At one point I saw a lady crying.
At one point I saw children shivering.
At one point I saw families with faces of despair
In Venezuela right now there is a lot of turmoil with the government causing families to flee, men desperately trying to find work, and people in under despair. Wars have been threatened. Borders are getting clogged. People are losing hope.
(If you want to know more about the problems Venezuela is facing, look it up online to get a better idea of the situation because this blog is mainly going to be about the problems I saw while at the border between Ecuador and Venezuela.)
On Friday at 3am I got on a bus for 6 hours to go to the border of Ecuador and Colombia. When we got to the border we saw an extremely long line of people waiting to both go through into Colombia and also enter Ecuador from Colombia. We stood in line for a few hours before realizing that almost everyone out of the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people… were Venezuelans trying to get through to Peru for a better life. The group I was with just stood there in awe in the moment we made this realization. We always hear of these sorts of things on the news… but seeing it in real life and living it is a completely different ball game.
We eventually got through Ecuador and made it to the Colombia line and saw an even longer line of people… but this time we would also randomly hear frantic cheering every few minutes. I was in a group of 6, 3 being boys and 3 being girls, and the boys would automatically go into protective mode when these cheering sounds would erupt because it sounded like fights and chaos. As we stood in the line even longer and got even closer to the front, we noticed the cheering was happening when families were able to cross the boarder finally. I would be lying if I said I didn’t start crying because in these moments the amount of joy and love I saw from everyone in line supporting each family that got through and the joy and relief I saw from the families getting through brought so much perspective and so much burden to my heart.
We eventually got through after 12 hours of waiting and travel and got to explore Colombia for a day… which was amazing but I don’t want my blog to be about Colombia.
We got back to the border at 3pm and then waited in a 12 hour line getting back into Ecuador.
This line took 12 hours.
This line quickly got cold.
This line quickly got dark.
This line quickly got hungry.
This line got rained on.
This line was full of even more families than the day before.
This line was a reality even more different than the day before.
We quickly made friends with the guys in front of us. As the night got dark and cold and hungry they gave us their limited amount of food, their only blankets, and their guidance and laugher. As some of us began to get super irritated and annoyed they kept our spirits high… even though it should have been the other way around. When we eventually got through the 12 hour line and made it into the immigration office our friends actually had to go through an even bigger line and they kissed us when we eventually made it all the way out. They probably had to wait another couple hours even after us. In these moments I began to understand that because I held an American passport, I automatically held more power than I even now realize I’m sure. At one point my group almost got kicked out of the line and would have had to stay the night in “no mans land” between Ecuador and Colombia (a very not safe area) but the Venezuelans in front of us helped us and we were able to stay in line.
When we first got into the line there were people all throughout the night making and handing out free food to the families and people trying to get across the border. My group had tears in our eyes as we saw the love and care these people that had absolutely nothing were giving us. It was completely obvious that we were 6 teenage white Americans that simply wanted to get back to Ecuador to complete our trip… amongst Venezuelans literally risking everything plus their lives to get a better life… but no one cared. They all sacrificed all they had for us and for eachother.
The biggest thing I saw was how different these people are compared to what people automatically think these people are. On this note… I could write a super political and crazy ending to this blog… but instead I am going to redirect this ending to a different way of stating my point… a point with much more grace and love.
AS A WORLD LETS WALK WITH GRACE AND LOVE.
When you are watching the news don’t automatically believe everything you hear.
When you are making opinions about something make sure you check your facts then check again then check a third time.
When you are making political opinions don’t only stay with “your parties” beliefs, there are many issues that simply can’t be put into two big categories. This world is much more important and complex to be put into two simple boxes.
And lastly… and the most touchy topic… when you see things in the news about immigrants or refugees please don’t just see a number or a stat. These people are real, and important, and not just invading borders for the heck of it or to ruin people’s lives. It takes boldness, strength, faith, and a mighty amount of pain to do such a thing. There are horrible people in this world and some of these people are trying to ruin people’s lives… but that is with everything, not just immigrants or refugees.
The main point is let’s think first with love and act next with knowledge after thinking with love first and foremost.
I learned that Jesus can be seen in these people and the way they were so selfless with one another.
I learned that Jesus can be seen in these people in the way they supported one another with so much love and humility.
I learned that Jesus can be seen in these people in the way they looked past my ignorance, teenage age, white complexion, purpose of trip, obvious American mindset and much more. They loved me so hard and gave up everything to make sure my friends and I could get back to where we needed to go
Many Venezuelans didn’t make it past the border and I had to go through so much heartache watching these families get separated, devastated, and lose absolutely everything. Be praying for these families and be praying for Venezuela in this time of absolute turmoil and sadness.
I am so happy I got the chance to witness this with my own eyes and to have been able to see more of what breaks Jesus’s heart. Coming on this trip I prayed a bold prayer of “break my heart for what breaks yours” and that’s exactly what he did. I spent 24 hours combined with immigrants and refugees fleeing their country… and my world will forever be changed because of it.
Thank you for reading and following along to my journey! Your support means the world to me. I love you all! Keep your eyes peeled for more.
