Jamie's work at the border

Hi friends!

I come to you today asking for your blessing and financial support. This January, I am taking the biggest leap of faith of my life, and answering my heart's deepest longing ~ to move to the Texas-Mexico border to volunteer and work with refugee families arriving daily in immense need. This is one of the most important decisions I've ever made, and I'm over the moon with hope, fear and excitement! After 13 years in Seattle, this Texan sister of yours is stretching her wings and taking flight toward home, where a massive storm is raging, and where her little light of faith is called!

When I arrive at the border in McAllen, TX, I'll spend a few months getting my bearings and plugging into organizations I worked with there in the summer of 2018, and exploring others that are doing profoundly inspiring work. I'll be volunteering, networking and learning how to best support the refugee and immigrant communities, as well as the children impacted by this tragedy. My intent is to serve, listen, bear witness and pray. What happens beyond this is still a mystery ~ but one that I trust and have great faith in!


(Me with some hardcore angels at a prayerful demonstration at the port of entry in Brownsville, TX, 2018)

Your donation will go directly to supporting me getting established and diving into this work. I'd like to spend those first months networking and volunteering as much as possible, and my ability to do so will be determined in large part by my financial state. The more support I have, the more free I am to serve and connect and learn. In the most basic calculation, an extra $65 will feed me for a week when I first arrive, which frees me up to focus on connecting. The more subtle and equally important impact is that I'll know another brother or sister out there believes in what I'm doing, and that is deeply encouraging :)

So let's talk budget:
*Projected total cost for drive South and 1st 4 months: $8300-$8900
*My savings: $2000
*Donation from bestie Kim Stair, who's driving South with me: $1500
*My remaining need for 1st 4 months: $4800-$5400.
*Here's my expense breakdown:
1st Month: $2000
2nd Month: $1600-$1800
3rd Month: $1600-$1800
4th Month: $1600-$1800
*This cost covers my basic needs, which are: rent, groceries, health insurance, car payment, car insurance, student loans, gas, and phone bill.

And here's a couple things to note regarding my budget: The 1st month is likely to cost substantially more than subsequent months, as I'll be landing and finding a place to live. (And yes, I'm reaching out to organizations and friends for temporary housing options, subletting, house sitting, etc! Woot woot!) I trust that as I get established and on my feet, I'll learn ways to drive my costs down, for example by sharing housing with friends. But for now, I can assume the cost of the first 4 months or so will be in the range described. Also, I'll be looking for work asap when I arrive, though I cannot yet know how much of that cost I'll be able to earn through employment. I can say that my income working ethically with this population in this region will likely be near the federal minimum wage level, which is $7.25 per hour. With this income level and cost of living, even once I find work, I'm likely to need $600-800 per month in additional support to meet my basic needs.

There you have it my friends. Will you back me up as I set off on this journey?
Your GoFundMe donations will go to meet my basic needs and supplement my income, once I have it, so that I can serve with as much of my time as possible. It is a serious blessing to know I am not alone as I step into this great unknown in obedience to my heart. I simply can't overstate how encouraging each donation is to me, even if it's $5 or $10 :)

You may be asking yourself what has inspired me to radically change my life in this way.
First a bit of background: In the spring of 2018, our government began a "zero tolerance" immigration policy at our Southern border, which set in motion horrific and dehumanizing policies toward refugee families and their children, most fleeing extreme violence in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, and traveling more than 1000 miles on foot through Mexico.


(Seen here, a major refugee route through Mexico from Tenosique to McAllen, TX.)

As refugee parents attempted to present themselves lawfully for asylum, border patrol began ripping away their children, even toddlers and infants, and imprisoning them all separately. Our government then deported many of these parents without their children, failed to reunite many of these families despite court order, and lost track of approximately 1500 children. And this is only a small partial description of a human rights disaster that is both profoundly tragic and complex. In 2019 alone, our government held more than 69,000 immigrant children in detention centers.

As this news began breaking, I myself was reaching a breaking point.
Allow me to explain: I've always wanted to devote my life to helping others, ever since I was about 5 years old. But there were always fears that held me back, often very reasonable fears (more on this in future GoFundMe updates). However, as I matured and the world continued to darken, choosing to stay in my relative comfort zone created a level of cognitive, emotional and spiritual dissonance that eventually became intolerable.

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." (Anais Nin)

For me, remaining overdue in the bud looked like spiraling into rage and hate in the spring of 2018 toward supporters of the family separation policy at the border. Eventually, I risked more by staying in a safe place barking at others than by showing up for the people suffering from these policies. Frankly, my sanity was at risk. I had no other choice left but to follow my heart, and so I did.

In the summer of 2018, I spent a week volunteering at the humanitarian respite center in McAllen, TX and networking with immigrant rights organizations.

The spirit of love and compassion I encountered in others and myself on that trip healed my heart and changed my life forever. It was my miraculous encounter with this spirit that moved me to change everything. There is nothing more worthy of my devotion, my service and my courage.


(The humanitarian shelter that transformed me in 2018)


(Robert, a fellow volunteer, and I saying goodbye and trying not to cry on my last day at the humanitarian shelter)

My hope is that my work can inspire you to take the next step in trusting your heart ~ whatever that may be. To that end, please join me by following along on my blog, by staying in touch with me, and by investing in this mission if you feel so called. I hope my service as well as the bridge we create can be in some small way an antidote to feelings of powerlessness, cynicism and rage in the face of all that is wrong in this world.

While our acts of love and service are only tiny drops of medicine in the bucket ~ I believe they are precisely the right kind of medicine needed for the alchemy to heal humanity and this planet. The massive leaps of faith and courage I've seen others make have inspired my decision to change my life so dramatically. So may we also have the great honor of inspiring each other <3

In faith,
Jamie Alderman