The Rev. Deacon Claire Mis worked for two years to prepare a team and lead a mission trip from St. John’s Episcopal Church in Huntington, NY (Long Island) to the US-Mexican border in the Diocese of Arizona. She established relationships with the Rev. David Chavez, Canon for Border Ministries in the Diocese of Arizona and the Rev. Warren Liebovitch, Rector, St. Francis in the Valley Episcopal church in Green Valley, AZ. These colleagues helped her offer parish-wide programs before the trip and to plan an ambitious and well-supported itinerary for the trip itself. Through this preparation, her group came to understand that they would be sharing God’s love through a posture of listening and learning.
The nine-day trip, in October, ’22 was deeply transformative for all. In Nogales, Mexico they visited Las Casa de la Misericordia, a shelter and sanctuary, and the Kino Border Initiative. In Arizona they visited St. Francis in the Valley in Green Valley, made desert walks with the Green Valley Samaritans, visited Grace St. Paul and Casa Alitas in Tucson, and Church of the Apostles in Oro Valley. Dcn. Claire and her group will continue to grow their church and diocesan community into a deeper awareness of where Jesus’ love is needed in their community.
