It was a different day, and there were different guards behind the window at the Center for Deportation and Expulsion.  Despite lots of smiling and repeated explanation that I had just been in two weeks before, I was not allowed to see Emma, our friend who was arrested for lack of residency papers a few weeks ago.  A staff member came to take the things I brought for Emma:  long brown hair extensions for Emma’s “ministry of braids” and six pocket crosses with poems neatly tucked in, made by Baptist women in western Pennsylvania—enough of them for Emma’s roommates.  As I packed up the cream that the guards wouldn’t allow in, I had asked if I could speak to the Center’s social worker.  While I waited for him, Emma called and asked where I was.  She must have been watching the clock.  I told her they wouldn’t let me in and that I would call and explain later.  I asked her again for permission to talk to the social worker about her situation, but she would not give it to me. 

When the social worker came, I explained that I had come to visit Emma but wasn’t allowed in.  I showed him my identification and said that Emma is part of our church in another city.  I asked him to call us if there was any way we could help her.  He read my cards, and then he went over to the guards’ window and asked why they had not let me visit Emma.  He diplomatically challenged their understanding of the rules, but they did not budge.  He came back over to me and shook his head.  He said that they should let me in, but that they don’t know the rules. 

Then he switched to English, “I would have spoken to you in English before, but I wanted you to practice your Italian!”  He apologized for the problem with the guards.  I told him I understand that sometimes it is better to do what “the people in charge” think is necessary and not to cause a problem.  He expressed his frustration with the system, but he said he would send my paperwork to the other office and get everything arranged for me to get in to see Emma again. 

He then asked many questions about our work here:  Do we have a shelter for trafficking victims?  Where are the churches we work with?  Could we help the social workers get English Bibles for the residents who want them? 

I told him about the shelter where I volunteer.  He said they have trouble finding placement for victims who qualify for social protection.  We were able to talk about the government’s provisions for trafficking victims and how those are applied differently from city to city.  We talked about the problem of victims being afraid to denounce their traffickers. 

I told him we would get them some Bibles.  I said that he could call us any time to visit anyone who wanted to talk to a Protestant pastor.  When I said we’d be willing to come from time to time and do worship services if enough people would be interested, he asked us to organize a Christmas service.  He said they have never had anyone who would come and do that, but he will ask the Center’s administration for permission. 

God turned what seemed to be a pretty useless trip into an open door.  What a blessing to have this social worker ,who really cares about the people whom he serves, working in the Center! 

I called Emma the next day, and we had a long talk.  I talked to her again about the possibility of social protection and legal residency here if she will denounce her traffickers.  I talked about her trafficker as Pharaoh and how God wants to free her from slavery like God freed the children of Israel.  She knows the story, but she can not yet see herself in it.  She said it would be “wicked” for her to denounce her trafficker.  She still thinks she will be released to stay in Italy.  She says she will not go back to the streets, but when I ask where she will go, she does not know.  My worldview is built on planning, but she can only see today.  The gulf between us is wide and deep:  different understandings of good and evil, different understandings of God’s providence and human responsibility, different understandings of government structures, different understandings of who is to be trusted and who is not to be trusted. 

So, I am trying to build bridges to span the gulf:
-The social worker will hopefully rush my paperwork so that I can see Emma face to face again.
 -Hopefully, the social worker read between the lines our concern for Emma and will approach Emma to help her. 
-A Catholic sister has given me information on who Emma can contact for help in the Center at Rome if they send her there before she is deported.   

In the next few weeks, I have these opportunities for which I especially need your prayer:
-The Africa-Europe Churches’ Consultation on Migration and the Changing Church Landscape.  I will travel to Sicily where I will listen in on this first meeting organized by the World Council of Churches, the All Africa Conference of Churches and the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe.  The Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy is the host organization, and I work with them on behalf of Italian Baptists. 
-Croatian Baptist women are addressing the issue of human trafficking for the first time, and a colleague from Hungarian Baptist Aid and I will share from our experiences.
-A Baptist church asked me to represent them at their city-sponsored “Daughters of Abraham” interfaith discussion in December.  The panel will include a Catholic woman, a Muslim woman, and me, and we will focus on working together to combat violence against women. 

I am surprised by the doors God opens but also by the bridges that need to be built.  Thank you for joining us in this work!

Remember that now is the time to give your World Mission Offering in your local Baptist church or to contribute online at www.internationalministries.org.  You can designate your World Mission Offering for the "Ongoing Support of the Kelseys-Italy" or to another International Ministries missionary. 

Bridging the gulf,

Debbie Kelsey (along with Jim, Luke and Ben)