Missionaries to America

August 7, 2012 By Bethany Anderson

I recently heard my friend David’s migration story and to be honest, it made me uncomfortable. David’s family came here from Peru, because they felt called. Legitimately and genuinely called. David’s father is a pastor and heard about a church here in Southern California in need, and decided to answer the call by moving his entire family thousands of miles away from home. They were not able to get the proper visas to come legally, but felt strongly that if the Lord was calling them, they... Read more

Tutorial on the new policy of Deferred Action for “DREAM” eligible young people

June 18, 2012 By Bethany Anderson

Last week was an exciting week for our Church, Nation, and Immigrant communities. For those who missed some or all of what went down, here is a recap: –Tuesday, June 12th: Over 150 prominent Evangelical leaders sign a Statement of Principals for Immigration Reform. Some key leaders of this statement presented it at a press conference in Washington DC with all major news media covering the story. Read More –Thursday, June 14th: Time Magazine releases the cover of it’s latest issue... Read more

Law of the Land

May 21, 2012 By Bethany Anderson

Last week, I had the privileged and honor of attending Immigrant Pathways Institute in Chicago. Basically, I spent about 9-10 hours a day learning, studying, and researching our current Immigration Laws. In addition, I was able to engage in some challenging theological discussion with seminary students, Biblical theologians, professors, pastors and lawyers. After only a week of class, I don’t claim to be an expert, but I do feel like I gained some specific insight, some of which I would like to share here.... Read more

The New Girl

March 14, 2012 By Bethany Anderson

Her face says it all. She is terrified, untrusting, confused, hungry and dirty. Her cheeks are sunken in and her lips as dry as the desert she just came from. She couldn’t be more than 17. She’s a cute girl with straight, long, dark hair. I really know nothing about her, other than she’s from Central America and was just picked up with her 19 year old brother. Why did she come? Where are her parents? What happened to her... Read more

The Good Mexican

November 30, 2011 By Bethany Anderson

I have been thinking about a Bible story found in Luke 10, you may have heard of it. The Good Samaritan. I have always looked at this story from the perspective of the injured traveler. Why? Because he is who most closely represents me. I am a white, American Christian. I am of the “dominant” ethnicity, culture and religion. I do not see my self as a religious hypocrite (hopefully others don’t either) and I don’t really relate to the... Read more

My Letter to the Executive Director of Morgan County’s CCC

October 14, 2011 By Bethany Anderson

I recently stumbled upon an article from a town in Alabama and it was extremely troubling to me. The jist? A para-church organization decided to start enforcing a rule they have apparently had for a long time in regards to the people they will serve at their local clothing and food bank: if you do not have a legitimate social security number, you are not welcome. You can read the whole article here. Of course, this did not sit well... Read more

My DREAM for Change part 2

September 29, 2011 By Bethany Anderson

My life has most fully been lived on a little street in Fullerton, Ca. This neighborhood means so much to me. It’s where I fell in love with my husband. It’s where I discovered who I truly am. It’s where I have experienced Jesus in the deepest way. It’s where I learned to dream BIG dreams for those I love, even if they are not able to dream them for themselves. My neighborhood is far from “beautiful”. There is trash... Read more

My Heroes

August 3, 2011 By Bethany Anderson

What would you risk for God’s calling? I have to admit, I’ve never had to risk too much. I know who I am, what I am called to do, and I am blessed to freely pursue it without putting myself at risk. Well, I suppose an anti-Immigrant activist could stumble upon this little blog and decide I am so valuable to their opposition that they should take me out…but really, what are the chances of that happening? As you might... Read more

Will Things Ever Change?

July 27, 2011 By Bethany Anderson

I am feeling discouraged. Over the last couple of weeks I have spent a lot of time catching up on what’s happening in Sacramento and Washington DC in regards to Immigration. I have read articles, listened to speeches and even watched all 2 hours of a committee hearing on the DREAM Act. Maybe it’s just because Immigration is my “thing”, but it seems like it’s everywhere these days. Everyone is talking about it, but nothing is changing. In fact, things... Read more

Immigrant Day 2011

May 25, 2011 By Bethany Anderson

The last 48 hours have been a complete whirl wind. Monday night, a group of us from Solidarity headed to meet some friends in Santa Ana to catch a bus headed to our state’s capitol. Once we arrived, we grabbed breakfast before taking part in the Inter Faith Prayer Service. I was honored to lead the prayer on behalf of the Evangelical Community. You can find what I shared here. One of the highlights for me was hearing Steve Li... Read more