Prayers from Texas

May 16, 2019

Dear friends,

I live and minister in Texas, which shares more than 1,000 miles of national border with neighboring Mexico. Questions of border security are very important here in Texas, as they are throughout the United States.

While there may be reasonable disagreements over how our country secures its borders, almost everyone agrees that it’s a responsibility of our country – and any country – to know who is coming into our nation, to enforce the law and to take reasonable steps to ensure that no one seeking to do harm is able to enter.

We can both be a secure nation and a compassionate nation that continues to benefit from our long tradition as a nation that welcomes immigrants from throughout the world. That’s a dual commitment that a number of evangelical leaders have explored in a new video from the Evangelical Immigration Table. We encourage you to check out the video below and then learn more in free a new e-book, Thinking Biblically about Immigrants and Immigration Reform.

At present, the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border has reached the point of a humanitarian crisis, with an unprecedented number of families being apprehended – often with the intention of seeking asylum in the U.S. – that exceeds our government’s capacity to process them. I’d ask that you join me in praying:

• For the migrants themselves, including an increasing number of families and unaccompanied children
• For the churches, ministries and organizations along the border region – from Brownsville to El Paso and all the way to San Diego – who are leading the humanitarian response to families released by our government pending court hearings
• For the officers and personnel of the U.S. Border Patrol and their families and others responsible for protecting our borders and processing those presenting requests for asylum
• For our elected officials, that God would grant them wisdom as they craft border and immigration policies

In Christ,

Dr. Gus Reyes
Chief Operating Officer, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference
Director, Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission