July 2008 - Ministry at Loma Blanca

At Christmas we told you about our ministry in Loma Blanca on the far outskirts of Juarez. The people there live in very primitive conditions, either in houses of cinderblock, or cardboard and wooden pallets. Electric lines crisscross all over the ground and there is no running water in any of the homes. A water truck comes by and people pay to have their 55 gallon drums filled each week. Out of those barrels comes the family’s water supply for cooking, drinking, bathing and washing clothes.

But little by little the situation is improving. We are starting to build houses for the families living in cardboard shacks. We also have a wonderful team of dedicated volunteers who go every Saturday to minister to the people of this area. Early in the morning, before the people start arriving at our center, the volunteers assemble the grocery bags that will be given to each family. Some package beans and rice, others add potatoes, oranges, pasta and vegetables. These sacks are then set aside for later distribution. Then the doors of our building are opened to the folks waiting outside. About 100 children come each week and the teachers give them a short lesson from the Bible and afterwards the kids color a page related to the Bible story they just learned about. The adults are taught on their level inside, while the kids are taught outside under some tarps to provide shade. Thanks to a generous benefactor, we are currently building a second story to our center there so that the children can be inside too.

This summer a high school group from Georgia who were visiting us pitched in to help. Along with preparing the grocery bags, the high school students joined in the class for children, singing with them and helping the little ones as they colored. The students had brought along some piñatas filled with candy, so for a special treat after the lesson the children lined up to take their turn at breaking the piñatas.

There are no bathrooms in our center so the group had to go to one of the houses nearby. The house had a curtain instead of a door, and the toilet had to be flushed by dipping a bowl into a bucket of water next to it and pouring it in. Having just seen the water truck fill up the barrels in front of each house, they wanted to be very careful not to use too much of the family’s water supply.

At the end of the day one of the students commented, “No picture or video we show could really describe this. You’d have to experience it yourself.”

June 2008 - Chuy Pinones

You may remember us telling you about Chuy Piñones, the little boy who was born with hydro-cephalus, or excess fluid on the brain. Despite all the setbacks and hurdles he has had to overcome in his young life, including the death of his mother, Chuy is such a happy and cheerful little guy and brings joy to everyone he meets.

Recently Chuy started having fainting spells so we took him to a doctor in El Paso to find out what was wrong. We assumed it was complications from the hydrocephalus but the doctor ruled that out and said it was not neurological. When he checked Chuy’s heart, he detected a heart murmur and said that we needed to get an echocardiogram done. Thankfully we found another doctor who was willing to do the expensive test at a discounted price, and the results showed that one of the blood vessels in Chuy’s heart was leaking and needed to be repaired. In the providence of God this same doctor, a pediatric specialist, agreed to do the surgery, and we found out later that he was the only doctor in the area who was qualified to do the delicate procedure.

The day before the surgery, Jim Gallagher brought Chuy and his grandmother to the international bridge to get the necessary permits to cross into the United States. Usually there is a two hour wait as the humanitarian visas are issued, but the director of the bridge, who is a friend of ours, spotted Jim and came to see who he was bringing over. After hearing the story she got her people to speed up work on the visas, then asked Chuy, “Are you hungry?” “Oh, yes!” responded Chuy emphatically (he always seems to be hungry!). The staff had just finished having a business meeting and there were leftover sack lunches, so Chuy and his grandmother feasted on fine deli sandwiches and fresh fruit. The director, who oversees 1000 employees, stooped down and tied Chuy’s unlaced shoe while saying to Jim, “I only wish we had some toys for Chuy to play with.”

The next day in preparation for surgery, the nurses had a tough time getting an I.V. going and it was hurting Chuy a lot. He was very brave and thank God that seemed to be the hardest part of the whole operation. The procedure to repair the leaky valve went fine. As he awoke in pediatric intensive care, the nurse asked Chuy, “How do you feel?” “Hungry,” he murmured. He had already won the hearts of everyone on the floor, and one of the nurses ran out to McDonalds and bought him a Happy Meal instead of serving the usual hospital food. Seeing him chomp contentedly on his cheeseburger, they knew Chuy was going to be okay.

He was released the next day and is back at home doing fine. The next hurdle that awaits is a surgery to repair his cleft palate, but knowing Chuy he will take it in stride with a smile on his face.

May 2008 - Fr. Harold Rahm, S.J.

Last month we had a very special priest visit us – Fr. Harold Rahm, S.J. Fr. Rahm, who is 89 years old, was the original founder of Our Lady’s Youth Center back in 1953. He started the organization to work with the gang members in South El Paso. Along with a talented team of volunteers and social workers, Fr. Rahm started many different types of activities for the children and teens who lived in the surrounding neighborhood. The Youth Center sponsored cultural activities, games, sports, and a summer camp for the youth, to name a few. At its peak they handled some 600 underprivileged teens and pre-teens on a daily basis.

In 1964 Fr. Rahm was chosen by his Jesuit superiors to go to Brazil to do missionary work. He has been in Brazil ever since, continuing his apostolate to the poor and marginalized people there. He has founded numerous centers and programs through the years and is especially known for his work with drug addicts, street children, and women in the red light district.

While in El Paso raising funds for his ministries in Brazil, Fr. Rahm celebrated Mass and visited with us. He wrote in his autobiography and also shared with us the following:

[In 1964] my superior asked me to go to Brazil because my charism is “first beginnings.” I plant seeds. Others take over. My superior told me that I could ask any priest in the Province to take my place in El Paso. If the chosen priest agreed, he would assign the priest as director of Our Lady’s Youth Center.

Immediately I thought of Richard Thomas, S.J., a former student of mine in Tampa. Richard had all the necessary qualities to work in South El Paso. He was popular, a good teacher with an attractive, dry sense of humor, and above all, a spiritual man. I asked him to take my place. He flew to El Paso to have a look at what we were doing. As we were getting ready to drive around South El Paso, he said he wanted to stand in the back of the pick-up to get a better view of things. So I drove him around and we conversed through the window. At the end he told me, “Okay, I’ll come.”

Under my direction the Center had become nationally famous. Father Thomas placed the center on an international level. He did not follow my outline. He turned the Youth Center into a locale where prayer was of primary importance. He changed the focus from the gangs to the destitute in El Paso and in Juarez, Mexico. Father Thomas remained with his poor. Slowly, the other side of town realized that this mendicant priest was a saint. I laid the foundation. Richard sanctified the edifice.

Fr. Thomas went on to direct and expand the ministries of Our Lady’s Youth Center for 42 years, until his death in 2006.

It was a delight for all of us to meet Fr. Rahm and to experience his love and joy firsthand.

April 2008 - Baby Daira

Luz Carrillo knew that something was wrong with her baby Daira. When she was released from the hospital after giving birth everything seemed fine. But her concern grew as she realized her baby’s legs just didn’t look right. Her doctor agreed and ordered x-rays. The x-rays showed both of the baby’s hips were displaced and if the condition was not corrected, Daira would be crippled for the rest of her life.

Not having the means to pursue further treatment, a distraught Luz brought Daira, who was a month old at the time, to our medical clinic at the Food Bank in Juarez. “Can you help my baby?” she pleaded. Jim Gallagher, who takes care of these complicated medical problems which are beyond the scope of our little clinic, told Luz, “The first thing we would need is x-rays.” “Oh, I already have those. I’ll run home and get them now.” Jim took the x-rays to a doctor in El Paso who told us that it wasn’t a bone problem but that he wanted to see the child right away. Jim arranged the necessary permissions to cross the mom and baby, and after the examination the doctor sent them over to a place that specializes in prostheses for babies. They fitted Daira with a special harness and gave instructions to Luz on how to use it and what it was supposed to accomplish. Luz is very bright and caught on fast, and with an appointment to come back in three weeks, she headed back home with Daira all rigged up.

After the three weeks were up, it became clear that Daira needed to see a specialist. An orthopedic surgeon from El Paso, who does volunteer work at a hospital in Juarez, agreed to see the baby. When the surgeon examined Daira he told Luz, “We need to act right away. The longer we wait, the worse her condition will be. I want to see her in El Paso to operate on her next week.” Sick with worry, the family wondered how they would ever be able to pay for even a fraction of the cost of surgery. Jim Gallagher assured them we would help in any way we could. The surgeon made arrangements with a hospital in El Paso and the procedure was scheduled for a week later. This was remarkable because usually it takes us months to get all those details worked out, and even more remarkable, everything was being done free of charge!

The morning of the operation, Jim crossed Luz and Daira and got them to the hospital in plenty of time. The medical staff fell in love with this precious baby who smiled at everyone. Thanks be to God all went well. The surgeon put a cast on Daira from the waist down which has to stay on for 6 weeks, but when that cast comes off Daira will be able to crawl, pull herself up, and walk like any normal baby would do. Luz can’t wait for the day!

March 2008 - Man Healed of Cancer

Stories keep emerging about how the Lord used (and is continuing to use) Fr. Richard Thomas in a mighty way to bring healing and hope to people. A few days ago Heidi shared this testimony with me.

About four or five years ago, the father of one of her friends was very sick and had been in the hospital. Since his liver had ceased functioning and his kidneys were rapidly failing, the doctors sent this man home to die. They gave him 15 days to live at most. Heidi went to visit him and suggested, “Do you want me to take you out to the Lord’s Ranch so that Fr. Thomas can pray with you?” “I guess so,” the man answered despondently. So they drove him out to the Ranch for Sunday Mass. He was so weak that they had to carry him from the van to a wheelchair and wheel him into the service.

As was his normal routine, Father Thomas finished celebrating Mass and then went to another building to hear confessions and counsel people. After the sick man had been helped back into the van to drive to that other building, he was too weak to get out again. This whole trip had been strenuous and exhausting in his feeble condition. Heidi went inside to look for Father and asked him, “Father, I brought a dying man here so that you could pray with him. Can you come outside to the van because he is too weak to come inside?” “Where is he?” Father asked. “I’ll come out right now.” Heidi led the way and Father went up to the window where the man was sitting. After giving him the anointing of the sick, Father Thomas laid his hand on the man’s shoulder and prayed out loud, “Lord, nothing is impossible for You. Please come and heal this brother who is in bad shape. Fix him up like only You can. Amen.” That was it. Father went back inside to hear the confessions of those who were waiting.

On the way home the man seemed to be in a daze. “I felt heat come from his hand as soon as Father touched my shoulder,” the man shared. “I felt that warmth spread all over my body, and I still feel it.”

Four months later he went to see the doctor. “What are you doing here?!” the doctor exclaimed. “I’m here for my checkup,” replied the man. “You’re supposed to be dead! Your liver was destroyed, your kidneys were failing – there’s no way you can still be alive!” “Well, here I am,” laughed the man. “God ‘fixed me up’!”

This man is still alive today and doing well, thanks be to God. We are saving up all these testimonies and more keep getting added to the stack as people share with us how God used this truly amazing priest in their lives.

February 2008 - Making Tamales

One of the special foods for holidays in Mexico are tamales. Tamales are made up of either a savory or sweet filling surrounded by a cornmeal dough, all wrapped up in corn husks and then steamed. They are very delicious, but after being involved in preparing tamales, you can see why they are only served at special occasions – they are quite labor intensive.

This year we wanted to serve this festive food for the celebration of Three Kings Day (the Epiphany) at one of our Food Banks in Juarez. We knew it would be a big task to prepare the many dozens of tamales needed to feed all the people. But we had a group of college students visiting from the Franciscan University of Steubenville who were willing to help. With some experienced local helpers guiding us, we rolled up our sleeves and got to work.

The first task was to get the meat off of 10 big turkeys that had been roasted the previous day. This meat had to be shredded into small pieces so it could be added to the chili mixture. We had pots of red chili and green chili sauce bubbling on the stove and as the meat got shredded, it was stirred in. While the filling was being prepared, the dried, golden corn husks were soaking in a big tub of warm water so that they would become supple and easier to work with.

Now came the time to put it all together. We formed an assembly line with the first station spreading the masa, the soft, white cornmeal dough that gets spooned onto the now-moistened corn husks. These got passed to the next person who put a spoonful of the meat and chili filling in the middle. The next person in the assembly line would carefully fold over the corn husks, making a neat package ready to be put in the steamer. Soon the fragrant aroma of cooking tamales filled the room making everyone hungry, but no one sampled any of the finished product (except the official taster).

The following day at the Food Bank, the college students set out the feast. Steaming hot tamales, fluffy rice, beans, hot tea and cake were served to our brothers and sisters of the colonia. The people cheered and shouted out, “Glory to God” when they saw the tamales, a rare treat for them. The crowd swelled as word spread like wildfire around the neighborhood. Thanks to the students’ hard work, there was plenty for all who came. While not the best looking tamales in the world, everyone agreed that they were delicious, and the people were so touched to know that we had made them ourselves.

“It gave me a lot of joy seeing how happy the people were to get our tamales,” shared one of the students. “It was hard work, but so worth it!”

November 2007 - Mike and Norma Reuter's wedding

The church was packed and the atmosphere was charged with excitement. Young and old crammed into the pews, mothers bounced babies, and rambunctious toddlers climbed on the seats. What was happening? Two special members of our community were getting married.

Mike Reuter, the groom, first came to work with Fr. Rick Thomas back in 1985. He was 21 years old at the time and wanted to spend a year doing missionary work. He ended up never leaving. This was God’s call for his life, he decided. However he also felt called to marriage, but how was he ever going to convince a girl to join him in this radical lifestyle. Mike lived at the Lord’s Ranch where there is no air conditioning in the summer and no heating (except from the sun) during the winter. Floors are bare cement, bathing is limited to two showers a week, and none of the staff receive a salary. All of us are full-time volunteers, dependent on the Lord’s providence to supply our needs. Mike took seriously Matthew 6:33 where Jesus says, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these other things will be given you as well.” He knew God wanted him working in this part of His Kindgom, and he trusted that the Lord would bring the right girl along. And thus began a very long wait.

God had a plan. Enter Norma Garcia, the bride. Norma was only 6 years old when Mike moved down from North Dakota to live here. God had her in mind for Mike but obviously it would take some time before she was ready to be his wife. She lived only miles from the Lord’s Ranch but their paths would not cross for many years.

Finally, when Norma was 24 years old, she came to the Ranch for the first time. She started volunteering in the ministries, and then started staying at the Ranch. After several years of being good friends, Mike could see that Norma felt called to live at the Lord’s Ranch also. So on New Year’s Eve, the feast of the Holy Family, he asked her if she would enter into courtship with him. She gave a joyful yes and they started dating. Mike proposed to Norma on Holy Saturday a few months later, which happened to be Norma’s birthday, and they announced the wonderful news after the Easter Vigil Mass. The congregation erupted with hoots and hollers at this great news.

The day of their wedding was sunny and bright. Over 450 people, including Mike’s family from up north, filled the church to celebrate this very special ceremony uniting two beautiful, dedicated servants of the Lord. After the vows everyone broke into spontaneous applause and cheers.

Mike and Norma are on their honeymoon in Italy as I write this, thanks to very generous donations from family and friends. They will make their home together in the building that also houses the chapel where Mike spent many years praying for his future wife. What’s he say about it now? “She was well worth the wait!”