Mayer helped build this little home in 2019, then sent the family a gift in 2020

Many families in Anapra, an impoverished suburb of Ciudad Juarez, deal with multiple struggles stemming from the poverty they live in.  Anapra, with a population of over 12,000 people is one of the poorest communities in Juarez, yet it is filled with people who find ways to help others.  Two of the mission-churches partnering with Ysleta Lutheran Mission Human Care (YLM) work in tandem to reach out to their surrounding communities.

Anonymous donor’s sponsorship helps Cristo Rey woman seek medical care for broken leg

For years, teams throughout the United States have been coming to Anapra, and with the help of YLM, have partnered with these mission-churches to build little two-room houses for families.  Mayer Lutheran High School from Mayer, Minnesota is one of those groups; in 2019, close to 80 youth and adults helped build five houses for five families.  As their planned 2020 trip was cancelled due to COVID, the Mayer Servant Event team sent much needed support to their 2019 families.

Groceries were purchased by Pastor Hernandez for families sponsored by an anonymous donor

Nancy, a young mother of three who was a recipient of a house built by the Mayer Servant Event group, is currently struggling with the loss of a brother, “He was very respectful and always willing to help at the church,” Nancy shared with Pastor Stephen Heimer, who comes to La Santa Biblia on Wednesdays to bring the Good News to them through Scripture and music, “He always loved being able to talk with you and had so much peace when you shared God’s Word with him.  I just don’t understand why this happened to him.”

Nancy’s brother, Alex, was brutally murdered by the cartel, and although local law enforcement has not found the culprits, they discovered it was a case of mistaken identity.  Cristina, Nancy’s mother, is also struggling with the sudden loss of her son, as well as the inability to work due to her age, which is needed to help support three younger children.

Another one of the families who received sponsorship over the winter was Judith.  A single mother with four children, she was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after her little house was built by a Mayer team in 2019.  She’s had to go through surgery and treatment since her diagnosis, which is not easy to achieve when she’s barely making enough to feed her children.  “I sell clothes in the second hand tent stores set up along the Anapra main road,” she explained one day during a visit with her, “But the pandemic doesn’t let us gather there anymore and that’s make it difficult for me to get enough money to provide for my children and my medication.”

The blessing Mayer sent to Judith and her children brought the biggest smile to her face.  The other families were just as grateful for the one-time sponsorship that helped them during a difficult time when there was a great need for medication, food, or a washing machine.

Another six families were sponsored by an anonymous donor over the Christmas break.  From Cristo Rey, an elderly woman was grateful for the help this generous person gave, as she lives in seriously poor conditions and recently broke her leg, which she didn’t have the money to get properly set.  In Kilometro 30, Pastor Hernandez used the money donated to purchase groceries for these families, both of them with single mothers being helped by their mothers to raise little children.

Through this kind of generosity, people in desperate need come face to face with the undeserved love of God.

“Each one should use whatever gifts he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”

1 Peter 4:10