June 2007 - Eileen's Education

Education is something we often take for granted, but for a young girl living in Mexico it is in no way guaranteed. Eileen Macias was abandoned by her parents when she was 3 years old. She was left in the care of her elderly grandparents when her mom and dad went to America to build a new life. Although they are still in contact occasionally, her parents never came through with their promises of financial support, so Eileen’s schooling was in jeopardy.

Juan and Loretto, Eileen’s grandparents, struggled to keep her in school as both of them battled poor health and various ailments. Loretto has diabetes and is in need of surgery on both of her knees. Making ends meet was getting harder and harder. Juan used to work at the Lord’s Food Bank as a volunteer for 20 years until he was physically unable to help, so he is on our route to bring weekly groceries to. On one of these visits, a couple from Georgia accompanying us, was struck with Eileen’s plight and wanted to help keep her in school. They started sending money each month to do that. When the money arrives, we bring it to Eileen and she keeps it carefully in an envelope, budgeting it herself and using it to buy books and pay her tuition.

At 14 years old, Eileen is very focused on school and on making the most of her education. She is a bright 7th grader and tells us, “I really want to continue studying so that I can become a doctor. I’m taking computer classes along with my other subjects now.” She is extremely self-motivated because her grandparents, due to their ages and health, can’t do much for her. But amidst her humble surroundings with the leaking roof and cement floor, she applies herself diligently to her studies, cheerfully completing all the homework assigned to her. Someone teasingly asked her, “Don’t you have a boyfriend yet?” “That’s not for me now,” she replied solemnly. “School is what’s important now.”
Eileen is not at all bitter about her parents. “Your real mother is the one who raises you. My grandparents take very good care of me – sometimes too good,” she smiled. But it’s obvious to see that the feeling is mutual. Eileen is the light and love in Juan and Loretto’s lives. They adore this vivacious and beautiful granddaughter of theirs, and it’s plain to see how much she loves them.

April 2007 - New Home of Martina and Jose Reyes

In our Christmas newsletter we told you about Martina and Jose Reyes needing a better, more secure place to live. I’m happy to report that the renovations have just been completed and they now have a strong, solid home. We knocked down the old, creaky porch to make room for an indoor bathroom with running water. Concrete now covers the dirt floor and a new roof keeps out the rain. Instead of a dark, gloomy interior, Martina and Jose now have a house that is bright, clean and easier to move around in. Thank you for helping us bring this about.

March 2007 - Healing of Miguel's sister

Miguel Maldonado is one of the quiet, humble pillars of our community. He is so faithful and steady in coming to the ministries to serve in any way he can. His roles are many – he is a key driver on the weekly routes taking food to the elderly poor, sick and homebound we serve in Juarez, Mexico. He is also part of the team that goes to the jails each week to take food and the Word of God to those in prison. In addition to all that, Miguel is one of the broadcasters at our international shortwave radio station KJES, which is located at The Lord's Ranch in New Mexico.

Recently Miguel shared with us a wonderful testimony. This is what he told us:

My sister has smoked cigarettes for many years. In a recent medical examination the doctor told her, “You have cancer in your lungs. It is so advanced that we are going to have to operate on you immediately and try to remove the tumors.”
So the emergency surgery was scheduled and my sister called me desperate for prayer. I assured her we would be praying for her, and the morning of her scheduled operation, we went to Mass with the community. At the prayers of the faithful I prayed out loud for her healing. I felt the Lord’s peace.

Later on my sister phoned me from the hospital. “The doctors opened me up and could find no sign of cancer! My lungs were clear and fine, thanks be to God.”

I give thanks and praise to God for all His marvels for me and for my family.

We join Miguel in thanking God for this wonderful healing.

February 2007 - Mariquita's New House

This month we have some wonderful news to share with you. Do you remember us telling you about Mariquita, the blind lady whose house was flooded with 2 feet of mud and debris in the summer rainstorms? With the change of terrain outside, she had to get on her hands and knees and crawl out to the clothesline to hang her laundry so she would not fall in any holes. We shared how we were hoping to build her a new home soon in a better location. Well, thanks be to God, the little house is finished!

Mariquita stayed with her daughter during the time of construction because her previous house was literally falling apart after the heavy rains. The roof of one of the rooms caved in and the place became too hazardous for her. This new home is solidly built on high ground and has easy access from a paved road that runs alongside it. The design is one open room containing her bed and a kitchen/dining area, with a small bathroom off to the side. This makes it easier for her to get around since she can’t see.

Despite December being a busy month, those working on her home rushed to get it done by Christmas.

Now all moved in, she tells us, “I’m so happy here! May God bless all of you who helped build me this wonderful place to live.”

January 2007 - New Playground Equipment

Imagine going to school and at recess time having nothing but a dirt yard to play in with one old plastic cube to climb on. This was the case for the students attending our school at the Lord’s Food Bank in Juarez, Mexico. But thanks to some resourceful friends in Albuquerque, the kids now have a real playground.

It came about that a Catholic grade school was getting rid of their old playground equipment. Our friends asked if they could have it for the Food Bank in Mexico and the school readily agreed. But then came the problem of transportation. How does one get a swing set, slide, and merry-go-round across the border and to a rural location in Mexico? No easy task!

Getting it loaded onto a trailer and brought to El Paso was one step. Then Nestor Baca and his son, Dennis, had to scout out a route to drive, because the electric wires hang very low over many of the roads, and the equipment could have gotten dangerously snagged in them.

With that figured out, and a few more hurdles overcome, the precious cargo finally arrived! The children were so excited that as soon as the slide was unloaded and propped up against the fence, they started using it. Nestor had to chase them away so that they wouldn’t get hurt, promising that they could slide all they wanted to once it was properly installed. So the children watched wide-eyed from the classroom, dying to get their chance to play.

The men dug the necessary holes, positioned the equipment and poured the cement. It all got finished before Christmas, and what a great gift it was. The kids have been having a ball!

We hope you and your loved ones had a very blessed Christmas, and we pray for a happy, healthy New Year!

December 2006 - Josefina and Jose Reyes

For Martina and her husband Jose Reyes, life seems to be a series of trials and suffering. Martina has asthma and chronic bronchitis and requires continual supplemental oxygen so she can breathe. Her body is wracked with pain and she stands more often than she sits, as that is easier on her body. Her husband has cataracts and is practically blind. They live in a broken down shack next to their son’s. Their son works to support his family and his elderly parents, but it is a big struggle to make ends meet. Adding to their woes, the propane gas tank that is fuel for heating and for the little stove Martina cooks off of is regularly stolen by neighborhood thugs. Defenseless Jose and his wife are unable to ward off the thieves.

When we drive up to their home on Mondays and Fridays, we inevitably find Martina and Jose Reyes out on the little porch. What they call their porch is a section outside covered overhead by some loose planks of wood where they put two rickety chairs in the dirt. “It’s warmer out here,” insists Martina, and anyone looking into the dark, cramped interior of the place they call home knows what she says is true. There is a saying in Spanish, “The sun is the blanket of the poor” and Martina and Jose Reyes take full advantage of the warming sunshine on these cold winter days.

We have tried to prioritize who needs a new or fixed up house the most, and after we finish Mariquita’s new home (she’s the blind lady we wrote you about earlier) we plan on making
Martina and Jose Reyes a better and more secure place to live.

As we enter this beautiful season of Christmas, we want to thank all of you for your generosity and support. We couldn’t do this work without you. Thank you for being a part of our family.

November 2006 - All Saints Day party

Every year at the end of October we have a very special celebration for the children at our weekly prayer meeting – an All Saints Celebration. In their catechism classes that month, the children are taught about the saints and how they help us with their intercession. The lives of different saints are discussed and the children learn about some of the heroes of the Church. Each child is encouraged to choose one of the saints and learn more about their life. Then they are to dress up as that saint and be prepared to share a little about the saint’s life before all the adults assembled.

On the chosen day, as the prayer meeting gets underway, a wide variety of creatively dressed children start to arrive. You can spot a little St. Francis with a stuffed lamb under his arm, a Mother Teresa with her blue and white sari, a St. Therese the Little Flower clinging to a bouquet of roses, and a Padre Pio with his crucifix and rosary. This year a pair of identical twin brothers each dressed up as St. Martin de Porres (see photo above), complete with dark greasepaint on their faces. Many times it’s hard to tell who the child is dressed up as, and you just have to wait until the time of the speeches to find out who this little person is trying to be. As the excitement builds, the musicians begin singing, “Oh when the saints go marching in…” and the children march around the room in their colorful array. When it is time for them to share about the saint they chose, some kids speak confidently from memory, others read the information from a card, some sing a song and still others get stage fright and the teacher has to do the explaining.

The celebration concludes with Mass honoring all the saints. Then as the children leave, they are all given a bag of treats to enjoy at home — a satisfying reward for a job well done.