August 2012 - Aracely

We have recently attended several graduations of young people in Juarez, Mexico, whom we have helped with tuition and school-related expenses. These are children coming from very poor families who would have had no opportunity to receive an education if they had not received outside help. It is very gratifying to see how seriously and diligently they applied themselves to their schooling, and how they did not take the gift of receiving an education for granted.

One of those who graduated was a girl named Aracely. Aracely was raised by her grandparents, who took her in when her mother left to go live with a boyfriend in the States. Being poor themselves, it was a struggle for Aracely’s grandparents to raise her. At times they had no diapers for her, and sometimes no milk. When Aracely’s grandfather died, her mother came back to Juarez to attend the funeral, and that is the only time Aracely can remember meeting her mother. Once in a while, perhaps every year or two, her mother will send her $40, but that’s all the help she gets from her.

When we first met Aracely, she was about 9 years old and not attending school. She just hung around her house doing nothing. She was very withdrawn and wouldn’t talk much. But when we told her we would help her with tuition if she wanted to go to school, she got very excited. That was five years ago. Now she has blossomed into a friendly, outgoing and talkative young lady. It has been a real struggle for her to get her education — at times she and her grandmother did not have enough money for the bus Aracely needed to take to get to school, and Juarez streets can be very dangerous — but she persevered. She was so happy at her graduation, beaming with a huge smile from ear to ear. We are very proud of her.

As these young people receive an education, hopefully it will help break the cycle of poverty for them & their families. This is the time of year when tuitions are due, and we had over 100 families sign up for assistance. We are not able to help all of them, but we try to help the ones we know will be committed and take their schooling seriously. 

July 2012 - Alfredo's healing

Tragedy struck the Rodriquez family when their happy, lively 8 year old son, Alfredo, became gravely ill. He was admitted to the children’s hospital in Juarez and diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a serious disorder where the immune system starts attacking part of the nervous system. Alfredo’s condition quickly deteriorated as he started becoming paralyzed. He could no longer eat or swallow so was being fed through a nasal tube. He was unable to breathe on his own so the doctors did a tracheotomy, and he was put on a breathing machine. The only thing Alfredo could do was to smile and move his eyes – and his grandmother told us, “He never lost that beautiful smile.”

After three months of treatment, including being moved to intensive care, the doctor in charge told the family to expect the worse. “Nothing is working,” he said. “One possibility, however, is if you were able to come up with $150,000 pesos (about $11,000 U.S.) the boy could be taken to Mexico City or Monterrey where they have more specialized machines which are not available here in Juarez.”   So this very poor family, with barely enough to live on, frantically tried to raise the money.

Hearing of their plight, Carmen, one of their neighbors who comes regularly to the Lord’s Food Bank, brought them the prayer card of Father Thomas. She told them, “Look, let’s start asking Father Thomas for help.” The family knew Father Thomas – in fact, Alfredo’s mother had made her First Communion at the Food Bank when she was a young girl. Carmen went on, “I’m going to pray this prayer for Alfredo every day with my children.” And the Rodriguez family all agreed that they would pray the prayer also.

A few days later the doctor told them, “I don’t know what happened, I don’t understand, but the boy is fine now. We don’t have to take him to Mexico City. Why should we take him to Mexico City, when there is nothing wrong with him? I can’t explain what happened – but the child is fine. We’re going to keep him here two more weeks to make sure, but then I am going to send him home.” When they removed the tracheotomy tube, the hole in Alfredo’s throat had healed by the next morning. The doctor was very surprised at that because he had told the family it would take 3-4 days for the opening to heal.

Alfredo’s family brought him to the Food Bank soon after he had been released from the hospital, so they could give thanks to God. Everyone was thrilled to see Alfredo so happy and healthy. He is eating fine, talking normally, and after receiving some physical therapy for his weakened muscles, he is back to walking again. Thank you Jesus!

June 2012 - Jaime's conversion

Veronica had been praying for many years for the conversion of her husband. Ever since coming to volunteer with us years ago, she had asked for prayers so that he would come to know God and serve the Lord with her. She was very involved in her parish, and also taught at our Montessori school at the Lord’s Food Bank in Juarez, Mexico. She and her children prayed together every day, but her husband never took part.

Two weeks ago, at the request of the pastor, we helped give a retreat in the parish nearest the Food Bank. Surprisingly, Veronica’s husband, Jaime, decided to come to it. After the various talks, there was a time of individual prayer for each person who attended the retreat. The speaker giving the last talk encouraged those in the audience, “Ask the Holy Spirit to come to you. Open your heart to receive Him.” The participants were then welcome to come forward to be prayed over by the prayer teams.

Jaime sat in his seat, hanging his head. He prayed silently in his heart, “Lord, I don’t know how You can come to me. How can You come to me if I have all this garbage in my heart — I have hatred, anger, unforgiveness, a bad mouth. The only way You could come to me is if You gave me a new heart. That would be the only way — for You to give me a new heart.”

Having said all that silently to the Lord, Jaime decided to go up to receive prayer. The husband and wife team praying over him laid hands on Jaime’s shoulders. Then the man gently put his hand on Jaime’s chest over his heart. Jaime jerked backwards as if someone had struck him. The man prayed, “Lord Jesus, give him a new heart.” At that point, Jaime started to cry. “Take away all the hatred, Lord,” the man continued, “cleanse him. You know him. You know the anger and bitterness that weighs him down. Remove it all, Lord, and give him a new heart.” Jaime wept and wept.

Later Jaime shared with everyone there, “Now I believe that God listens to me. Everything that I was thinking and saying to God in my mind, the person praying for me said out loud — everything. And there’s no way he could have known what I had been praying silently. Now I believe that God listens to me, because He answered my prayer like that. From now on, I’m going to serve God.”

Veronica shared with us this week, “I have a new husband! He’s not the same Jaime. In his job at the factory where he works, he asked to be moved from the line he’s on because his co-workers swear so much. He told me, ‘I can’t stand hearing them swear. It hurts me to be listening to it. Before I used to join in, but now it hurts my heart that they are insulting God.’” Veronica went on, “He now prays with us as a family. My kids are so happy. I never dreamed of this. I have a totally new husband!”

May 2012 - Serving the disabled

One of the heartbreaking aspects of our ministry at the Lord’s Food Bank in Juarez, Mexico, is our limited ability to help the poor who live with some kind of disability. While we can bring them weekly groceries and pay some of their utility bills, beyond food and friendship we don’t have a lot to offer them. Nor are there any places nearby for them to go for physical therapy, occupational rehab or other similar services. Life for a handicapped person can be hard enough, but struggling with poverty on top of that can make it crushingly difficult.

Like for Cecilio, who is a 42 year old diabetic and lost a leg from complications of the disease. He lives alone with only neighbors to help him. There are few paved streets where he lives and the ones that are can be extremely steep. It takes athletic prowess to maneuver a wheelchair over the rocky and sandy roads.

Or Lluvia, who was born at 5 months. Her mom did not know she was pregnant because she had 18 ovarian tumors at the time. It was during surgery to remove the tumors that the doctors discovered the baby. Lluvia stopped breathing many times the night she was born, but she survived and is now 9 years old. Lluvia is blind and unable to speak, but she can hear. Her mom can't work outside the home because there is no one else to care for Lluvia, so we help with what they need to survive.

One desire we have is to get a wheelchair accessible van so we can pick people up and bring them to the Food Bank for the day. That way they could receive a hot meal, attend one of our Bible studies or Masses, and have a chance to interact socially with others in the community.

We are asking the Lord to show us how we can do more to help our beautiful brothers and sisters who face such challenges living with disabilities.

April 2012 - prayer card

We have some good news to share with you.

Ever since Father Rick Thomas died almost 6 years ago, people have been asking when will he be canonized a saint. We would tell them that it is a long and involved process, and that it is up to the Church to decide if that process should be pursued or not. But we would tell them to pray, and if it was God’s will it would happen.

As of yet his cause has not been opened, but we have been given permission by the Jesuit provincial of the New Orleans Province, Fr. Mark Lewis, S.J., to print a prayer card asking for Father Thomas’s intercession. Here are some excerpts from the letter Fr. Lewis wrote to us:

“After hearing the advice of my consulters and conferring with Fr. General’s assistants in Rome, I write this letter to grant you my permission (imprimatur) in response to your request of November 30, 2011... You will be responsible for collecting any documentation of graces received...On our part, the province will begin to gather the materials related to Fr. Richard Thomas which are currently in our archives….These materials will remain with us until the Postulator asks for them.

“As you and your directors are aware, far more important than the process for canonization and official recognition by the Church is the great work of living out the Gospel carried out by your community as it remains inspired by Fr. Thomas, as well as Fr. Harold Rahm and Jack Vessels. Saints are considered to be visible signs of God’s continuing love and grace present in our world. I know that the care you give to the least brothers and sisters of Our Lord gives tremendous witness to that love and grace.

“Be assured of my prayers for you, your community, and the many good people you serve. On this feast of the Presentation of the Lord, may we all renew our dedication to proclaim the Good News of the Reign of God as Jesus called us to do.”

If you would like a copy, either in English or in Spanish, please write us and let us know — we’ll be happy to send you one.

We look forward to hearing more of the ways God is answering prayer through the intercession of Father Thomas. 

March 2012 - Angelita

Angelita is one of the people we visit each week. For many years we have been trying to convince her to leave the deteriorating house that she lives in all alone. She is 96 years old and in frail condition. “You can live with Maricela,” we would tell her, speaking of a  lady who helps us by caring for the sick and elderly in her home. Maricela wanted Angelita to come and live with her, knowing that she wasn’t getting proper care. But Angelita would always tells us, “No, I’m staying here.”

Although Angelita is cheerful and funny, often making us laugh, she also would cry and ask us, “Why is God letting me live so long? I’m too old. I can’t do anything.” Sometimes we would find her still be in bed at noontime when we brought her groceries. “I can barely move,” she would tell us. “I feel very sick.” But even after pleading with her to let us take her to Maricela’s, she would refuse.

About a month ago, however, someone broke into her house. They beat Angelita, stole the few appliances that she had, and left her lying there on the floor. A neighbor found her the next day in bad shape and called us. We took her to the clinic, and the doctor who examined her said that besides the bruising and the trauma from the attack, she was very malnourished. This time we insisted — “Angelita, you can’t live alone anymore. It’s not safe for you, and you’re not eating properly. We are going to take you to Maricela’s.” Shook up from the whole experience, Angelita agreed.

It’s only been a few weeks, but she is doing so much better. She is eating well, sleeping well, and is her usual cheerful self again. She’s ready to go whenever God calls her, but in the meantime we’re glad she’s in a safe place getting the care she needs.

Jose Miguel

Let me introduce you to Jose Miguel. Jose is 54 years old and lives alone. A neighbor told us about him as someone who could use our help. When we visited his little house, we could barely stand it because it smelled so awful. Jose doesn’t have a bathroom and uses a chamber pot in his bedroom, which clearly does not get emptied very often. Jose gets around in a wheelchair, having lost his left leg. Thinking he could hurriedly cross some railroad tracks in time, before an approaching train, he stumbled and fell, losing his leg in the accident. That was 6 years ago. But instead of letting this calamity get him down, Jose determined to make the best of it, and decided to live as normal a life as he could from the confines of his wheelchair. He even trained and entered a marathon for the disabled. He showed us his certificate proudly, saying, “I got 3rd place!”

Since it’s hard for him to make it up the steep hill where our Food Bank is located, we put him on the list to receive groceries on the home visits we make each Friday. His house is falling apart, so we added him to the list of those waiting for house repairs. We also hope to be able to build him a bathroom that is wheelchair accessible.

Jose works as a parking lot attendant and lives off the tips that he receives. Sometimes he doesn’t have enough to buy food, so he was very happy to hear about the groceries we will be bringing him. Positive and enthusiastic about life, he is a real witness to those of us who have all our limbs. He said as we were leaving, "I want to give glory to God because He has given so much to me. Everything that we have belongs to God – He is the owner of this wheelchair, He is the owner of my house, and also He is the owner of my soul. God gives us everything, and He can take everything back if He wants. That's what happened to me – I had everything one day, and the next day I lost everything. But I'm very grateful to God, because He gives me the strength to live in this condition.”