Many will have seen the 1980 video 'Viva Cristo Rey'
which tells of how two prayer groups under the leadership of Fr Rick
Thomas, a Jesuit priest, heard a very clear call to reach out to the
poor in Juarez, Mexico and the miracles and conversions that resulted.
Twenty years later the community continues its evangelistic work,
ministering in the power of the Holy Spirit. ROSEANNE ALLEN, a young
English girl, who lived at the Lord's Ranch for two years, shares
her experiences and the effect it had on her life
Three years ago, I had no idea that I would be spending
over two years in the middle of a semi-arid desert, living a counter
cultural life style, quite opposite to what the world would call satisfying..
But for me it was a liberating experience. I found simplicity certainly
is a key to freedom and the Lord provided for all our needs through
his divine providence.
Once I remember I needed a new pair of jeans, and Maria Elena, one
of the ladies in the community came up to me after Mass. She had just
bought a pair of jeans for her daughter but they were too small, so
she offered them to me. They fit perfectly! Another time, a friend
and I were walking back over the bridge from Mexico. You have to pay
25 cents at Border Control, and my friend realised she didn't have
any money. I only had enough for myself and had already walked through,
so I just prayed and at that moment a guy put 25 cents into my hand
"for your friend over there" he said. His name was Jesus!
Incidents like these helped to demonstrate how the Lord works through
other people to show us that He cares about even the smallest details
of our lives.
The Lord of small miracles
Arriving
at Las Alas, El Paso, in the early morning, I was always greeted with
huge bear hugs from the others who would be going on the ministry
into Juarez, Mexico. Each morning we would have half an hour of singing
and prayer then load into the van all we would need. In the searing
heat of summer and the icy cold of winter, the fact that we didn't
have either air-conditioning or heating in the vans did not seem to
matter.. Many times we prayed with as much trust and faith as we could
find, so that we could cross with much needed supplies.
In order to preach the Gospel we have to live the Gospel
Once we crossed Border Control, we would make our way to the Food
Bank. This consists of a clinic, a warehouse for storage, a kitchen
and several school buildings, all built in the 1980s. On Mondays,
Fr. Rick would arrive here and after a time of prayer and praise,
he would celebrate Mass. As Fr Rick says, in order to preach the Gospel,
we have to live the gospel.. The needs of the whole man must be met
if we are to be effective witnesses. Prayer, evangelisation and social
action are all necessary. Thus after Mass, the van would be loaded
with water, food sacks and other donations.
I
remember Maria very well; a frail, old lady so covered in bed sores.
Her family couldn't take care of her. Each time we visited she would
struggle to sit up in bed and she would let us give her a little water
and sandwich.. She did not live long, but it brought home to me just
how many others die from lack of love, care and basic physical needs.
Visiting Reyes, another man, was always an experience. In his 40s
and unable to walk since an unsuccessful leg operation, he would take
his guitar and play for us whilst lying in bed. Singing in an entirely
different key didn't seem to matter. Some months after we started
to visit him, my friend Laura and I decided to invite some children
to come with us from the nearby area.. Together with Reyes we taught
them some songs and talked about Jesus. Each week from then on they
would run to meet us. Happily dancing around and grabbing our hands
as we walked up the hill. I know Reyes loved to see them and they
even started going to visit him on their own.
In visiting Reyes and Francisco (an elderly man with bone cancer)
we saw a gradual spiritual healing, where despair began to yield to
hope, and sadness to joy.
On Tuesdays, Laura and I would lead a time of prayer and praise in
the building adjoining the clinic. Then the mothers would be given
fruit and powdered milk for any child under five. We would also pray
with them. We would get into prayer teams of two or three, and the
people would come to us before seeing the doctor or dentist. Some
would be healed, physically or otherwise, but what struck me most
was their openness to prayer.
The best service to one's brother is evangelisation. It disposes
him to realise himself as a child of God. It frees him from injustice
and promotes him integrally. (John Paul II)
Isaiah 61 became for me a very important scripture. When visiting
the jails, we begin with prayer and praise. Then we split into smaller
groups to pray the rosary, to read scripture aloud, to pray in tongues,
and to sing praise to the Lord. After a while the cells are unlocked
and the doors shut. The prisoners would be given holy water and blessed
salt, and anointed with blessed oil. We would talk and pray with them,
and counsel them. I often witnessed tears of repentance, as love was
shown to them and as the message of the Good News gave them hope.
As the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II said during a conference in
Puebla, Mexico, "The best service to one's brother is evangelisation.
It disposes him to realise himself as a child of God. It frees him
from injustices and promotes him integrally".
Sacred Scripture is alive and active
I gradually realised the tremendous power of God's Word to speak
life-giving words. Sacred Scripture really is.. "alive and active,
sharper than any two-edged sword" (Hebrews 4.12). Fr Rick's expounding
of the Word and his obedience to it, made a deep impression on me.
I was challenged to spend more time meditating on it and I started
seeing my life being transformed through it. All of us at the Ranch
had our own "knife" - three or four scriptures which directly
challenged particular areas of sin. I would use them in personal prayer
or in particular situations when I was aware of my weakness. Through
this I experienced a real liberation from subconscious thought patterns
and lies that had been holding me captive.
Pro Life work
Ongoing is the community's work to try and stop abortion. There were
two main facets to this ministry; counselling women and praying outside
abortion clinics, and mounting peaceful protests outside doctors'
houses. Some of the women have very powerful testimonies about their
own experiences, and the Lord uses them in ministering to the young
girls and women as they arrive. Two of us would stand by each abortion
clinic for several hours, praying and offering leaflets and help.
It made it all worth while when someone decided to keep the baby.
The protesting had a totally different emphasis. We would have banners
and posters and walk round either singing or praying silently for
the doctors' conversion. Many times the police would be called but
we were not violating any laws. Over the months, the number of doctors
willing to carry out abortions in El Paso has rapidly declined.
I visited the site of the dump that many will be familiar with from
the video. It is now a thriving and clean site called 'The Mission'.
In the 1980s several school buildings were built there. Children come
each day for school or day-care, and food is still distributed there
each Saturday. Frank Alarcon, who was in the video, oversees it and
lives in a little one-room shack there, whereas he could in fact be
comfortably retired in El Paso.
The Lord's Ranch
The
Lord's Ranch where I lived is no longer farmed. Instead, the food
for the ministries is bought in Juarez as it is more economical. The
ranch has become more a place for the spiritual works of mercy. Many
come to visit for prayer, and groups stay here whilst coming to experience
the ministries. A short-wave radio station was built in the 90s, and
some of us were trained to broadcast.. Mostly we play scripture, songs
and teaching tapes. Every Wednesday evening, the whole community (those
from the ranch and those who live in their own houses in El Paso)
gathers at Las Alas for a time of praise, Fr. Rick's teaching and
Mass.
I feel very blessed that I was able to have lived and worked there
for those two years and for that I learnt about ministering to the
poor in the power of the Holy Spirit, which I hope to bring to wherever
the Lord will call me now.
