Reflections from Anna

To have formed an opinion on a group of people only to have a completely different mind set on the matter a week later, is rare yet remarkable nonetheless. This sensation occurred as my journey to Beth-El came to a close where I was left with a desperate need to reflect on my own thoughts and how I've treated illegal immigrants in the past. During my week in Wimauma Florida, I had the oppurtunity to meet and hear the stories of people that I had always made preconceptions about. As I listened to these so called "aliens" stories, I realized that these people were human beings just like me, and their reasoning for coming over to America was to provide for their family.

After spending an entire day handing out food bags to appreciative faces, I was drenched in sweat. I headed to the shower. This shower is like no other shower I'd ever been in. For this shower was built for our church group; this shower was built with love from people in the community. As I rinsed out the shampoo from my hair, I smiled at the handwritten sign reading" Shower Salon" on the door. The simplisitic, kind gesture taught me something. It didn't matter where these people came from. What matters is that they needed help and we were blessed to give them some. What I didn't expect is that they would be the one's helping me. I will forever be grateful for the stories and hearts they so openly shared with us. God, bless them for helping give me clarity. As a wise man said, "No one is illegal in God's eyes."