“Encounter and accompaniment”: Peace Pairs pilgrimage of hope at the border, reflection #2

In mid-December, an intergenerational group of Pax Christi USA members participated in an encuentro border delegation as part of the Jubilee Year of Hope. The 12 participants from across the United States are involved in local immigrant support and advocacy networks; several of the participants are immigrants themselves. The majority of the group were young adults (under 40) and almost all were part of the Pax Christi USA Peace Pairs program.

Over the next few weeks, we will be releasing a series of reflections from some of the participants of the pilgrimage. The second reflection, written by Markayla Love, is below.

We are grateful to our generous donor who made this immersion trip possible.

Use this link to read more about the delegation and to read the other reflections.

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Encounter and accompaniment

Markayla Love (she/her)
Pax Christi Young Adult Caucus
Peace Pairs 2026

The ever-present refrain from the week is still rattling around in my brain. “The border is everywhere,” first uttered to me by Scott Wright, but borrowed from Ruben Garcia of Annunciation House, a volunteer organization that stands firm in accompanying and practicing solidarity with our brothers and sisters at the border. The most impactful portions of the trip were the instances when we actually saw the border, with the first instance being after building additional time into our schedule on the first (or, maybe it was the second) day of our pilgrimage, and other times being during the drive from one location to the next. It was in these moments I was able to truly observe, to really see, just how much the border stretched across the state. There were moments when the border seemed to chase after us even.

I remember one participant (it may have been Scott, Jeanelle, or Michelle) remarking on how you can literally feel the absence of people who would usually be there, not only at Annunciation House, but at the border in general. There was an absence of women, men, children, of families, of laughter, of hope even. Or, so it could seem. What I brought with me on this pilgrimage was my own love and appreciation for the immigrant community in Memphis and a curiosity about how to show up for them better, coupled with doubt and despair around whether I could do anything to support them at all.

What I was able to leave this trip with was a definition and model of both “encounter” and “accompaniment,” with “encounter” commonly referring to meeting Christ in the sacraments but in this instance referring to the meeting and seeing of our fellow human in the depth of their most vulnerable, taxing, and intimate moments, and “accompaniment” meaning to walk with them in their spiritual and life journey. But true change and transformation doesn’t come from simple definitions, examples, and the all-too common, familiar, and comfortable approach of “learning by watching” or adopting theory in mind but not applying it in practice. Visiting the border is just one of the many ways to show and practice that solidarity, as well as to model the Christlike behavior and outpouring of love we see in the Bible, that is tangible and responds to not only the spiritual needs we all possess but the physical needs that must be met as well.

There is something to be said about the joy, hope, and resilience that not only remains, but actively persists, in El Paso, in the hearts of our immigrant brothers and sisters, in all of our communities and in our world. I’m praying that I too can have even a fraction of the strength that our brothers and sisters possess when journeying to the border and apply it to more consistently and effectively show up for not only my community but also for God. I’m praying for the courage to do it.