The women of La Santa Biblia dress up the side of the container for baptisms in the desert plot of La Santa Biblia

There’s always joy when upcoming baptisms announcements are made.  This time around, it was no different as Rosy Lira, deaconess for La Santa Biblia, a mission-church partnering in ministry with Ysleta Lutheran Mission Human Care (YLM), announced several baptisms would be taking place before Easter Sunday.

As the pandemic caused greater need to surface within the Anapra community around La Santa Biblia, people coming for help to provide for their families have been encountering the love and care from those who share God’s love through simple acts of kindness.  Every Wednesday morning, Rev. Stephen Heimer, Senior Pastor at Zion Lutheran Church in El Paso, makes the drive across the border to bring God’s love through His Word and music.  “It’s a joy to be able to partner with YLM and La Santa Biblia to reach out to the people here at Anapra,” Pastor Stephen shared once, “To see how God moves through people is an awesome experience.”

The baptism service is lead by both Pastor Stephen Heimer and Pastor Javier Lozano

In the last year, as the pandemic brought more poverty to an already impoverished area, La Santa Biblia has been working hard through partnerships with non-profit organizations such as YLM and others in Juarez, to provide much needed resources to young families comprised of single mothers or grandparents with multiple children under the age of fifteen.  “We had about 25 faithful families who came every week in the past years.  We are now up to over 60 who are seeking help to provide for their children.”

Over 400 kids received toys, jackets, and blankets over the Christmas and Epiphany season, and now, people are seeing there’s a deeper need than just filling their stomachs.  With Pastor Heimer sharing the simplicity of the Gospel, those who hear are seeing their need for God’s love in Jesus Christ.

Pastor Javier baptizes a young boy

“We had several baptisms at Cristo Rey last month,” Rosy explains regarding another mission-church who partners with YLM, “They were refugees.  We’ve been helping them with food and other necessary resources, including Bibles.  Pastor Benito has been visiting and sharing God’s Word with them.  It was a joy to celebrate their birth into God’s family through baptism.  It’s always a joy to celebrate and we were happy to see a miracle take place at La Santa Biblia right before Easter.”

Pastor Javier Lozano, shepherd for both La Santa Biblia in Anapra and Cristo Rey in downtown Juarez, was assisted by Pastor Stephen in baptizing six new brothers and sisters in Christ.  This beautiful experience took place outside the 53’ storage container that houses the supplies, tables, and chairs for the congregation of La Santa Biblia.

A young mother is baptized by Pastor Stephen

A church that was once called Iglesia Sin Paredes (Church Without Walls) is now an empty lot with a storage container and a constructed steel-roofed shelter to protect people from the harsh sun.  “We’ve been working with a couple of churches who are interested in funding the construction of a church building for this growing family of faith,” Rev. Dr. Karl Heimer, CEO of YLM and Senior Pastor at San Pablo Lutheran Church, shared when discussing La Santa Biblia, “The old buildings donated ten years ago were torn down back in 2018 by the members due to their unsafe conditions.  The project is turning out to be more costly than we first thought so we are working on finding more churches willing to help fund the raising of a new church building.”

Until then, God has continued to provide opportunities to grow a church in the middle of a community riddled with need, not just of the physical sort but spiritual as well.  It is by God’s grace and mercy, His Word continues to be shared through acts of love and kindness, opening hearts to receive the Word of God and bringing new life to children and adults through the sacrament of baptism.

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.  Amen.”                                                                                                                 ~ Ephesians 3:20-21