Angst struck me Thursday with news that the immigration reform bill had hit a wall in the U.S. Senate and appears dead until 2009, given the reality of politics. I felt a sad pathos at the impotence of national decision-makers who cannot and will not work together to solve serious social issues. Like many, I recognized the bills provisions as imperfect, but it seemed to be an honest step forward toward sanity about ordered immigration. So much powerful and passionate writing and speaking had addressed the knotty, complicated and distressing problems. As a church volunteer who drives the water truck every few months on a Saturday for Humane Borders to deliver water to tanks in the desert to help stem dehydration and death of migrants passing through, I agonize that little has been resolved amid this long, bitter debate. So well keep taking our turns driving the rough terrain hauling water. Its worth excerpting from a letter to the editor written Sunday by Teri Conrad, chairman of the Social Justice and Peacemaking Committee of the Presbytery of Grand Canyon. It began, I am dedicating this letter to Jose, although he will probably never read it. I met Jose at work. He was employed by a company that contracted to provide janitorial services. Generally, we ignore people like Jose. They pick our vegetables, process our meat, service us at restaurants, clean our hotel rooms, build our houses and scrub our toilets. To many people, they seem faceless and indistinguishable.Conrad noted she has been uncomfortable with the fact that so many people like Jose are relegated, by reality, to fill those work roles. In my Christian faith tradition, all people are precious and unique in Gods sight, she shared. With the sting of such guilt, she decided to be intentional about greeting the people who cleaned her building just as I would greet my colleagues. And that is how he met Jose.Teri Conrad explained how the greeting went to a conversation about each others families. She practiced her Spanish with Jose and he struggled to talk to her in English. Together they laughed about the challenges of learning each others languages, Jose showed her a photo of a niece, and I introduced my father when was visiting, she noted.Now Jose is gone. I do no know where, nor why. I will probably never know, Conrad said, acknowledging that the experience taught her something important: It is time to stand up and let my voice be heard. For the past three years, I have listened while the tone of the conversation about immigration turned angrier, uglier and louder. The voices of peacemakers and moderates have been drowned amid the din.She suggested that efforts to erect imposing walls physical and virtual — dont deter the human spirit seeking a better life. We learned our lesson in Berlin. Any solution must address the economic factors of globalization, the need for additional workers in the United States and the human desire to improve ones standard of living.She called for compassion in exemplifying the Judeo-Christian tradition of treating strangers as guests. Bottom line: Jesus tells us to treat all people with love and compassion, she said. If we listen to his voice, we can no longer watch idly as hundreds die, trying to cross the desert. We can no longer ignore the inhumane working conditions. We can no longer watch the families who are ripped apart by raids and deportations.She called for honoring the humanity of immigrants as a group and as individuals. We applaud the work of the many churches and charitable organizations who provide water, food, clothing, shelter and other necessities. Citing significant places where Christians have serve to bring about social change, she said, Now as we face the challenge of illegal immigration. We must respond with tolerance, wisdom courage and compassion.

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