The Value of Family Values in the Borderlands

By Randy J. Mayer

We hear a lot of talk about family values these days. Some talk about the decline of the family, the lack of respect for mother and father, the prevalence of single parent families, the foregoing of marriage vows, and the list goes on and on. Well if you are one of those people who are in despair about family values---you should come down to the Borderlands and you will experience family values like you have never seen before.

Folks from the Good Shepherd UCC in Sahuarita, Arizona have long witnessed the family values of the migrants that cross through the borderlands. People who care so much about their sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers that they are willing to struggle and suffer, even die a grisly death so that their families might live and prosper.

One such family was the Ovando Vasquez Family. They had crossed the US/Mexico Border years ago and had been living in Phoenix where they had been working and raising their three children. But when one of their parents had gotten sick they were summoned to come home. Both Mom and Dad raced back to Chiapas to be of assistance, leaving their three children with an Aunt for a few weeks. After the situation simmered down and their assistance was no longer needed they made the long trek back to the border and twice tried to cross back into the U.S. Their only thought was to be back with their children in their own home once again. This desire was so strong that both Mom and Dad almost died in the brutal Sonoran Desert. After the second attempt they were told that if they tried to cross again they would spend six months to a year in prison.

“But what about our family, will we ever see our children again?” That was the question they asked in Spanish as they sat in a Soup Kitchen in Nogales, Mexico. Their faces were hollow, their bodies were beaten and bruised, and their spirits were defeated. It was about that time two Samaritan volunteers from the Good Shepherd showed up to give medical care and were introduced to the Ovando Vasquez couple. The next thing you know the Samaritans are sent on a wild, grace-filled journey to reunite the family. It took a couple of days to work through the logistics but before long the three young children were safely buckled into the vehicle and headed for a tearful reunion in Mexico with their parents.

It’s a touching story that breaks everyone’s heart, for we want families to be together. These stories of family values are multiplied a hundredfold in the Borderlands and people begin to understand the complexities of life. Because people that believe in family values realize that parents make great sacrifices for their children, but no parent should ever be left in the situation where life and death are the choices. People that believe in family values understand that family reunification is a principle that is so strong and sacred that any law that denies it is against God’s law. People that believe in family values are people who know the bonds and love of their own family and want everyone to experience the same.

Family values are everywhere you look in the Borderlands. However, I am not so sure you can say the same when you venture to Phoenix where the state laws are ruthlessly hammered out, or if you travel east to Washington D.C. where it seems like no one has seen a real family for a long time. Nonetheless the invitation is open, come to the Borderlands and you just might have your heart and mind opened as you see with your own eyes---the value of family values.