Crosses
There is a prayer service every Tuesday evening at the Agua Prieta port of entry, U.S. side, led by the Presbyterian service organization Frontera de Cristo . Local and visiting peacemakers and caregivers come together to remember and raise up the migrant lives lost in the crossing of the desert and to bear witness to the hope for a more humane world. The service begins right before sunset with a procession down the street that leads into Mexico. Each person carries a cross with a person’s name and dates of birth and death on it. One by one, names are called out and the crosses are held up to the oncoming traffic while the group responds in unison, “Presente!” The crosses are then laid down on the curb and the process repeats itself until the place of vigiling is reached, right by the entrance into Mexico. This evening, 33 people participated in the service, placing some 240 crosses on the curb for the line of traffic to pass by. The group then gathers in a circle, passing...