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!

December 2008 - All Saints Parade

It was quite a sight to see – 40 kids dressed as angels and saints, marching in parade around our Food Bank in Juarez, Mexico, singing praises to God. It brought a smile to everyone’s face. Most of these children attend our Montessori kindergarten (updated and better than ever, which we will tell you more about in another letter) and the rest were their siblings who came along for the festivities.

After the parade the children prayed together for peace in Juarez, which is torn by much strife and violence these days. Next came time to enjoy a healthy snack of fruit salad and corn on the cob which the kids greeted with delight. Then each of the children received a bag of candy to take home and enjoy. It was a great celebration!

We want to thank all of you for making it possible for us to serve our brothers and sisters in need, so as Mother Teresa said, “Together we can do something beautiful for God.”

November 2008 - Rosabla's New Heart

Rosalba Nuñez shared a wonderful testimony with us recently. Rosalba had high blood pressure for 20 years after complications with the birth of her son. She had been on medication for it since then. She also had to have
electrocardiograms once or twice a year and other studies on her heart. Every time the tests would come back indicating an abnormal heart.

“I was always tired and felt run down,” Rosalba shared.“I never had much energy and it was due to the weakened state of my heart. I just dragged myself along and would tire very easily.

“About three months ago,” she continued, “my general doctor ordered another electrocardiogram. He called me at home and I asked, ‘How did this test turn out?’ He said, ‘This one was worse than all the previous ones. Your heart is very bad. You need to make an appointment as soon as possible to see your cardiologist.’

“I had been coming to receive prayer from the community for many months, and I faithfully read and prayed through the assigned Scriptures that the prayer team gave me. I did this homework with a lot of dedication and perseverance. I also had a lot of faith that the Lord could heal me. After this phone call I told God, ‘Lord, you can give me a new heart. I am asking that you give me the heart of a child.’

“Praying all the way, I went to the cardiologist on September 23rd and had another series of tests done that day. I kept praying and putting my trust in the Lord as I waited for the results. The doctor came in smiling and said, ‘The tests all came back normal. You’re fine!’ For me it was amazing. I felt enormous happiness. In all these years this was the first time I had normal results.

“I feel wonderful. I have lots of energy now and am not tired. The Lord heard my prayer and has indeed given me a new heart! Thank you, Jesus!”

October 2008 - Viviana Passes Away

A dear, sweet woman that we called, “The Chicken Lady”, passed away last month. She had been suffering for a long time with cancer and was ready and eager to go to the Lord. Of all the people that we visit in their homes in Juarez, Mexico, Viviana (her real name) was the one most remembered and spoken of by our visitors.

What made her so distinct and earned her the name, “The Chicken Lady”, is that she kept about 40 chickens at her place. These chickens had free access to her little shack, walking in and out, hopping on her bed, laying eggs wherever, clucking contentedly around the legs of visitors. She also had about a dozen doves and sparrows in cages. Viviana had never married and had no children of her own, and the birds were her friends and companions.

As you can imagine her house smelled horribly. In the summer when temperatures soar into the 100’s the cement floor would heat up and the chicken manure would start steaming, making the stench even worse. Some people had to clog their noses to endure the visit. We repeatedly tried to get Viviana to move, or at least let us clean up her house. But she adamantly refused. This was her home, this is where she was going to stay until she died, and the chickens were part of the family. She shared, “I only have two reasons to get up in the morning: my God and my chickens.”

And indeed another thing that touched people about Viviana was her tremendous faith. She never complained. She lived in what we would view as a chicken coop, with a door that wouldn’t close properly, a crack in the window, and chickens running around everywhere. But she radiated joy and was grateful to God for everything. She would pray with our visiting groups each time and many were moved to tears by her great faith in God. She would often tell us that she prayed for all our missionaries and for anyone who had ever visited her.

Towards the end of her life, Viviana agreed to let us move her and find homes for the chickens as she was no longer able to care for them. But when we went to catch the birds a couple of them got away. We moved Viviana to her sister’s house but she got so homesick she moved back the next day. She was upset that the chickens were gone, even though the caged birds were still there. But the two chickens who had escaped the roundup found their way back inside and soon had some chicks, so once more Viviana was in the company of her favorite feathered friends.

Viviana had always wanted to die in the early morning, and the Lord honored that desire by coming for her at 5:30 a.m. Her sister and niece were with Viviana when she died. And so were her chickens.

September 2008 - Birth of Kiara, Death of Marion

Last month the community of the Lord’s Ranch experienced a birth and a death within 48 hours of each other. You may remember our newsletter last year telling about the wedding of Mike and Norma Reuter. Mike and Norma honeymooned in Italy, visiting many shrines and receiving a special blessing from Pope Benedict XVI. Hoping to start a family soon, they were delighted to find out a month later that they were expecting a baby, and on August 3rd Norma gave birth to Kiara Maria at the Ranch with the help of midwives. Kiara is named after St. Clare and Our Blessed Mother, and she was welcomed with much joy and love by all of us.

Meanwhile in another building on the Ranch, Marion Halloran, 92 years of age, was in another kind of labor, undergoing the slow process of dying. Marion was the oldest member of our community after her husband Bill died at the age of 94 four years ago.

Marion and Bill had moved here from Rhode Island in 1978 to live and volunteer full-time with Our Lady’s Youth Center. Bill helped dig wells and build our inter- national shortwave radio station and Marion helped with the administrative work. As she grew older and less mobile, she focused more on her role as intercessor and faithfully prayed for all of our donors and their intentions for many years. Marion lived next door to her son and his family, and she was well-loved and cared for by her children and grandchildren.

As Kiara was getting used to breathing her first breaths, Marion breathed her last and peacefully went to her reward early in the morning of August 5th. In a way, Kiara and Marion both experienced birth — Kiara was born into earthly life and Marion was born into eternal life with God.

August 2008 - Eye Healed

“By Jesus’ stripes we are healed”* was one of Fr. Thomas’favorite Scriptures. He taught us that the Lord is still in the healing business and that we should pray for people to be healed, which we do. Over the years we have seen the Lord work many marvels, and it is wonderful to be a witness of what God can do. Last month the Lord blessed me with a physical healing of my own.

Due to a variety of factors, I had been under a lot of stress the past few months and it was affecting my eyes. They were often bloodshot and the right eye especially was strained and sore. I knew I needed to slow down and get some rest, which I tried to do, and there was some improvement. But my right eye continued to bother me.

I was in the process of getting an appointment with the eye doctor so I could get my eyes checked. In the meantime I prayed, “Lord Jesus, You can do anything. Nothing is impossible for you. Please heal my eyes.” I went to Mass that morning and after Communion, an image came to my mind of the muscles surrounding the eye. They looked very strained and tight. Then I felt a warm, tingly feeling start to flow over my right eye and spread to the area around it. This sensation lasted for several minutes. I felt a strong sense of the Lord’s love, and I thanked Him for whatever He was doing.

Throughout that day whenever I felt the ache or soreness in my eye, I stopped and prayed and the same feeling of warmth would flood over my eye and right side of my face. That day was a busy one, and it wasn’t until late in the evening when I had time to sit and reflect on what had happened. When I did, I realized that my eye was not hurting at all anymore! I knew the Lord had healed me.

Since that day my eyes have been great. No more pain at all – not even a twinge! I thank God for His mercy and love, and the gift of this healing that He gave me.

* see Isaiah 53:5 and 1 Peter 2:24

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.”