Fewer than 32 hours

remain before the Procession and Mass. I am currently at Casa Teresa answering the phone and trying to tie up loose ends for the event (right now I'm waiting for direction from Ruben).

I just spoke with Srgt. Gomez of the El Paso Police Department about what would happen in the event that the number of people attending the procession should exceed the capacity of the sidewalk, which is where our permit stipulates we process. I was quite nervous about this discussion, to be honest. Srgt. Gomez had some excellent news for us...the police are actually planning to close the streets entirely. Thank goodness! That takes a load off my shoulders in terms of safety as well as legality of our permits...


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Last evening one of our guests approached the office window at A. House looking very upset. Her body trembled and her voice wavered. Me pongo muy nerviosa...tengo una depresion. She looked like she was about to fall to pieces.

I've seen a lot of guests experience a lot of hardship during my relatively short stay at A. House. I don't think I've become callous per se, but witnessing their pain doesn't affect me as much as it did when I first arrived. One has to build up a certain amount of emotional distance, or it is just too much for anyone to bear. Seeing this woman whom I will refer to as "F," though, really reminded me how great the emotional hurdles are for people in migration.

I held F's hand and asked if there was anything I could do. She said no. I asked if there was anyone she could call, and she said no. I held her other hand and started taking slow deep breaths. She followed suit. I asked if she wanted to talk to any of the volunteers. She said no. She explained to me that she was extrememly worried about her daughter who is back in Juarez...she hadn't been able to speak with her for a while and it sounded like she might be in some kind of trouble. It was about 8pm, and she asked me if she could just go sleep. I responded, "claro que si". She had calmed down and I think sleep was probably the best thing for her at the time.

It always surprises me when guests ask permission to do things in the house. We have certain rules that are explained in our folleto upon intake, but by no means is our aim to restrict human agency. Unlike other shelters, Annunciation House's mission is not to assist the chronically homeless. The agencies that assist the chronically homeless are extremely important and I have the utmost respect for the work they do. Annunciation House is a shelter whose mission is to provide hospitality to and assist migrants and refugees. Generally, the people who arrive at our house our very motivated to move on. We want to encourage individual agency as much as possible. Sometimes with the rules, like the 10pm curfew and 6am opening time we do end up limiting the freedom of guests, but our aim is never be their guardians or pseudoparents.

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Anyway, I've had a lot on my mind, but I am more enthused than ever for this event tomorrow...!