March 2010 - Cold Winter

Like many of you have also experienced, this has been a particularly cold winter for us. It is rare that we have snow in our area, but so far we have had four snowfalls this season. The weatherman said it’s been the coldest winter we’ve had in 12 years.

As you would imagine the cold is particularly hard on the poor, especially the elderly. Many of the people we serve live in cinderblock houses with no source of heat except perhaps a sheet-metal fireplace in which they burn wood scraps. Others have a gas heater but often don’t have the $10 - $20 needed to fill the propane tank.

Spending the day in Juarez recently to help deliver groceries to these homes, I was again struck by how many challenges these people deal with. Maria, an elderly blind lady, was sitting in her cement house which was frigidly cold since she had no means of buying gas for her heater. Her arthritic shoulder was causing her a lot of pain and she had no medicine or pain relievers. Her daughter was there who had deformed feet, walked with crutches, and had just gone through surgery on her trachea so was in a front-to-back cervical brace.

We also visited Rosa (pictured below) who is dying of cancer. When we walked in, she was by herself, shivering in bed with just a thin polyester bedspread pulled up under her chin. When we asked her how she was, she said through chattering teeth, “Cold!” We sent back to the Food Bank for more blankets for her.

One lady we visit was deserted by her husband, leaving her with their three children to raise. She would have been homeless except that a neighbor is letting her live in a broken down one-room shack. The windows are covered with dish towels since there are no glass panes, and when the temperatures dip down into the 20s you can imagine how cold it gets in there. When we first met her they only had a rickety table and a mattress on the floor with one blanket for the four of them to share.

Despite the tremendous hardships they face, the poor have so much faith in God. They depend on Him for everything and have deep trust that He will provide. “I have so much to be grateful for,” blind Maria told us. “I have a roof over my head, the food you bring us, and my children and grandchildren around me. I am so blessed. I can never thank God enough for all He has done for me.”

I felt pretty ashamed of myself for ever complaining.

During this Lenten season let us strive to thank God for our many blessings and to keep reaching out to those in need.

February 2010 - Fr. Jack Vessels, S.J.

We would like to introduce our new priest, Fr. Jack Vessels, S.J. He was assigned by his Jesuit provincial to be our chaplain last year, and we feel very blessed to have him working with us.

Fr. Vessels is a native of Oklahoma who was raised in McAllen, Texas. He entered the Jesuit order in 1944, a year ahead of Fr. Rick Thomas, so they spent several years together in seminary (and Fr. Jack often jokingly says, “I taught Rick Thomas everything he knew.) Fr. Jack is no stranger to El Paso, coming here in 1959 to be the founding principal of Jesuit High School. Fr. Thomas was assigned to Our Lady’s Youth Center in1964 so they spent a couple of years here together until 1966, when Fr. Vessels was sent to Brazil to be a missionary priest in Sao Paulo. Fr. Jack has many great stories he shares of his adventures ministering to the people of Brazil for 20 years.

After his time in Brazil he went to Rome to become the international leader of the Apostleship of Prayer, whose mission it is to encourage people to pray daily for the Church and for the pope’s intentions. He headed that up for ten years then was involved in retreat ministry in the U.S. for 12 years before joining us.

Fr. Jack is 83 years young and full of vim and vigor. He says Mass for us every day, sometimes at our Food Banks in Juarez, Mexico, sometimes in our main center in El Paso, and three days a week at the Lord’s Ranch in New Mexico. He hears confessions for many hours each week and goes with us to the homes of the sick and elderly to give them the sacrament of the sick.

Fr. Jack has a great sense of humor and his joy is contagious. “I’m so happy to be here and love the work I get to do,” he says.

And we’re so happy he is here, too!

January 2010 - Food Bank Christmas Party

You may remember us telling you about Danna, the baby girl who was born without ears, and how we took her to see an ear specialist who discovered that her auditory nerve was intact and functioning. They fitted the baby with a headband containing specialized hearing aids and taught her mother how to use it.

We’re happy to report that Danna, who is now a healthy one year old, is doing great and is learning to talk. She makes all sorts of sounds typical of normal baby chatter and is the pride and joy of her parents and older brothers.

Danna and her family were present at our annual Christmas party held at the Lord’s Food Bank in Juarez last month. Several hundred people showed up on that beautiful sunny day which started with Mass celebrated by our new priest, Fr. Jack Vessels, S.J. (who we will tell you about in a separate letter). Then we all paraded down to the kitchen/dining area where we watched the colorful matachines as they danced to the big bass drum pounding out the rhythm, the wooden sticks on their skirts clicking to the beat.

Afterwards a delicious meal was served which included tamales, turkey, rice, mashed potatoes, and corn. Young girls went around serving hot cinnamon tea followed by slices of cake for everyone. What a great day it was!

As we begin this new year we ask for your prayers as we continue to serve our poor brothers and sisters in the strife-ridden city of Juarez. Several people have been shot and killed within miles of the Food Bank, victims of the drug-war violence; but our people have great faith, hope, and trust in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

December 2009 - Merry Christmas!

As we enter the time of year when we recall the birth of Jesus, we want to thank all of you for your help in 2009. Because of your generous support we have been able to do what the Lord asks us to do in Matthew 25:31-46. We have fed the hungry at our Food Banks in three separate colonias of Juarez, Mexico; we have helped families get water delivered into their 55 gallon drums outside their cardboard and pallet homes in Loma Blanca where there is no city water; we have welcomed the stranger in our midst as more and more needy come seeking help at our center where they receive clothing as well as groceries; we have cared for the sick each week at our medical clinic; and we continue the weekly visits to prisoners in three Juarez jails. All of this is made possible thanks to your donations and gifts.

 
We will be remembering you and your loved ones in our prayers in a special way this Christmas season. Thank you for being a part of this important outreach to our brothers and sisters in need. On behalf of all of us here….

Merry Christmas!

November 2009 - Bishop's Visit to the Food Bank

Recently we had a special guest come to visit the Lord’s Food Bank – the bishop of Juarez, Mexico, Bishop Renato Leon. Bishop Renato had heard about the work we do and had met Fr. Richard Thomas, S.J. several times, but he had never been to the Lord’s Food Bank and he wanted to see it. So a date was set and the people busily prepared for the bishop’s visit.

Bishop Renato joins the crowd who welcomed him to the Lord's Food Bank.

The festive day arrived and many of our volunteers, the people we serve, and the children from our Montessori school came to greet Bishop Renato. Waving yellow and white balloons, we all lined the dirt driveway that leads into the Food Bank property. The bishop got out of his car and joined us as we processed along. We stopped at each of the buildings so he could get a tour of the medical and dental clinics, the classrooms, the warehouse where we store groceries and supplies, and finally the kitchen/dining area. The cooks had prepared a nice meal which was served to everyone and then the schoolchildren performed some delightful songs that they had been practicing for this special event. We also showed a video of how Fr. Thomas started the Food Bank and other ministries back in the 1970’s.

The bishop touring the pharmacy at the medical clinic.

The bishop was so happy and told us, “I have heard many good things about what you do here. I am so glad to now see it for myself.” Before he left he handed out bags of candy to the children then blessed all of us and promised his help and prayers. “Thank you for your faithful service to the Lord and to His beloved poor!” he said as he waved goodbye. The children ran after the car cheering and singing their farewell.

October 2009 - Church in Juarez update

You may remember earlier this year the letter about the church called St. Anthony Marie Claret that we were helping build in a very poor area in Juarez, Mexico. Several of you very generously sent in donations to help with that construction and the Claretian missionaries who are in charge of the parish are so grateful. We wanted to give you an update.

First we extended the whole structure so that more people could fit in the church.

Then we put up insulation and plywood to cover the walls that were made of wooden pallets. Next came a roof with tar paper to keep out the sun and the rain, and then the women decorated and fixed it all up beautifully inside.

“We are very happy with our church,” said one mother who helped build it from the ground up.“I want my children to know God and having a church of our own to go to each week is helping them a lot.”

Another person shared, “With all the violence swirling around us, we know that God is our only hope. We find peace and strength in this place.”

A few weeks ago several children received their First Communion here. As we looked at their smiling faces and at their proud parents and happy relatives, once again our hearts were filled with gratitude to God and to you for making their dream of having a neighborhood church a reality.

September 2009 - The Bible on the Border

We are very pleased to announce the publication of a book, entitled The Bible on the Border, which was written about the ministries of Our Lady’s Youth Center. The book's author is a Canadian journalist named Richard Dunstan who has been a frequent visitor to Our Lady’s Youth Center over the last twenty years. Fr. Thomas had suggested to Richard that he write a book about what he saw and experienced in his visits, and Richard took up the challenge. That was over 11 years ago. After many years of working on this project -- interviewing people, writing, editing, updating -- the book was finally published this summer.

Richard did a wonderful job capturing the essence of our apostolate, and it’s a beautiful tribute to Father Rick Thomas’s life and work.

Click here to order a copy.