By Elaine Ayala
In 2016, pastor John Garland’s Mennonite Church in Southtown became an emergency shelter for Central American migrants.
They’d trekked, some by foot, to the U.S. border to seek asylum.
It seems like so long ago now, when humanitarian protections for such travelers seemed a possibility.
They’re rare today, even before the COVID-19 pandemic tightened borders.
Migrants in detention find ways to reach Garland, a 38-year-old Baylor-educated preacher who looks younger than his years and leads a flock of Mennonites. They’re Christians who believe in adult baptism and are devoted to social justice, peace building and healing trauma.
All kinds of trauma.
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