Our volunteer Monse knows what it means to live in the shadows.

Monse moved to the U.S. in 2001 and spent the next 17 years in this country undocumented. “I’ve been part of this community. I understand the process, the fears, I know what people living without documentation are going through,” she explains.

Monse moved to Salt Lake City, Utah a few years later and met her husband Tim at a church dance in 2008. The couple married the following year.

Monse considers herself one of the lucky ones. Several years after being married, the Obama Administration made an exception that allowed spouses of U.S. Citizens to wait in the U.S. for their Green Card appointment instead of having to spend several years in their home country. This allowed her to request forgiveness once she qualified.

“I was one who was able to fix my status,” she explains. But she hasn’t forgotten what those 17 years were like, living without documentation. “I know how hard things are. How hard it is to go to a doctor or a dentist without insurance.” Monse shared that she went almost six years without dental care. “I know a lot of families in this condition. I can put myself in their shoes.”

Monse notes that her case was unique. She had to return to Mexico for an immigration interview when her kids were 18 months and three years of age. She and Tim started contemplating options, and even considered living and working on opposite sides of the border and visiting each other in the event her application was denied. The couple eventually moved to St. Louis to be closer to Tim’s family and in 2021 Monse applied and was granted citizenship.

Earlier this year Monse was approached by Molly, a friend from church who serves on the board of Abide in Love STL and heads up our Intake and Family Advocate teams. Monse was hesitant at first. She was worried her English wasn’t strong enough. But after attending a meeting and learning about the work Abide is doing and the vast needs families are facing, she knew she had to get involved.

As a Family Advocate at Abide in Love STL, Monse walks alongside families experiencing separation due to detention and deportation. She also volunteers on our Intake team, onboarding new families referred to Abide in Love.

Recently, Monse did an intake for a woman from the same region in Mexico she grew up in. After her husband was detained, the woman was thrust into single parenthood, caring for a five-year-old daughter who had survived a stroke at 10 months of age and now requires a feeding tube and round-the-clock care. Monse felt a special connection to this family and decided to support them as their Family Advocate.

Monse understands what this woman would be facing if she repatriated to her village in Mexico: The nearest medical center able to address the baby’s complex medical needs would be in Mexico City, about six to seven hours away.

Monse says the families she’s worked with always express their appreciation and gratitude, but she is quick to note that she doesn’t do this work for the thanks.

She remembers something her grandmother said many years ago about doing good without expecting anything in return: “Someday you or your kids will need help and someone will be there to help you.”

Monse recalls the many people who supported her when she was new to this country, with next to no family, trying to find her way. She hopes to extend some of that same compassion and empathy to others.

Monse likens this work to the work she and Tim did as LDS missionaries when they were younger. She says in a sense, serving these families with Abide in Love is a lot like missionary work. “Our mission is to show that there’s still good people here.”

Tim works in IT and affectionately refers to himself as Monse’s secretary. He helps with English translation and any technical support Monse needs. A volunteer himself, Tim created an application for Abide in Love STL to make it easier for volunteers to connect families with resources.

“We are not able to do much. But we try as much as we can to help others,” Monse says.

When Monse and Tim deliver food or diapers or other essentials to families, they bring their kids – now 12 and 10 – along. “I try to set an example for my kids, to be nice to others,” Monse explains. “I want to show my kids it’s important to try to help people if you can.”