Costa Rica
May 2006
We�re all anxiously awaiting Tuesday, May 23. On this day 4 youth and one youth leader will spend the day at the US Consulate for their visa appointments, hoping to get approved that they can go to the United States for one month to visit churches and attend the ELCA nation-wide youth gathering in San Antonio, TX. We are waiting anxiously because we have learned from experience that things don�t always go as hoped to in the US Consulate.
In my work with delegations, welcoming visitors from the United States to Costa Rica, and constantly thinking of ways to strengthen the relationships of people in these two countries, the virtually unrestricted passage of people from the United States to Costa Rica is a blessing. The multitude of hours spent in preparation and the stack of paperwork and expensive fees required for a Costa Rican to even apply for a visa to visit the US, only to often result in a denial, is a frustration, a disappointment, and a great sadness in the realization that an opportunity for sharing has been taken away. In a time of globalization when many governments are pushing for virtually unrestricted transport of commercialized products, the transport of people is becoming extremely difficult.
The ILCO has a very high number of Nicaraguan immigrant members. Just the other week I traveled with Pastor Luis Segreda, along with a university professor and leader of an immigrant-rights NGO, and a law student, to the Guatuso and Sarapiqui regions as they
offered workshops on the new immigration laws passed in CR and provided individual consultations to those needing legal advice. The church was filled with people, some in this country legally with documentation and others not, but all eager to learn about their rights and what they need to do to be able to officially call the country where they are living and where their children were born home.
Last February, Pastor Marcos ended a talk on the work the ILCO is doing with immigrants by answering the question put forth by a visiting US American, �What can we do to help in this situation?� He said we should not solely focus on directly supporting the work that the ILCO is doing in Costa Rica; but rather to look at the issue of immigration and xenophobia on a much larger scale. He talked about collaboration between churches around the world, brainstorming and sharing how to be a church in the complexity of immigration.
One reason that relationships between churches in various countries is so important is that it provides an opportunity to learn from one another, to take each other�s strengths and make them our own. Many people who have traveled to Costa Rica and spent time with Pastor Luis or Pastor Roberto or Pastor Marcos have heard them talk about the theological basis for the work the ILCO is doing with immigrants. Citing story after story of refugees in the Bible, including Jesus himself, the ILCO has asked itself how it can faithfully be present in the reality of immigration. They searched, asking if the stories in the Bible exemplify closing borders and ignoring travel weary in need, or do they seem to encourage friendship and warmth towards those who find themselves without a safe pace to call home? The ILCO has decided that, to be true to the Bible, they must be a friend and an advocate for the refugees, for the immigrants. Some say this decision may have put the ILCO in an unfavorable light with many in Costa Rica who believe that a high number of immigrants is the reason for mostof the nation�s problems, but it is a decision that the church embraces and feels is necessary to truly call themselves a church faithful to the gospel.
A note worthy of celebration: All four youth from CR and youth leader, Justo, were approved for visas to attend the youth gathering in San Antonio and surrounding activities. They are recently returned from a month in the US of learning and sharing.
Another note: As you all know, immigration is a complicated issue in the United States, too. For information on how we can advocate for legislation faithful to the gospel, read information on Comprehensive Immigration Reform on the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service website:
www.lirs.org