LINC

The shelters are closed to the public. Closed to the press. Closed even to members of Congress.

Fourteen years ago, Debbie Mendez loaded up craft supplies and a few boxes of children's Bibles, and with a God given confidence walked right in.

A staff member found her inside and demanded to know who had let her through a gate that does not open from the outside.
She told him the truth. God sent her there. "When God wants something, He just does it."

Inside are children who have already survived more than most people ever will. Some were rescued from trafficking. Others were carried north on a journey so dangerous that many who set out never finish it. They arrive young and alone, in a country that is not their own, surrounded by adults whose language they do not speak, with no one waiting for them on the other side. In that place, a child is a status and a number.

Debbie comes nearly every week to tell them something different. You are seen. You are known by name. You are loved by the God who made you.

Then she shows them. A meal of the food they grew up on. A church service made just for them. Time to play afterward.
Most of these kids pass through once and are gone.

She rarely gets to see them again, but sometimes she does and it reminds her just how important the work God has called her to is.

Stephanie was twelve and Freddy was ten when Debbie met them in the shelter. They were moved on, and she assumed that was the end of it. Six years later a pastor brought the two of them out to surprise her at a church she was visiting. They had been found and reunited with their family. Stephanie was already leading a Bible study and singing on the worship team.

More than thirty families had been drawn into that church through the faith of two kids Debbie thought she would never see again.

We are honored at LINC to walk with Debbie and hundreds of others like her, following God’s call into the hardest corners of our world.

Follow the link in the first comment to read more about Debbie's story and other incredible leaders in the LINC network!

Many are struggling with what we’ve been seeing in the news and on social media this past week.

The speed of information, the emotion behind it, and the competing narratives leave me wondering, maybe like you, how to respond faithfully.

Many of our LINC leaders are right in the heart of these communities, and the struggle is not abstract. It is front-line, personal, and daily.

Here are some of the real questions we are hearing from people:

“What do you say to neighbors who genuinely want to support law enforcement, yet feel confused and unsettled about who is acting justly and who is not?”

“How do you minister to immigrants living in fear, especially those who have watched friends with legal work status taken into detention?”

“How do you show care for federal agents who genuinely want to make our communities safer and go home to their families at the end of the day?”

“How do you appropriately respond to the tragic loss of life when there are such starkly different perspectives and political rhetoric?”

What do you do?

Here are a few simple, nonpolitical, Christian anchors that have helped me this week, shared as an adaptation from a pastor friend in Minnesota.

1. When everything feels shaken, lean on the unshakable God
“Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.”
Hebrews 12:28
The world feels unstable, but God is not. Jesus is still on the throne. This doesn’t deny pain or injustice, but it gives us something solid to stand on when everything else feels uncertain.

2. Every person bears the image of God
“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them.”
Genesis 1:27
There are no throwaway people. Immigrants, law enforcement, protesters, political leaders, victims, and neighbors all bear God’s image. Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan confronts our instinct to sort people into categories of worth. At the cross, the ground is level.

3. Our struggle is not against other people
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil.”
Ephesians 6:12
Division, hatred, and fear are not victories. Prayer is not passive. When we pray for our city, we invite God’s power, healing, and peace into places that desperately need it.

4. We are called to respond with humility and wisdom
“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”
James 1:19
Jesus calls us to be salt and light, not accelerants of anger. James reminds us to be “quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” These issues are complex, and faithful presence requires patience, empathy, and discernment, not oversimplified reactions.

5. We refuse an ‘us versus them’ mindset
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves.”
Philippians 2:3
Jesus refused to be reduced to a political category, pointing instead to a Kingdom not of this world. Paul urges us to value others above ourselves and to take on the mindset of Christ. The gospel dismantles pride and invites us into radically loving our neighbor.

6. We trust God as the one who brings true justice, and we join Him faithfully
“…act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Micah 6:8
Trusting God with justice does not mean ignoring what is wrong. It means refusing to take justice into our own hands through anger, assumption, or dehumanization. God alone sees every motive, every fact, and every hidden truth. He is not confused by competing narratives or partial information.
As His people, we seek what is right with humility, truth, and mercy, trusting that God will ultimately make right what is wrong.

7. We choose presence over withdrawal
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
Galatians 6:2
In moments like this, the temptation is to pull back, stay silent, or disengage. But Jesus calls us to stay present. We sit with people in fear. We grieve with those who are hurting. We walk alongside rather than from a distance.

May God give us wisdom, humility, courage, and love to be His disciples in such a time as this.

Ted Fischer became passionate about church planting while studying in seminary. Drawing from his love and appreciation of the Hispanic community after years of mission work in Guatemala, Pastor Ted recognized a need in the Lutheran church to reach Spanish speaking people, especially those in urban settings.

Pastor Ted is working to establish a Hispanic mission within Messiah Lutheran Church, a congregation that has been a part of Chicago’s history for almost 100 years.

Lá Bresha Saulsberry leads Judah Dance Studio, a dance studio that goes beyond dance steps. She shares with her students the importance of creating a space in their hearts to worship God, teaching them scriptural truths and how to apply them in the difficult spaces of their lives.

We love leaders who take their passion and find a way to disciple others through it!

Through Michele's faith and obedience, many women and families are forever impacted by a community of love, encouragement, and discipleship that happens through Cornerstone Of Grace.

Not only are they given practical skills for independence and stability, they are also embraced by the love of Jesus and begin to find their identities in Him. #

Pastor Walter and the team have served their neighborhood and wider community by assisting immigrants with their transition to life in the US.

Not only have they provided transportation to worship services and assistance in processing identification and applying for jobs and apartments, Pastor Walter and Tabor Chicago have given these immigrants a community and shown God’s love in very tangible ways.

Many from the immigrant community have gone on to obtain their work permits and with Tabor’s help, furnish their own apartments. Pastor Walter credits God, our provider! ❤

Worship isn’t just something we do on Sundays—it’s woven into every part of life. In our work, our rest, our meals, and our relationships, we can honor God in it all. 🙏

Many of us do the first, but what does it look like to also do the second? ❤️