairy Queen and spent a fun evening dressing in the clothes of the other gender in the "Gender Bender" evening (details withheld for privacy reasons :().

-Valentin

ps: Sorry for the lack of lots of good pictures for our group today. We were not allowed to take a camera into the courthouse so our biggest visit of the day was undocumented (no pun intended)

Day 2 Group 2

The first part of our day was spent at an old migrant camp, picking up trash and belongings that had been left behind (Picture 1). After that, we drove to the border and saw the 11-ft high fence separating the Unites States from Mexico (Picture 2). Our guide/host, the Reverend Robin Hoover, then took us to a water station. These stations are placed strategically throughout to corridor and are helpful to keeping migrants from becoming dehydrated and ill (Picture 3 is some of us and some of Group 1 with a cactus that was next to the water station). Finally, we came home and cooked breakfast for the Prima Vera foundation that we will be helping serve tomorrow morning. It was a beautiful all day (high sixties and perfectly sunny), so it was a fantastic day to be outside.
-Emily and Will

Day 2 Group 4

Today we went to The Gospel Rescue Mission just a few minutes from the church we're staying at. The people in charge didn't expect us but happily welcomed our volunteering. Jesse and Nick began shoveling dirt to make the ground flat for a lawn, and the rest of us prepared rooms for women and children to move into. We moved loads of furniture out, cleaned the bathrooms, and scrubbed the floors. It was definitely a couple of hours of work, but it was enjoyable, and we felt good about helping get ready for the women and children to move in.

At around 11:30 we drove into downtown Tucson and found a beautiful picnic spot surrounded by colorful shops. Then we relaxed on the grass for a while, soaking in the warm Arizona sun. After that, we drove to the mountains, on winding roads around the mountains, and took a beautiful hike up a steep rocky trail. We were amazed by the stunning views, the warm dry air, and the incredible landscape. We've also loved seeing the variety of cacti, including some that are over 20 feet tall!

Altogether today was a great day! We're looking forward to bonding over the next few days, and to having some insightful and valuable experiences.

-Rebecca

Day 2 Group 1

We got up around 5 am, and went to the South Side Labor Center, where we prepared and served food to immigrants and homeless persons. We also got to interview some migrant workers, who were very happy to talk to us. :)
After that we trekked out into the desert to pick up migrant trash. This tome of the year has to most immigration across the Arizona border, but because of all of the efforts to clean up migrant trash, we worked at an older site. We then drove to the Arizona-Mexico border and observed the border patrol station before heading back to FCC. On the way back we stopped at a water station in the desert, and learned a bit about the stations.
--Posted by Jeremy and Eve aka J.Curl and Ginger Snap

Group 3 Day 2 Post

Today, we broke our van group in two, half going to Casa Maria, half to Primavera. Both groups worked preparing food for poor or homeless people of migrant origins. Casa Maria was a very run down, Catholic community based food distribution center. After spending some time making sandwiches (more than 300 of them) we attended a brief Catholic mass on the side porch of a tiny pantry, where a campus priest and Dominican friar preached to a congregation of no more than 50. Primavera was more of a well-equipped homeless shelter with full facilities. We were planning to observe an immigration trial at court in Tucson, but the court turned out to be closed for President's Day. So we walked around town for a bit and then took a drive and hike into the mountains, which had more cacti than Belmont has UU's! We then returned to base and are now in the process of showering. All returned safely and happily.

Scott Backman

2011 Arizona Service Trip Day 1

We convened at the church early in the morning around 4:45 in order to make it to the Airport in time. After a rather smooth process in the terminal, we were in the air and on our way to Arizona. After a 6 hour flight we embarked on another two hour drive from Phoenix, to our final destination, Tucson. Nice scenery, picturesque cacti, the works. In Tucson we went to the First Christian Church which we will stay in for the rest of the week (I think). We had a welcoming and informative talk from a member of Humane Borders who was also going to help us with some of the service work that we would participate in. In the evening we went to Las Fuentes a restaurant where they served delicacies such as cactus and had live Mariachi music.