Geraldo owns a meat plant. He pays $500US to embezzlers or his family "will suffer the consequences". Anyone else in Juarez would have already packed up and left the City of Juarez. Geraldo is one of the few left in Juarez who can afford to do that. But Geraldo is a very strong Christian man, and so are his wife and kids. They refuse to leave the City that God has them serving in. Geraldo is not a Pastor and does not hold a church position. But He and his family, along with about 15 others venture out into the dangerous parts of the City on Thursday nights to bring the gospel message. Geraldo also provides the transportation, the food for the helpers, and about 200 meals to hand out where they minister. Several times during the year Geraldo takes this team on distant missions trips. He pays for everything.
Earlier in the week I drove to Geraldo's business to see if he would like for me to preach at one of his services. When he saw me he came over to me and told me that he was just about to call me. He said he wanted me to preach this Thursday night. The Lord worked it all out.
Thursday afternoon I drove to his place and we all headed to the North side of Juarez, known for drugs, prostitution, homosexuality, and every crime imaginable. Geraldo brings sound equipment, microphones, and musical instruments including a set of drums.
As soon as we get to the square in front of a Catholic Cathedral the mini-army begins to set up. The people know from past experience that they will be fed so the crowd slowly begins to grow. A quick visual scan and we see that the people are hurting, dirty, hungry, tired...hopeless. Some are prostitutes, addicts, most are unemployed...the Devil's punching bags...They have been beaten for so long that many have given up. They are very young...and very old. Some live in abandoned houses, alleys, under a bridge, in large culverts, or in an empty lot. Dogs in the United States enjoy comforts that these know nothing about.
In no time everything is ready and Geraldo's young daughter opens up with prayer, Bible reading and worship music.
Soon she introduces me and I walk to the small portable podium. My message was very simple. Luke 16:19-31...The rich man and Lazarus...with emphasis on salvation. I knew that in these type settings you have to get to the point quickly. During the message a young homosexual man kept walking in front of me and pulling his pants down. Just before the end of my message two women ended up in an argument and soon one of them emptied a cup of water on the other one. Within seconds one was grabbing the other one by the hair and trying to wrestle her down. Some men from our group came over and pulled them apart. They were about 10 feet from me. I understand the enemies tactics, so I kept going without hardly missing a beat. I made it to the end without any more major disruptions, but we still had minor ones. I made a strong invitation to accept Jesus and 8 came forward, including the woman wrestler. I saw tears in their eyes. I saw the pain. I knew that if Jesus had been there in the flesh that He would have held them in His arms. I did my best to represent Him in doing so. I wondered when the last time was that any of these had a loving touch.
One woman told me that she had strayed away from Christ and wanted to return to Him. Jerry told me that heroin had destroyed his life and he wanted out. Jerry spoke perfect English. He once lived in the United States but was deported for drugs. I prayed for all of them individually with the help of the team and counseled many.
Soon the feeding started but I kept walking through the crowd looking for more who needed prayer.
I heard a man screaming out at the top of his lungs as he sat by a large water fountain that actually had water in it. He was screaming out to God to for help. Others just stared at him and tried to give him plenty of distance. I went over and spoke to him, listened to his sorrow, and touched him. He immediately settled down. He spoke to me in a quiet, normal voice. He was very sincere. He told me that he was a thief. It was how he supported his wife and four kids. His face was scarred from a beating he took while attempting to burglarize a house. He wanted out of that lifestyle but didn't know how to do it. I spent so much time with him that he missed his meal. He was very hungry. We found him something to eat. He was the 9th person to accept the Lord. His name is Ismael. In less than 20 minutes Ismael's entire countenance and character had changed. (While I spoke with Ismael there was another young man who had found three pieces of used lemon around the square. He was squeezing the very last drop of lemon juice into a cup. Then he filled the cup with water from the fountain, where birds bathed, people spit in, and who knows what else...and then he proudly drank his lemonade.)
I was told of another young man whose father was a Pastor. One of the team members spoke to him but I never had a chance to meet him. He had become a heroin addict. He knew that it was his mother's prayers that had kept him miraculously alive all this time. The story of the rich man somehow broke his heart. They found him grieving and in tears. He was ready to go back home.
We finished the work at the square, the mini-army took no time in taking everything down again, and we loaded up. But we weren't finished yet. A few blocks away we stopped at a hotel were a number of prostitutes congregate right in front. They barely looked any better than the crowd at the town square. They received a meal and were ministered to on a one-to-one basis. A few of them walk away during the short time of ministry, but most of them stayed around. I was told that many of them have been reached for the Lord and are now leading new lives.
About four hours was all it took for the Holy Spirit to touch and change many lives. I still remain in awe at the many needs and the many people who are hurting all around us. There are many who are wearing suits and ties and expensive evening gowns who are hurting just as bad as those who I see in Juarez everyday. Don't let the fanciness and the glamour fool you. If nothing is done they will wind up in hell as the rich man did in the scriptures that I used. As believers it is our responsibility to reach out to the lost, and with the power of Holy Spirit we will rob hell of those souls. Thursday night we raided the chambers of hell and rescued souls for the Kingdom of God.
Thanks to all those who backed us up with prayer.
Daniel
Daniel Torres
11985 Pellicano
Ste. G, Box 169
El Paso, Texas 79936
For tax credit contributions:
Covenant Fellowship
P.O. Box 8126
Searcy, AR 72145
