When the Sun Rises Pastor Feeds Migrants

It is close to 7 am when the sun begins to rise, welcoming and warming the men, women and children preparing to spend the day on the sidewalks of Father Rahm and Oregon streets In the corner, Luis Ávila sets up canopy tents of different colors, places boxes of bottled water, a pot full of hot coffee, and boxes of cold burritos, sandwiches, and chips on white folding tables.

On this day in late January, there are also cups of soup, yogurt, and cookies Avila, pastor of Palabra Viva New Life Ministries, sets up the food station for migrants around Sacred Heart Catholic Church in south El Paso, who will soon line up for a meal and prayer.

“We are here to serve our brothers and sisters every day,” Avila said, who has volunteered to care for migrants every day since mid-November He hasn't missed a day, spending weekends, Thanksgiving and Christmas there.

"It is our calling, first and foremost because of our love for God, and second, because of our love for people " Ávila and Freddy Flores, a parishioner of the Palabra Viva Christian church, continue to help the migrants gathered around the Sacred Heart.

They were there when a record number of migrants arrived in El Paso They have seen the number of migrants dwindle from more than 500 to a few dozen as immigration policies changed and law enforcement presences grew at the border.

And they have seen many detained by Border Patrol agents who have cracked down on the area, they said “That's the most heartbreaking part,” Flores, 50, said, placing her hand on her heart.

“They got here, and just by being on the other side of the street they picked them up You see the fear and disappointment in his eyes.

” The two men are often aided by a handful of area pastors, parishioners and community members who regularly bring food, clothing, toiletries and other basic necessities to the migrants stranded there, many of whom entered the country without being processed by the Border Patrol and without money to travel out of the area.

Others volunteer directly with and through the church, which opens its gym to immigrants at night But Ávila and Flores are two constants, they haven't missed a day since mid-November, sometimes volunteering there for over 12 hours at a time.

“We woke up, they are here It gets dark or cold and they are here,” said Jovana, a 27-year-old Venezuelan who has been staying at the Sacred Heart since she arrived in El Paso three weeks ago.

"It's good to see them here every day helping us after everything we've been through to get here " Ávila has been in her shoes.

He is an immigrant from Mexico who worked in the lettuce and strawberry fields in Salinas, California for years before coming to El Paso more than two decades ago “I understand your needs, your situation.

I felt the despair for a better life I suffered too,” said Avila, 55, who has served as a pastor for 13 years.

“When we saw these immigrants here, there was no question that we had to come help ” His wife, Ruth, and his four oldest children also stop by often to help and know that being apart from them is part of the sacrifice Avila makes to help others.

Ávila and his wife also minister and volunteer in Juárez, where an estimated 20,000 migrants from South and central america await the opportunity to apply for asylum in the United States They hand out burritos from their car window as they drive through downtown Juárez on their way to set up tables with food and water for up to 200 people at a shelter near the border.

They also help run a shelter at Living Word Ministries church that houses 25 people “It's much more overwhelming there now,” Avila said.

"The need is incredible " Flores, an immigrant from Mexico, he lived in Miami for 20 years and raised his family there before coming to El Paso years ago.

Seeing the migrants arrive with nothing but the clothes on their backs drew him to help “They have no water, no food, no place to go, no place to stay, no place to sleep,” Flores said.

"Our sacrifice of being here to serve every day is nothing compared to his travels " One of the satisfactions that Flores obtains from his work is listening to migrants through social networks or messaging applications once they have arrived at their next destination.

“Seeing that they got to where they were going safely is gratifying,” he said "For them to express their gratitude for the welcome and the help they received here is even more so.

" The two men say they are blessed by people all over El Paso, as well as people in cities across the country, who continue to deliver donations for the migrants and often offer words of support for their work Their work is rewarding, they said, though it is often grueling and emotionally draining.

“We have gone home crying,” Avila said “We try to serve but what we do is not enough.

What hits the most is seeing the children living here on the streets, cold, hungry Your needs cannot be met here.

We can only provide some food, clothing, prayer We leave here with tears in our eyes.

" How much longer do the two men plan to volunteer? “We will be here as long as it takes,” Avila said "As long as it takes.

" although it is often draining and emotionally draining “We have gone home crying,” Avila said.

“We try to serve but what we do is not enough What hits the most is seeing the children living here on the streets, cold, hungry.

Your needs cannot be met here We can only provide some food, clothing, prayer.

We leave here with tears in our eyes " How much longer do the two men plan to volunteer? “We will be here as long as it takes,” Avila said.

"As long as it takes " although it is often draining and emotionally draining.

“We have gone home crying,” Avila said “We try to serve but what we do is not enough.

What hits the most is seeing the children living here on the streets, cold, hungry Your needs cannot be met here.

We can only provide some food, clothing, prayer We leave here with tears in our eyes.

" How much longer do the two men plan to volunteer? “We will be here as long as it takes,” Avila said "As long as it takes.

" We can only provide some food, clothing, prayer We leave here with tears in our eyes.

" How much longer do the two men plan to volunteer? “We will be here as long as it takes,” Avila said "As long as it takes.

" We can only provide some food, clothing, prayer We leave here with tears in our eyes.

" How much longer do the two men plan to volunteer? “We will be here as long as it takes,” Avila said "As long as it takes.

".