John Cherek joined the Jonathan House community earlier this year in a committed volunteer role through the Ignatian Volunteer Corps. We are so grateful for John’s warm spirit and dogged efforts to support residents in challenging situations. Here, he reflects on a recent service trip to the U.S./Mexico Border.
The opening verses of the Christian song, The Summons Hymn, begin with these words:
Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?
Will you go where you don’t know and never be the same?
Will you let my love be shown? Will you let my name be known,
will you let my life be grown in you and you in me?
Little did I realize as I participated in a week of volunteer service at the Texas border, that these words would help me appreciate and give meaning to this experience as well as my volunteer work at Jonathan House.
At certain times in our lives, we feel called to do something that has the potential to promote the goodness of humankind and to build up the kingdom of God through community. Often, we resist those nudges, dismiss them, or set them aside for another day. Fear of the unknown or what may lie ahead if we follow the call prevents us from taking the step forward to respond to the call.
John’s Story
As an Ignatian Volunteer Corps member, a year ago I was asked to provide service to Jonathan House, part of the International Association for Refugees. I knew absolutely nothing about either organization. I had little or no knowledge or experience working with asylum seeking refugees. But my name was being called and I decided to go where I didn’t know. The service time at Jonathan House with new working friends and house residents was preparing me for a trip to the Texas border town of Alamo, located in the southernmost art of Texas near McAllen.
The first day there started in the rain walking to a grocery store. Coming out of a bakery, Maria invited us into her truck to take us to the market. We were total strangers. She dropped us off in front of the store and we thanked her profusely. With a backpack of food, we emerged from the store into a deluge of rain and started back to the hotel. We just resigned ourselves to being soaking wet. After about a block or so, a car pulls up along side of us and the driver says he has two ponchos for us. We were total strangers. Donning the newly acquired ponchos, we moved across a busy road to Walgreens. Shaking ourselves off like wet dogs, we gingerly picked up a few items and went back into the incessant rainfall.
After deciding to take a less traveled street back to the hotel, we continued our journey. Within a few minutes time, a truck pulls up near us and Maria rolls down her window and says, “get in, I have been looking for you.” In disbelief, like God had come out of a cloud, we jumped into Maria’s truck. Now shaking with wet ponchos, she said “let me turn on the heat.” Arriving at the hotel, we sat in the truck and could not stop expressing our gratitude to Maria. After telling her we were there to volunteer in Alamo, she shared that at one time, after immigrating from Mexico, she was welcomed and served by many volunteers. In turn, she tries to give back to anyone in need, whether a ride in the rain is needed or food needs to be shared. We were no longer strangers.
Who is Serving Who?
We had come to Alamo to serve, but those we thought we were going to serve turned out to be servants to us. Maria and our friend with the ponchos had welcomed us and shared what they had so we might not get soaked to the bone. We were strangers no more. We will never be the same and only hope that we can share love of neighbor as love has been shown to us.
And that is the message and mission of Jonathan House—to welcome and care for refugees so we are strangers no more, but, human beings loving and serving each other in response to the call of Jesus.
-Story by John Cherek