She Called Us

It is amazing how hard it can be to connect with young adults in rural Indiana. Often they have stayed in the area because of strong family ties. So strong in fact that they really don’t need another friend, thank you very much. That was the world Nick and I lived in when our kids were toddlers. We were surrounded by people just like us who wanted nothing to do with us. People who we constantly were calling, and yet never initiated a call themselves. 

But then a couple the age of our parents introduced us to their favorite waitress, Elly. Elly was our age with kids our kids’ age. We met in the park for playdates and threw our mutual friend a surprise 50^th birthday party. Elly invited us to her daughter’s birthday party. She called us. She befriended us when everyone else’s doors were shut under the guise of “busy-ness.” Even though she worked full time, she never seemed too busy for us. 

A month before we moved, Elly asked us for help. She needed a sponsor to help her become a legal immigrant to America. She spoke perfect English, was the best employee, and had taxes withheld from her check every pay period. In fact, because she was illegal and had no number of her own, she was paying for someone else’s social security. She was an outstanding citizen who welcomed strangers into her home and was active in her community. Elly’s children were US citizens. 

I told her no. We were moving and I wasn’t sure how I could be a good advocate at the distance that would separate us. 

There are few decisions I regret as much as that decision. I don’t know what happened to Elly. I don’t know if she was deported. The risk of being known was one of her biggest hurdles in trying to become legal. The process itself was a Catch 22. I don’t know if she ever found sponsors. 

She is one of the countless faces that flash before my eyes when the news brings up immigration. I pray for her every day that she can stay in the States, because I want citizens like her. I want people like her as my neighbors and my coworkers. I want my kids to be friends with kids like hers. Elly is the reason that I think immigration needs to be rehauled and why I cringe at the thought of deporting large masses of immigrants. 

So today I pray that God would watch over Elly and her family and the thousands of families like hers. I pray that God would help me advocate for illegal immigrants and clearing a better path for them. I pray that when another Elly comes into my life, I will not make any excuse to be in their corner. 

I pray God will forgive me for not doing more. 

I pray that I will never forget about Elly.