First Day in El Paso

Day 1... 5 o’clock wake up call for the shuttle to the airport. Got dressed, hugged Ralph goodbye and went down to have breakfast. One couple was waiting for the shuttle who also happen to be from Penn Yan! She tracked me down later at the airport when I was sitting by the window watching the snow and 18° weather and said she wanted to help... She handed me $100 at 6 AM in the Rochester airport with no one around and that’s how things start.



Talk about Angels! My next Angel was in the seat next to me and fortunately knew exactly how the airport was set up in Chicago because of our late time taking off in Rochester (because of the weather we were deiced twice)...I had a very short period of time to make connections. He gave me directions but he lost me after the first bridge and the moving sidewalks and then a right hand turn I stopped and ask for directions and he said go as far as the dinosaur(!) and then turn. I half-skipped-- imagine a gimpy-running granny with a roller backpack flying behind me! I made it and was the last one on the plane and the stewardess just said "breathe."

When I flew into El Paso you could immediately see the desert and that's such a different color from above. I called “Emma” upon landing and was told in four minutes the Uber driver would pick me up. So I headed to baggage and then outside and found the blue Camry and a smiling driver who was originally from India now living in El Paso. He explained a lot of landmarks along the way and showed me the El Paso wall between El Paso and Mexico!

We arrived at the Mesa Inn and I was immediately greeted by volunteers from across the US: a group from Kansas, a minister and his wife from Iowa, a female navy linguist who is waiting for her next deployment... And numerous other volunteers. Of great value was the ability to speak and understand Spanish! Probably about 40 to 50 people were here at the time. Our meals would be brought in by different community groups mostly churches in the area. Feeding 60 to 100 people is no small task but there’s so much joy. Denny, one of the guys, who is a retired Methodist minister, asked me why I came. He said he came for hope, he was so tired of what was going on, and he came to see hope and he was finding that.

I told him I came looking for God and I had found that love. My loving husband who loves me enough to allow me to act on my calls from God, the couple who gave me the hundred dollar donation, the angel on the flight who helped me get through Chicago airport, the heavens above the clouds just so peaceful wishing the peace could just go on forever... then arriving at NASA house all these people willing to help, in any way they could. Sorting clothes, handing out medicine, assigning rooms, taking people to their rooms, serving food, helping moms or dads with little ones ...just so much joy it was wonderful to watch and be a part of ...I feel so blessed!

A little 11 year old girl was having her birthday today... She is escaping violence in Guatemala, her father a lawyer killed in front of her. She and her mom were coming to live with her moms sister... “no violence here!" We can hope.... we can be the hope! We are called...

Denny and I both got trained to close the shelter and lock up for the night!

So tired... what a day...


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