August 2014 - Beans multiplied

The parish priest in the area around The Lord’s Food Bank in Juarez, Mexico, is in charge of the 5 churches closest to us. He planned a party to honor all the volunteers who help him with the ministries of those churches. The Food Bank is under his pastoral care, and we were invited to attend the festivities. We were asked to bring two huge stock pots of beans to share with everyone. Misunderstanding the request, the cooks put 4 two-pound bags of pinto beans to boil, which ended up making only half of one of the stock pots. When one of the organizers entered the kitchen, she exclaimed to Ramona (the Food Bank director), "That's only half a pot of beans. It’s not going to be enough! They are expecting 300 people at the party." Ramona said, "Well, let's quickly cut up some hot dogs and chorizo sausage and throw that in to make it more.” With the added meat, the one big pot was now full. Saying a fervent prayer over the beans, they headed to the party. 

Bringing the chili beans to the food table, the parish organizers were dismayed, saying, "We asked you to bring two stock pots, not just one. There will never be enough to feed everyone! The only other food we have are tacos and the fixings (guacamole, salsa, lettuce, etc.) But Ramona assured them, "The Lord will provide. Don’t worry."

Knowing that’s all they could do, our volunteers joined in the fiesta and fun. Soon it was time to eat, but no one told the servers to go easy on the beans, and they filled 14 ounce paper cups full of the bean/sausage mix, handing them to person after person in the long lines.

After the party was over and things were winding down, Ramona asked Conchita to go get the stock pot so they could take it back to the Food Bank. When Conchita went to get it, the parish ladies told her, "Come and look. The pot is still more than halfway full! We can’t believe it!" Going back to Ramona, Conchita told her, "They won't give me back the pot because it still has beans in it."

The next day some of the parish volunteers brought back our pot. “We are witnesses ourselves now of what God can do.” They shared that all the party organizers divided up the remaining chili beans to take home, and only then was the pot empty.

That's the story of the Lord’s Food Bank. God always provides!

Conchita with the pot from which

the beans never ran out.

July 2014 - Packaging Beans

In the picture below you can see some of the men who volunteer at the Food Bank gathered around a big tin tub which is full of pinto beans. The men dump out a 100 lb. sack of beans at a time into the tub and then scoop 2 pounds of those beans into small brown lunch sacks that are afterward sealed with tape. These smaller bags of beans are what we distribute each week, along with rice, fresh produce and dairy products to the families in need of food. We use 1300 pounds of beans every week so that is a lot of scooping! 

Jesus told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost."   

John 6:12

After the men fill the weekly quota of sacks, they very painstakingly pick up any stray beans that fell to the ground in the process. Dusting them off, they save those beans for next time.

Father Rick Thomas taught us how important it is to be good stewards of the gifts God gives us. He often used the example of Jesus telling his disciples to gather up all the leftovers after the multiplication of the

loaves and fishes. Food is a precious commodity that we often take for granted, but we don’t want any of the food we buy to go to waste. It may seem inconsequential to pick up a dozen or so small, dried beans, but these men take their responsibility seriously, knowing what it’s like to feel hunger.

Volunteers prepare the fresh produce

for distribution at the Lord’s Food Bank.

I wonder if that is one of the reasons why Jesus continues to multiply food at the Lord’s Food Bank. We have another great story to share with you about that next month. 

June 2014 - eyesight healed

Jesus said in the Beatitudes, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” (Luke 6:20) We are privileged many times to see this beatitude fulfilled in the lives of the poor that we serve. The people we work with may be lacking in the material necessities of life, but they are often rich in faith – faith that moves mountains.

This was the case with Crescencia Tapia. Crescencia was going blind as a result of a stroke she had suffered. Not being able to afford the operation she was advised to get, she turned with childlike faith to God. She shared the following testimony with me:

Two years ago I had a bad stroke. I was losing my eyesight. Day by day my eyesight got worse, to the point where I wasn’t able to see much at all. The doctors told me that I had a lot of blood in my brain from the stroke which was damaging my vision. The eye doctor told me, “The only way to remove that blood from your brain is for you to have an operation.”

I left feeling very sad and discouraged. There was no way that I could afford an operation. But then I remembered my faith in my Savior Jesus. “Lord God,” I prayed, “You know that I can’t afford an operation. Will you please operate on me instead?” After I prayed, I felt that operation! I felt something going on in my head. God heard my prayer and operated on me.

For that reason now I can see – because the Lord operated on me. My sight is restored, and I can see fine!

I went back to the eye doctor, and he told me with disbelief, “I don’t understand it, but the blood is gone. There is nothing wrong with your vision now.” I don’t think he believed me when I told him Jesus had operated on me, but it doesn’t matter. Because I am healed and now I can see. Thank you to my beautiful Lord, Doctor Jesus!

[I’m sorry that I forgot to take Crescencia’s picture for this newsletter.]

May 2014 - watermelon multiplied

We have been going through old photos and documents to organize our files and archive the many marvels that the Lord has done in our community. I came across the testimony of some of the people who participated in the jail ministry on a day in 1994 when a watermelon was multiplied. Here is the firsthand account from one of the team members: 

 

“Today we went to the jail in Juarez and this day the Lord let me see a great miracle. Once again, Jesus came walking among human beings doing His miracle of multiplication. He still does that because His promise is that He will be with us always until the end of the world. And again we have proof of that.

“When we arrived in the morning, a group of us were praising God in song while other groups went and spoke to the prisoners in different parts of the jail. As we were singing, an image came to my mind of people carrying trays piled high with watermelon. I didn’t understand what the Lord was trying to tell me, so I forgot about it and kept on singing. 

“Later on we all gathered together as we usually do to share how the ministry went. One of the ladies told us that early that morning someone had given her a watermelon to take to the jail [we always bring food to share with the prisoners since they are not fed regularly in the Juarez jails]. She wondered what she would do with that one watermelon since there would not be enough to share with all the prisoners. She decided to send it to the women’s cells because there are never as many women in jail as there are men. Then if there were any slices left, we could take those to any prisoners locked up in solitary confinement that day. So that’s what they did — they started sharing the watermelon with the women prisoners. Then to the few men who were in solitary confinement. Still having leftover slices, they kept on going to the men’s cells. From that one watermelon, 60 people received a regular size slice of the juicy, sweet fruit. I understood then what the Lord was trying to tell me in the image I received in prayer. He hears the cry of the poor and can supply what we lack in our service to them. I give thanks to God, glory to God, because once again He allowed me to see His marvels and miracles. Woohoo!”

I thought you would enjoy that story.

April 2014 - some of our staff

One of the readers of this newsletter recently asked us to print a picture of the staff of OLYC “so we can get to know you, at least by your photos.” It’s hard to get us in one place at one time, but some of us gathered last month to meet with Bishop Mark Seitz, the newly appointed bishop for the El Paso Diocese. We wanted to let him know what Our Lady’s Youth Center does, and he was happy to hear of the many outreaches we have on both sides of the border. 

Bishop Seitz is seated, and behind him left to right are: Mando & Ramona Solano (directors of the Juarez          ministries, Gaby Federico (our prolife outreach coordinator), myself, Mary Ann & Mike Halloran (directors of  The Lord’s Ranch), Norma & Mike Reuter (Mike is our office manager).

March 2014 - Armando's story, part 2

To pick up where we left off last month, Armando Enrique and his family live in the run-down house pictured below, along with two of their sons and their families (it’s not uncommon for several generations to live together out of necessity.) They were on our list of people needing house repairs, and Armando’s wife Gloria, who volunteers at the Food Bank, kept asking, “When are you coming to my house? We really need a new roof.”

Armando, Gloria, and two of their granddaughters.

Finally their turn came and we sent one of our building teams to check out the situation. They came back telling us, “Their house is falling apart. We cannot put a new roof on that house because it wouldn’t sustain it.” Ramona, who is in charge of the Food Bank, said, “Okay, I’m going to go see it.” When she went, she couldn’t believe the state of disrepair it was in.

She told me later, “They have been on the list for a long, long time. When I got there, Armando was so excited, saying, ‘I pray every morning before I go to work, and this morning I read on a calendar that we have hanging on the wall, “Today blessing has come to this house.” (Luke 19:9) I felt very happy, knowing that this was a word from the Lord for me. Ten minutes later your men showed up to check out the house.’”

After looking around, Ramona told Armando, “We’re not going to just fix your roof, we are going to build you a new house.” He and his family are thrilled. There are three adjoining rooms and a shared kitchen, so while the workers pull down one room, the families will squeeze into the other two rooms. That way they will still have shelter while the construction is going on. Finally, we will replace the kitchen and add an indoor bathroom.

“Praise God! I can never thank my Father God enough!” Armando told us. “He has made my life new and now He is giving me and my family a new house. Blessed be God!”

And we say “Amen!” to that.

February 2014 - Armando Enrique

You may remember us telling you about Armando Enrique a few years ago (February 2011 newsletter), how the police had arrested him for selling drugs and threw him in jail. On the way to jail Armando prayed, “Lord Jesus, please help me. Help me.” He also asked Father Thomas to intercede for him, “Father Thomas, you were my teacher. You taught me to believe. Please help me now.” 

Armando Enrique, freed from drug addiction

 Armando was put in a cell, trembling and shaking from the cold, so he started making the sign of the Cross saying, “I belong to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,” over and over again. He felt someone touch his back, but no one was around. Suddenly all the cold left him and warmth flooded his body.

They transferred him to the federal prison, a rough and scary place, but Armando kept singing praises to God. His cellmates said, “You know a lot of songs. Teach us some.” So they all sang songs of praise to God from their jail cells. One song they sang repeatedly was, “I have decided to follow Jesus…no turning back, no turning back.” Tears streamed down Armando’s face as he sang and begged God in his heart, “Help me not go back to drugs. Free me from my drug addiction.”

When he got released from prison, Armando returned to the Food Bank and shared with the community, “I confess I was a drug addict, smoking marijuana often. But I say to all of you – no more. God has healed me, and with His grace I will stay free from drugs. I don’t want to return to the life I was living.”

Many people were cynical of his conversion at the time since he had lived such a bad and wild life. But we are happy to report that Armando remains free from drugs, has gotten a job and shares his story with whomever will listen.

“My life is so different since I stopped using marijuana,” he recently told us. “I give my testimony to many people. When I got out of jail, my old friends, who I used to do drugs with, asked me, ‘What happened to you?’ I told them, ‘I quit, with God’s help – and He can help you too if you ask Him.’ Two of those friends did that, and they quit doing drugs also. Glory to God!”

Next month we are going to share with you about how God answered Armando’s prayer for a new roof for his house. It’s another wonderful testimony of the Lord’s faithfulness. 

Armando’s house where 3 families live crowded together.

 Stay tuned….