(Ursuline Sister Jacinta Powers is in her second month of serving in a clinic for refugees on the Mexico-America border who are awaiting asylum hearings. This is her latest update and photo from Matamoros, Mexico.)

A recent Psalm response at Mass stayed in my head all day as I viewed the living space of the refugees:

“How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!” (Psalm 84). Those tents are the dwelling place of God, for from them spills out the people who are the “children of God,” the anawim, the poor ones of God. These are pictures of living cathedrals.

Several people have asked about donating items for the refugees. I spoke to Helen Perry, the coordinator of Global Response Management, and she said the most helpful action would be to raise money and send it to Global Response Management for the refugees.

Most of the time the weekly supplies for the clinic, which includes about $1,000 for medicines and supplies for other health projects – like showers, port-a-potties, built washstands that are beside them, etc., are bought in the local economy of Mexico due to decreased cost there. It is perceived as being a “good neighbor” to the ones who live in Matamoros city. Everything that is done by this NGO is accomplished through donated funds.