In October 2024, a diverse group of 20 pilgrims from Hastings, Nebraska, embarked on a transformative journey to the U.S.-Mexico border. This Music and Mission Team traveled to Douglas, Arizona, and Agua Prieta, Sonora, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Frontera de Cristo, a Presbyterian border ministry that fosters relationships across borders. Our trip took place just two weeks before the highly charged upcoming presidential election, where immigration and border security are at the forefront of political debate. Yet, for our group, which spanned four generations – ages 18 to 80 – the focus was on fostering connection, understanding, and solidarity through music and faith.
Our group of 14 included members of First Presbyterian Church of Hastings, four students from Hastings College and two local musicians from the Hastings community. Together, we sought to humanize the border through a shared musical experience while gaining deeper insight into the lives and struggles of those living on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico divide. Through a weekend filled with music, conversation and worship, we sought to build bridges rather than walls. The trip was an opportunity to bear witness to the realities of life on the border, offering a human face to a region that is often reduced to political talking points.
The power of music across borders
We flew from Omaha to Phoenix and then drove four hours to the border town of Douglas. That Friday, we waited in line for 20 minutes and crossed the border into Agua Prieta, Mexico; for many in our group, this was the first time they had left the country or the first time they had crossed an international land border, which was an integral part of this experience.
We were warmly welcomed at Iglesia Presbiteriana Lirio de los Valles in Agua Prieta. The weekend began with coffee and conversation groups where we could learn about how Frontera de Cristo is enriching children’s lives through ministries of compassion and education on the border, the impact of drug culture on border ministries, migration and mission, and cultivating relationships across the border through the coffee ministry Café Justo.
We crossed back into the U.S. on Friday evening to participate in a celebration dinner at the historic Gadsden Hotel – with its ornate marble lobby and high ceilings with beautiful acoustics – in Douglas, Arizona. Our choir sang four songs with the themes of peace, unity, compassion, justice and joy to more than 200 people who were present to help celebrate the 40th anniversary of Frontera de Cristo.
On Saturday, we crossed back over to Agua Prieta to attend a panel discussion from different Presbyterian borderland ministries. We participated in a guided meditation walk along the border wall, looking at the murals and praying for those living on the border, and we also had the opportunity to shop at a bazaar of local artisans, paint a desert landscape and watch a folkloric dance troupe.
One of the highlights of the trip was on Saturday night when we participated in a bi-national concert in the central plaza of Agua Prieta, featuring performances by artists from both Mexico and the United States. Our choir from Hastings joined a classical guitarist and pianist from Chiapas in Southern Mexico, the Agua Prieta Philharmonic Orchestra and a children’s choir from Agua Prieta to fill the night with songs of unity, compassion, and joy. At the end of the evening, all of the groups combined to share a bilingual version of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” that included the lyrics, “Sisters, brothers, care for each other, care for the world and keep it free; come together, sing together, as a peaceful family,” a powerful reminder of our shared humanity that transcends borders.
Worship and reflection at the border wall
On Sunday morning, we gathered in front of the towering border wall for a bilingual worship service, a poignant contrast of our unity in Christ and the barriers that divide us. Yet in the shadow of that wall, the choirs of First Presbyterian Church of Hastings and Iglesia Presbiteriana Lirio de los Valles raised their voices together, singing hymns of peace and reconciliation. As part of the worship service, we contributed to a mural of hope on the wall by dipping our thumbs in paint and leaving our thumbprints on the border wall, representing seeds of hope and symbolizing our prayer for a future where walls of division are replaced by bridges of understanding.
Throughout the weekend, we also participated in workshops and listened to talks from faith leaders interpreting the realities of the border through the lens of Christian hospitality. Dr. Carlos Cardoza-Orlandi from Baylor University offered a theological reflection on borders and bi-national ministry and he preached on Sunday morning at the border wall. Tracey King-Ortega of Presbyterian World Mission led a workshop on creating communities of welcome. These moments deepened our understanding of what it means to welcome the stranger in a time of heightened fear and division.
Encountering Frontera de Cristo’s ministry
At the heart of our journey was the incredible ministry of Frontera de Cristo, which has spent the past 40 years building relationships and understanding across the U.S.-Mexico border. Based in the sister cities of Douglas, Arizona, and Agua Prieta, Mexico, Frontera de Cristo serves both migrants and local community members, addressing the immediate needs of those seeking refuge while also confronting the root causes of migration.
Through partnerships with ministries and secular organizations, Frontera de Cristo provides shelter, education, emotional support, medical care, and sustainable economic opportunities, such as the Café Justo coffee cooperative, which supports local coffee farmers in Mexico. These ministries offer a tangible example of how cross-border partnerships can promote justice and dignity. First Presbyterian Church of Hastings sells the coffee from Café Justo in our church in Nebraska, so it was fun for the delegation to see where the coffee they drink at home was roasted and packaged.
A call to compassion
This pilgrimage to the border was a vivid reminder that, as Christians, we are called to be people of hospitality and welcome. In a time when borders are often seen as symbols of division and fear, we were able to witness firsthand the power of music, faith, and community to break down barriers. By the end of the trip, our group had not only deepened our understanding of the border’s complexities but also strengthened our resolve to embody Christ’s call to love our neighbors — no matter which side of the wall they stand on.
As debates about immigration continue, we hope our experience reminds others of the humanity at the heart of these issues. Borders are not just lines of separation: they are places of encounter, where we are called to see the image of God in each other and extend our hands in friendship, compassion and hope.
In the words of Frontera de Cristo’s mission, “We seek to build bridges rather than walls.” Our music and mission trip was a small but faithful step in that direction, and we left the border not only as witnesses to God’s love but also as ambassadors of hope and peace.
