By Joyce Anderson
For the Chippewa Valley Post
Valkommen! ¡Bienvenidos! Willkommen! Bienvenu! Fáilte! Beindigain! Tuaj los!
Words of welcome, in many different languages, have resounded throughout the Chippewa Valley over the centuries. Last weekend they were heard clearly inside Eau Claire’s Immanuel Lutheran Church, 3124 Golf Rd., which first opened its doors to Swedish immigrants – and their customs and language – in 1883.
Those doors were opened again last weekend, this time to the Mobile Mexican Consulate from St. Paul, MN which was making its fourth visit to Eau Claire. The church has been the mobile consulate’s local site in part because it is located just off of both Highway 93 and Interstate 94, and is easy to find. In addition, the building has Internet access, adequate parking space and is accessible.
On Friday night (Aug. 5), as a half dozen or so workers from the mobile Mexican consulate set up equipment in the church for use the next day, the Swedish language was merely an echo of years past, replaced by Spanish and occasional English. The equipment included computers, cameras and printers to create and print documents that are available only from the consulate.
Immanuel’s entry way and fellowship hall, which opens to an adjacent worship space, were transformed into large waiting areas and office spaces with large white screens that provided a little privacy while serving as backdrops to photographs for identification cards. A half dozen long tables held computers, which consulate staff would be using almost constantly the next day.
JONAH’S Role
JONAH’s Immigration Reform Task Force played an important part in arranging the consulate’s first visit here, in September, 2013. Its efforts came after Vicki Seltun, one of its members and an immigration lawyer, learned from one of her clients that the Mexican community needed information and support from the St. Paul consulate.
At the same time, the Mexican Consulate was aware of the increasing number of immigrants from Mexico to western Wisconsin and was actively looking for a place where it could meet their needs. JONAH – Joining Our Neighbors, Advancing Hope – helped provide an answer.
The grassroots Chippewa Valley organization is made up primarily of diverse faith communities. Its overall focus is on social justice issues, and includes such concerns as transit, criminal justice reform and the environment in addition to reforming immigration laws. The immigration task force operates on the principle of “welcoming the stranger,” and advocates for just laws and fair treatment of neighbors who are also immigrants.
The Mobile Consulate
The idea for a mobile consulate grew from the need to serve Mexican citizens living outside of the Twin Cities, whose work schedules can make it difficult to visit the Consulate during its regular weekday hours. Earlier this summer, the mobile consulate visited Arcadia.
The only permanent Mexican Consulate in Wisconsin began operations in Milwaukee this past June.
Consul Gerardo Guerrero of St. Paul said the consulates are the only sources for such crucial documents as consular identification cards, passports and visas. He added that his consulate also partners with government and nonprofit organizations to deal with topics ranging from workplace safety to healthcare services.
One Twin Cities partner is St. Mary’s Health Clinic, which provides community health workers who serve residents in the Twin Cities area and also often travel with the mobile consulate. A local partner for the Eau Claire visits is Wells Fargo Bank, which this year provided a Spanish speaker as one of its two representatives who gave out small gifts as well as information.
On Saturday morning (Aug. 6), the mobile consulate welcomed nearly 200 men and women of all ages to the church, which is one of the faith community members of JONAH. Some 15 to 20 volunteers from the Chippewa Valley were on hand to help the dozen or so employees of the Consulate.
Volunteers and Their Guests
As the doors opened on Saturday morning, volunteer “church ladies” (as well as a few men) in the kitchen made pots of hot coffee and arranged cookies and bars on platters . . . “just a little something sweet to go with the coffee,” one said.
Volunteers filled and refilled coffee pots and water pitchers. They cut fresh fruit and placed platters of snacks in several areas of the church to make folks feel welcome. A “Bienvenidos” “Welcome!” sign was placed on the church door. “Baños” signs pointed to washrooms.
The volunteers ranged in age from high school and college students through retirees, from a variety of backgrounds. Among the faith communities and other groups represented were Lutherans, Catholics, Congregationalists, representatives of the Jewish and Quaker communities, and former Vista and Peace Corps workers … all with the simple goal of practicing intentional hospitality to help newcomers have an easier transition to the region.
The mobile consulate was advertised as being open from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. but before 9, people were already obtaining advice and documents. Unlike some past years, appointments could be made ahead of time, but walk-in traffic was served, as well.
Wait times ranged up to four hours, depending on what documents were needed and how many family members needed them. Not surprisingly, people without an appointment often encountered the longest delays.
During the Wait
Parents and children both displayed continual patience with the delays. As parents waited, some held and rocked sleeping babies. Waking babies waved arms, smiled wide smiles, and were, in return admired by smiling adults. Volunteers asked older children if they wanted to use the play area while their parents and grandparents waited their turn for legal papers they needed in their adopted country.
Some volunteers practiced their Spanish by greeting guests and offering directions. Others left fresh produce outside the building’s entrance to share with guests as they left for home. A few volunteers staffed tables that offered a variety of local information.
Alma Galvez, one of the visiting community health workers who traveled with the mobile consulate and worked in conjunction with St. Mary’s, said she was pleased to see that brochures for Eau Claire’s Free Clinic were provided.
Betty Gertner, an Immanuel member from Altoona, stopped by. She brought a friend and said that going “outside” the church building’s walls and reaching out to neighbors is work the church should be doing.
By 2:30 p.m. Saturday, the Mexican Consulate employees were packing up, the parking lot was emptying and the staff, guests, and volunteers all began to head home. Some were on their way to new homes, others to old familiar ones, all under the same beautiful blue sky, all hoping for a better way for their families . . .
. . . and all aware that a little hospitality can go a long way in making the path a little easier.
Joyce Anderson is a member of JONAH whose interests include meeting someone new and listening to their “story.” She is also a former Chippewa Valley Post board member. Her husband, Rev. David Anderson, was the pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church for 27 years until retiring some two years ago, and is also a past president of JONAH.