Hand of Help

APDO. # 13, C.P. 76270

Colon, Queretaro, Mexico

April/May 1993

Dear Friends and Benefactors:

A Shared Thought During these seasons of Easter and Pentecost it is hoped that all Christianity will be blessed with a great abundance of joy, peace and hope in the resurrection of Our Lord and an increase of the dwelling of the Holy Spirit. How wonderfully Pentecost fulfills all the desires of our particular resurrection and life eternal. We in the program of Hand of Help continue searching for the will of God and then pleading with Him for the strength and enlightenment to always fulfill His will as it is revealed to us. These past years I have always been concerned about the continuity of this program which has been functioning for these eighteen years. The majority of you know that three years ago I had a series of heart attacks and then a triple bypass operation. Things are going pretty well at the moment but I still must contend with a valve to the heart which at times does not completely close and the result of this is leakage of fluid into the lung. I would certainly, prefer a medicinal cure to another operation. I am confident that the Lord is still in control and that He will resolve this matter as He sees fit. In the meantime we are investigating different avenues to insure this continuity in the program when something happens to me. The Benedictines of Pecos have a, shortage of personnel themselves and no one will be free to come in the foreseeable future. Sister Teresa, who has been with us these past six years and is presently the Sub-Director of the program and is doing a great job in directing the Girl's Home, belongs to the Society-of Our Lady of the Blessed Trinity located near Corpus Christi, Texas. The founder of this Society is Fr. Jim Flannigan. He is a real man of God and he also feels that it is God's will to see that the work with the children of Mexico continues. We are in prayer over this important decision and we ask you also to please remember us in your prayers. A decision must be made within the next few months. I trust in your faithfulness and concern.

Recent Meeting-with the Bishop A couple of weeks ago I had a meeting with the Bishop of Queretaro. It was a very productive and worthwhile encounter. The Bishop is deeply concerned about our 180 children. We also discussed thoughts and ideas about the continuity of this very important work and he assured me of his cooperation and prayers. He himself has many economical problems and is unable to help us financially. We do have his support and the center, Santa Maria del Mexicano, which belongs to the Diocese of Queretaro is used by the entire community on weekends and for this we are most thankful.

Visit from Defender of Minors I had a rather interesting meeting with the lawyer who acts as "Defender of Minors" for the state of Queretaro. He was a very fine genteel sort of person, well versed in the law but lacking firsthand experience in dealing with street kids. In our group of 180 children we have about every case you can imagine. Many have been abused physically, a few cases of incest, several violations and abandonment cases appear frequently. A few of our children have mothers who are prostitutes. Some have run away from home and just walked in asking for help and shelter. Present also are those totally rejected by their parents because of retardation or a deformity. Others have just started in drugs, so we have a good mixture to deal with on a daily basis. This young lawyer had a lot of theory but lacked somewhat in the practical aspect of the daily life of a street child. I asked him how he would deal with a child who out of hatred for the many years of physical abuse by his father, came to us and began to demonstrate his hatred in our community. We have had many children in this category who only to get even with their father, sliced one or more tires of our car with a pick or knife. or another similar case might be a child putting dirt in the gas tank of one of the community cars. Destruction is a very common problem that we have to deal with on a frequent basis. I asked him how he would deal with such children. He answered, "Yes, it is difficult, just do your best." This is no answer at all, but at times we have to deal with it and only prayer (for me anyway) can resolve the problem. He was most complimentary towards our program and offered his complete cooperation.

Volunteers: Eric Dawson from Greensboro, N.C. has been serving the community as dorm parent in our Boy's Home for the past year. Eric comes from a Baptist-Quaker background and with his strong religious beliefs and high moral standards he has been the ideal role-model for our older boys in the elementary age bracket. He will be leaving June lst to continue his post-graduate studies. The boys will be losing a very dear friend and an excellent young man with a wonderful spirit of love and service. I was hoping that he might stay on for another year, but one year is like about ten years when dealing with some of our lovable, little, ornery rascals. They can test every ounce of patience that one may have. One year is about maximum for a young person. Our sincere love and thanks and prayers are extended to Eric. We have also had two other short-termers in Mary Paul Monks and Ayde Gonzales. They worked in the Girl's Home and also with the teenagers. They both made wonderful contributions in serving the many needs of our girls. Ayde will be returning to Yale University and Mary Paul will be continuing her studies towards her doctorate in psychology. They indeed are very fine and beautiful young ladies who will be missed dearly by the girls. May God bless and keep them always in His care

A Cry for Help A small effort on your part could mean an inestimable valuable service to some children desperately in need of help. We always seem to be short of funds at the end of the month just when we are in need of milk, shoes or school supplies. We would really, really appreciate it if you would share this letter with a friend or family member just might be instrumental in doing a really wonderful corporeal work of mercy, "to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and visit the imprisoned". This extra help would be a tremendous help for our children. Our "budget" at $3.00 to $3.50 per day per child runs between $18,000 to $20,000 per month. I have never received $20,000 in one month and yet we have survived. Yes indeed, God does multiply. Bless you for sharing.

In closing this letter, we want to assure you of our prayers and love. Without you we are unable to fulfill our task and our mission. With you we are able to give greater honor and glory to God our goal in life.

Sincerely yours

Children, Staff and Fr. Cliff Norman