Earlier this year I stepped into a little church called “Camino de Salvación” or Way of Salvation in the heart of Tijuana, Mexico. I went with a team of faith leaders from around the country, to gain a more holistic understanding of migration at the southern border in light of abrupt shifts in U.S. immigration policies. After a long and bumpy taxi ride, we were greeted by a group of friendly Mexican women and handed a plate of grilled chicken, beans and homemade salsa.
As we dug into our food we listened to Pastora Adriana (the pastor) share about her decade-long journey turning the church into a shelter. In 2016, Adriana and her husband (the lead pastor at the time) along with ten other churches started housing a wave of Haitian migrants who were traveling through Tijuana. They were often disoriented by language and cultural barriers and had little resources to rely on.
A few years later a caravan of migrants came from Central America and though many churches in Tijuana started closing their doors because of fear and prejudice, Camino de Salvación stayed open. Soon the church was receiving people from around the world, from Asia and Africa, offering a clean bed and meal made with love.
Through an interpreter Adriana explained, “We had a place where people could be away from the rain and the cold. And we only used this place on Sundays and maybe once or twice during the week. And that is the case with most churches.”
Photo by Nathan Hughes
In 2021, the shelter was hit with COVID and though guests and staff recovered from the illness Adriana’s husband tragically passed away. On his death bed he looked at his dear wife and partner in ministry and told her to “take charge.” Through the grief of profound loss, Adriana took those words to heart.
Not only did Adriana keep the shelter open, she was ordained as a pastor. Despite losing funding and support from her denomination, she has continued to pastor the world in the wake of her husband’s death. To this day, she proclaims a message of salvation to all people, tribes and nations-through scripture, prayer and tangible means of care. No matter where people are going, she points people towards the way of salvation.
This weekend we celebrate Easter and just like Adriana grieving the death of her husband, the women at the tomb were grieving the death of Jesus. It wasn’t a part of the plan. His absence was a blow to life as they knew it. But like Adriana was tasked to “take charge”, the women were also tasked by the angel to proclaim a message of the Risen Christ to those in their immediate circle.
These women could have thrown in the towel and they could have backed down when the disciples ridiculed them. When funding dried up, so could their spirit. But they carried on, playing an integral role in reaching the whole world with the message of Jesus.
Like Adriana and the women at the tomb, women who follow Jesus are called to “take charge.” That doesn’t mean we push men over or put ourselves on pedestals. Not at all. It means we stare into an empty tomb and orient ourselves with truth. We turn towards the world around us proclaiming in word and action a message of hope to weary travelers. Women play a unique role in staring death in the face but with courage, hope and deep rooted faith, point others toward a resurrected Christ, who is the way of salvation.