Recently, leaders from our conference joined colleagues from across the South Central Jurisdiction in El Paso for the All Things in Common gathering. Bishops, conference staff, and leaders came together for worship, conversation, and honest storytelling about where the Church is and where God might be leading next.

But El Paso wasn't just a meeting location. It was a place already deeply connected to the Louisiana Conference.

While there, we spent time at Lydia Patterson Institute, a United Methodist school serving students in the El Paso–Juárez border region, a school that many in Louisiana know well, and care deeply about.

Earlier this year, during our Annual Conference session, LPI President Dr. Carla Cardoza shared urgent news. A sudden pause on student visa interviews by the U.S. State Department impacted nearly half of LPI's student body. In response, the Louisiana Conference, along with the United Methodist Foundation of Louisiana, made a significant financial commitment to help the school continue educating students remotely.

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Cardoza in her office at Lydia Patterson Institute.

She shares how that gift was used, how the school has navigated the visa shutdown, and what it means to lead a community of hope and resilience amid unprecedented government disruption.

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