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Tuesday, November 8th

As we begin winding down our time here in Tucson, we are also finishing our experience at Borderlinks today - the organization that has directed our last four days and who has sought to provide us with a better sense of the issues here locally and along the border. They have asked us to fill out an evaluation. Here are my responses to the evaluation:

1. What are three new things you have learned?

I learned a great deal more about the legal process and the judicial system, and I also learned a great deal about the mission and function of the Border Patrol. I also learned to see these issues from a much more personal perspective, and I really appreciate hearing from individuals trying to do their best in a lot of different fields.

2. What do you plan to do with the information you've gained and the experiences you've had?

I plan to invest more time and energy into farming our land & to reduce our reliance on the food/commerce industry. I also hope to share about my experiences with my church and community.

I know those two answers are fairly bland, so I'll try to post again soon some reflections from the last few days. I will leave you with a question that is surfacing in my mind a lot. It has to do with the fact that a lot of the current struggles/difficulties regarding immigration and our border are mostly about smuggling both human beings and drugs across the border from Mexico and into the United States. Also related to that is the fact that a great deal of the illegal immigrants who are smuggled in our country eventually end up working in the food or services industry in our nation (e.g. large scale farming, hotels, etc.). Here is the question:

How are our appetites affecting the world?

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