Members of San Pablo working together to complete over 150 meal bags and candy bags

In December, El Paso made national news as thousands of these migrants, majority of them from Venezuela, turned themselves into the US Border Patrol before being released into El Paso. While many of them were housed in shelters while being processed, dozens are living in the streets of downtown El Paso, waiting for the opportunity to legally remain in the US, unable to leave El Paso until their processing is complete.

Pastor Justin Bangert, from Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Edmond, Oklahoma, reached out to Ysleta Lutheran Mission Human Care (YLM) to find out how they can best help during this humanitarian crisis. Not only are they contributing to the ministries of YLM financially, but the large church is working together to assemble hygiene kits, which will be arriving at YLM before the end of January.

Little boy receives a jacket his size from one of the members of San Pablo

“Our high school youth assembled over 100 hygiene kits,” Pastor Justin shared over the phone, “We plan on making more.”

A lot of the hygiene items YLM had in their warehouse was given to the Rescue Mission of El Paso. With these hygiene kits arriving from Oklahoma, it will be possible for YLM’s mission-churches to reach out to these large groups of displaced people, both in Juarez and El Paso.

Members load up van to head to downtown El Paso and share God’s love in practical ways with hundreds of refugees

“We see the need for these kind of things,” Maritza, a member of San Pablo Lutheran Church, shared a few weeks ago, “And we know we can show them God’s love in practical ways.”

Members of San Pablo Lutheran Church, located in the center of the YLM campus, gathered together after their bilingual worship service second Sunday of the new year and assembled over 150 meal bags to give out. A wrapped homemade burrito, a bag of chips, cookies, and a bottle of water were placed in each bag, with over 100 candy bags made to give to children.

Several children’s size jackets donated specifically for this migrant situation by Jane Gaines from New Mexico, along with boxes of meal bags and extra water bottles, were loaded up into one of YLM’s vans along with members of San Pablo.

“It was heartbreaking to see these people out in the street, without a roof over their head,” one of the members shared about the experience afterwards, “Especially the children.”

One little boy cried when his sister received a jacket but he didn’t, because there were no more left. Rosie, a member of San Pablo since she herself was a child, stepped into a nearby store and bought the little boy a jacket that would fit.

“It was a beautiful display of God’s compassion,” another member of the church expressed, “This is what the Church of Christ is called to do –to love and care for the lost, the cold, the hurt, and the hungry.”