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.

August 2009 - Volunteer Doctors

Each Tuesday we operate a medical clinic at the Food Bank in Juarez, Mexico. We call it “The Lord’s Clinic” and it provides a much-needed service to the poor people in the area. Aurora Alvarado, a registered nurse from El Paso, has headed up the clinic for over 20 years. Volunteer doctors and nurses have come and gone through the years but sometimes she has been the only trained medical person on site.
However two and a half years ago, two doctors started volunteering at the Lord’s Clinic and have been faithfully coming every week since then.

Dr. Guadalupe Apodaca and Dr. Guadalupe Ibarra heard about the clinic at the Lord’s Food Bank and about the great need in the area, and they came to offer their services. “The first time I walked into the clinic, I felt so peaceful and calm – like I’ve never felt before,” shared Dr. Ibarra. She knew there was something special about it and wanted to be a part of this outreach.

Dr. Apodaca first met Father Rick Thomas when she was 7 years old. “He started a prayer meeting at our house,” she told us. She is very happy to be a part of this ministry that he began. Dr. Apodaca’s husband is a pharmacist and he donates a lot of medicines to the clinic.

It’s not easy practicing medicine in such an impoverished area. The challenges are many and the medical staff often face difficult dilemmas. For example, many of the patients have high blood pressure. As most of us know, a person with high blood pressure needs to decrease their salt intake. But salt takes away hunger pangs and some of the patients who don’t have enough to eat put a lot of salt on a tortilla to ease their hunger. This causes their blood pressure to go sky high. So while the patients should be told, “Go easy on the salt,” what do you do about the hunger problem?

These two doctors don’t just stop at giving medical advice and prescriptions. Out of their own resources they bring large quantities of beans, rice, canned goods and clothing to the clinic to be given to those most in need. They have a heart to help the people and go out of their way to do so.

We are very blessed to have them serving with us. They have promised Aurora, “We’ll make sure that one of us will always be here.” And even though they have to juggle schedules and other commitments, we can be sure at least one of them always shows up.

July 2009 - Healing of Lalo's foot

Lalo Padron is one of those humble volunteers in the Lord’s service who is willing to do whatever is needed, no matter how menial the task. He and his wife help maintain Las Alas, our main building, and their tasks include cleaning bathrooms and sweeping and mopping a 6000 square foot floor each week. Lalo always does his work very cheerfully often saying, “God has blessed me and my family so much over the years, I want to serve Him as much as I can.”

A few months ago Lalo was burning some weeds to clear a lot near his home in Juarez. A sudden wind came up and blew the small fire out of control. It spread rapidly and started to get dangerously close to the buildings. Neighbors came running out of their houses to help Lalo put out the flames. Amidst the chaos, Lalo accidently stepped on a nail that was sticking straight up out of a piece of wood that was on fire. The nail went right through his tennis shoe, piercing his foot with the red hot metal burning the surrounding flesh. Although in great pain, Lalo’s main focus was putting out the fire so that no homes would be damaged and he kept on working until the fire was totally extinguished.

When he finally got to the doctor’s, they gave him a tetanus shot and some medicine to apply to the wound and then sent him home with instructions to rest and keep the weight off his foot. After several weeks there was some improvement in the wound but it did not completely heal. It remained raw and open. Lalo was in great pain and it was very difficult for him to walk. Week after week he limped along, trying to do his work. Sweeping and mopping the huge floor at Las Alas now was agony. At his next appointment the doctor told him, “This was a very bad injury. It could take several more months to completely heal. You need to give it time.”

Discouraged and worn out, Lalo went to church. “With all of my heart I cried out to the Lord, ‘Lord Jesus, You know I want to serve You but I can’t do my work with my foot in this condition. You say in Isaiah 53:5 that by Your wounds we are healed. I believe You can heal me. I believe You are healing me. Thank You, Jesus.’ So all that day, and the following days, I kept proclaiming over and over again, ‘By the wounds of Jesus, I am being healed. By the wounds of Jesus, I am being healed.’

“Within a week,” he continued, “my foot was completely and absolutely healed! No open wound, no redness, no more pain. Praise God!”

June 2009 - Nestor and Nellie

Nestor and Nellie Baca planned on only spending one year doing missionary work in Juarez, Mexico. But God had other plans and they ended up staying here for 8 years. Now they are heading back to their home in Albuquerque to spend more time with their children and grandchildren, and it’s with great sadness that we see them go.

Retired from the real estate business, Nestor and Nellie showed up at our doorstep back in the summer of 2001 wanting to help. Little did we know what a tremendous blessing was entering our lives! Full of energy, love and compassion, they jumped right in and looked for ways that they could befriend and help our brothers and sisters across the border who struggle to survive.

Two projects close to their hearts was the building and repairing of homes and the education of youth. Elderly couples, widows and families that would never be able to afford houses on their own have been recipients of beautifully, well-built homes thanks to the Bacas. And several young people are receiving an education that they would have not gotten otherwise.

As the Bacas traveled back and forth across the border almost every day of the week, they quickly made friends with all the beggars and vendors who sell their wares on the international bridges spanning the two countries. Often we spend hours waiting in long lines of traffic on the bridge, and Nestor and Nellie used the time to converse with and learn about the needs of those whose livelihood consists of standing all day, in all kinds of weather, selling trinkets, washing car windows, playing musical instruments or begging. There are many moms and children who try to eke out a living this way. Nellie has an amazing memory and she soon learned the names of all them. Bringing these families groceries each week became a regular part of the Bacas’ routine, as did an annual Christmas party which included individualized gifts for all the children.

We could go on and on listing the numerous ways that Nestor and Nellie brought hope and joy to so many, and they did it all with such cheerfulness and love. They treated each person they helped with dignity and respect, welcoming them into their hearts. We will miss them terribly but will strive to follow their good example and continue their good work. And we pray that they come and visit us often.

May 2009 - Violence in Juarez

Most of you have probably heard or read in the news about the violence in Juarez, Mexico, and some of you have asked how it is affecting us. For those of you who are unaware of the situation, the amount of murders, kidnappings, and violence associated with the drug wars escalated drastically in 2008 and into 2009. Each day brought new reports of tragedies. Some of the victims have been people very close to us or relatives of people close to us. Just last week we were asked to visit a home where the husband was shot. Although he wasn’t killed, the bullet lodged in his spine causing him to be paralyzed from the shoulders down. He will no longer be able to work to support his family.

Along with all the violence, factories have been closing and unemployment has gotten worse. More and more people are coming to our Food Bank in Juarez seeking help. Many of them are young men and women who are willing and eager to work but unable to find jobs. They are desperately trying to put food on the table for their children. We visit the homes of those asking for help to verify if they are really in need and most often we find that they are truly destitute.

The good news is that thanks be to God and to our band of dedicated volunteers, the ministries have continued and are expanding. We have increased the amount of food we are distributing and are trying to figure out ways to meet the growing needs. We are also continuing to minister to the spiritual needs of the people. Hard times and trials often bring folks back to God and that is the case now. We are finding a greater spiritual hunger in the people we serve and a deeper desire in many of them to learn about the ways of the Lord.

During Holy Week the children in our catechism program dressed in costumes and acted out the Way of the Cross for the neighborhood. It was very moving as they recounted what Jesus suffered in His passion and death. All watching could see that Jesus was no stranger to violence Himself.

In the last few weeks the federal government has sent in even more

military troops and the murders have decreased quite a bit, although the atmosphere is still unsettled and tense. But with your support we will continue to try to bring help and hope to our brothers and sisters in need.

Alleluia! Jesus is Risen! May you be blessed this Easter Season.

April 2009 - Baby Born Without Ears

Looking at the sparkly-eyed, beautiful baby in her mother’s arms it was hard to imagine anything being wrong with this two month old. But we knew from the distress her mother Josephine was in that something was terribly wrong. Josephine broke down crying as she pulled back the blanket covering baby Danna’s head. We were shocked to see that instead of ears this baby only had little stubby growths. “Please help us!” the mother begged.

Thanks be to God we were able to get Danna an appointment with the only pediatric audiologist in El Paso. She told us on the phone, “If the baby’s auditory nerve is not damaged we can fit her with hearing aids. That way she can learn to speak as she grows up. However, if the nerve is damaged there’s nothing we can do and she will be deaf and mute all her life.”

On the day of the appointment we brought Danna and her parents into El Paso and took them to the clinic. The audiologist, who was volunteering her time and service, attached the monitors to the baby’s head with some sticky adhesive, then sat at her computer watching the screen. Suddenly she announced, “She’s listening!” Josephine’s face lit up and she smiled at her husband in relief. Everyone was thrilled at this great news.

After completing the tests, the technician brought out a little white, stretchy headband and inserted a transmitter into it. She positioned the transmitter behind one of Danna’s ears. Then in the front of the headband, on the baby’s forehead, she put a little microphone. “Now you need to speak to Danna a lot and aim your voice at the microphone,” she instructed the parents. “The microphone sends the signal to the transmitter which then bypasses the blockage and transmits sound waves to the inner ear. She will now be able to hear your voices and eventually she will learn how to speak, just like a normal child would.” The parents paid close attention to all they were being told and learned how they would have to rotate the transmitter — one day on the left side, one day on the right side — and change the batteries as needed. They are very responsible and caring parents and we know they will do fine with the whole process.

We need to bring Danna back a year from now for a check-up and evaluation. And maybe when she is around 5 years old we can see about getting her some reconstructive surgery. But in the meantime she can hear sounds and distinguish voices which will enable her to learn how to speak. Her family is so grateful, and so are we!

March 2009 - Montessori School

I mentioned in a previous newsletter that I would tell you more about our Montessori school at the Food Bank in Juarez, Mexico (some of the children are pictured above). For many years we have had a little kindergarten for the children who live in the area around the Food Bank. It has been run by volunteer women who do a great job teaching the children ages 3-5.

Last year the Lord sent Adriana Almanza to help us improve the quality of education these little ones are receiving. Adriana is a certified Montessori teacher who was educated at one of the finest Montessori colleges in the world, in Monterrey, Mexico, and was employed as a teacher at a prestigious Montessori school for seven years. Adriana loved her work with the children but felt like the Lord was calling her to work with the poor. So she quit her job and came to volunteer with us for a year. She was delighted to find out that we have a kindergarten and that she could use her skills and talents in helping there. She began training the volunteer teachers in the Montessori Method, and she also got the school she used to work at to donate cases and cases of materials for the children.

Adriana also worked with the parents to get them more involved with the education of their sons and daughters. She wants the parents to reinforce at home what the children are being taught at school. “Your children are receiving a top-quality education for free,” she tells them. “Now you need to do your part!”

Adriana will be leaving us this month but we hope to continue and expand the good work that she did. We have plans to open up another classroom so that next year we can accept more children into this beautiful school.

February 2009 - Maria's Broken Leg

Can you imagine breaking your leg and being in
excruciating pain for 15 days without even a Tylenol? That’s what happened to Maria de Jesus. Maria fell on some steps and completely broke her right leg between the ankle and the knee. Her family took her to a doctor to have an x-ray but they couldn’t afford treatment or even any pain pills. They live only three blocks from the Food Bank and finally after 13 days some family members came to our clinic looking for help. We told them to bring Maria to the clinic but they said she was in too much pain to come.

So Jim Gallagher went to their home bringing some pain medication. He took the x-rays they had to a doctor friend in El Paso. “He looked at the x-rays and told me to bring Maria to his office right away, that he could help her,” Jim said. “So I got her a special permit to cross into the United States, which took 2 days, and then went to pick her up at her house.” Her family had somehow got a hold of an old wheelchair and had put a rough piece of plywood on it to prop up her leg. It was extremely painful for her to move at all, but she had to get in the car, out again at the bridge to process her permit, back into the car, and out again at the doctor’s office. “Going over every pothole and bump in the roads, especially in Juarez, caused her horrible pain,” Jim related. “She was gripping the seat so hard her hands turned white.”

In the examining room, the doctor cut off the flimsy gauze that had been wrapping her leg. “This is going to be extremely painful,” he explained to her kindly, “but I need you to scoot down to the end of the examining table so we can bend your leg and put a cast on it.” While he supported her ankle and knee, she tried to do what he said. She was terrified and pleaded, “Please don’t let my leg go!” He assured her he wouldn’t. Inch by inch, she edged her way down, praying and grimacing in pain the whole time. Once she was in position and the doctor had carefully bent her leg, the skilled nurses quickly went to work wrapping it with the pre-dampened cast material. Satisfied that all was in place, the doctor left the room for 10 or 15 minutes while the cast hardened. When he came back he asked Maria, “How are you feeling now?” She answered with a bright smile. For the first time in 15 days she was out of pain! He took another x-ray and everything looked great.

Maria and her family are so grateful. She can hobble around on crutches pain free. The whole family has started reading the Bible and praying together. “This has brought us closer to God,” she shared. “I can never thank Him enough for what He has done for me.”

January 2009 - Little Church in Juarez

One day after finishing ministry a friend of mine asked, “Can I show you the new church we are helping to build?” “Sure, I would love to see it.” So we drove slowly along some dusty dirt roads, carefully avoiding the deeper potholes in this very poor section on the outskirts of Juarez, Mexico. “The missionaries who serve this parish don’t have much money but the people in the neighborhood are pitching in to help out as they can,” he explained. “They really want to have a church of their own. Many mothers are involved in the project because they are afraid for their sons. There are so many gangs in the area. They want their children to know God and have a place to be taught about their faith.”

He stopped the truck and I looked around trying to see a church. “Here it is!” What was before me was a structure completely made of wooden pallets nailed together to form walls. There was no roof and no foundation, only a dirt floor. Silently I followed him down the incline. As I waited for him to untie the single rusty wire that held the crude door shut, I read the sign someone had painted in shaky calligraphy: “Chapel of St. Antony Mary Claret” with the times for Mass underneath. The icy December wind whipped around us, and I shivered thinking how cold it must be to attend services here, sitting on the rough wooden benches, with nothing to keep out the elements. Sadness filled my heart at how little these people have and the great struggles they face.

But as soon as I crossed the threshold into the little church I was flooded with a strong sense of the presence of God. I looked at the plywood covered pallets that made the floor where the priest stands, and saw the wooden plank propped up on plastic milk crates that formed the altar, and I knew that God was in this place. The Lord chose to be born in humble surroundings like this chapel I was standing in. “Emmanuel — God with us!” And He hears the cry of the poor.

Suddenly my heart was filled again with joy and hope as I listened to my friend tell of our plans to put a roof on the church and to someday help build a more permanent structure to serve the needs of these faith-filled people.

Thank you for making it possible for us to continue reaching out to our brothers and sisters in need. May the Lord bless you with a happy, healthy New Year!