THE GOOD NEWS
ARCHBISHOP BELTRAN
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December 3, 2006 The Good News ...Jesus I Trust In You A Message from Archbishop Beltran: Many Oklahoma Catholics are familiar with my sister, Sister M. Sponsa, OSB, who has served in Africa for many decades. During the holiday season, she writes a letter giving an update on the progress of Our Lady of Fatima Rehab Center in Monrovia. I would like to share this update with you now. Please keep her and her children in your prayers. Deus Meus et Omnia Dearest and Most Beloved Co-Missionaries, who have kept thousands of Christ’s children alive without even knowing it. This old nun comes to you this season, in humility and thanksgiving as the Christ child came so many years ago, with tremendous love in His heart for All Mankind. You are the greatest co-missionaries any missionary could ever petition God for — co-missionaries who love, support and nurture His Least: the abandoned, disabled, malnourished, impoverished victims of war, the poorest of the poor in a land that is barren of even the simplest of necessities. Allow me to tell you what we experienced firsthand a month ago. Our beloved Infant Jesus came to visit in the presence of over 200 babies who arrived at our little makeshift clinic. Christmas came a little early this year to the rehab. We had received a container, which arrived thanks to the U.S. Conferences of Saint Vincent DePaul. As usual it contained all of your sacrifices which are necessary to keep thousands alive, especially all the baby food, baby clothes, cribs, playpens, Pampers, as well as so many essentials of human life. Many of the infant goods came from the parents at the Sussex-Wantage Day Care Center in New Jersey and their director, Collette Ztanze. All of the mothers who came brought their infants with them and all came in search of anything that would help keep their babies alive. Among the group was a grandmother from Sino, which is about two hours drive from us. She carried a newborn and told us her story. She had gone to visit her daughter who was expecting and was helping her to work in the fields when the daughter went into labor and delivered her infant right in the filth of the land where animals eat, defecate and linger. As the grandmother delivered the baby, she saw that her daughter was losing a tremendous amount of blood and with the infant crying out, the mother hemorrhaged to death. No doctor, no nurse, no one to help her.
It seems that there is almost a plague with all of these babies losing their mothers. Without each of you dear and generous co-missionaries, we would never be able to help so many. A man was in the crowd and he was crying his heart out. When I approached him he could hardly speak. “My wife had twins and was doing well. She had just nursed the infants and I heard a noise, looked around and there she was on the ground of our hut along with the infants. She was dead. I don't know what to do!” I told him we would try and help him and since we had already given out all the playpens and porta-cribs, we took two large bins. They were lined with foam which one of you donated and we placed soft fabric in to cushion the nest. We gave him food, taught him how to feed the babies, and were able to provide him with powdered formula and diapers and clothes. He travels quite a distance with the babies but he continues to come back as he has no one else to help him. All because of your generosity and the Power of Prayer. Then a lady came and she had a newborn with her who she said was her niece. Her sister had delivered the baby and died and this poor woman was single and had never taken care of a child before. She was frantic. Once again we fashioned a crib for her, provided her with netting to keep the mosquitoes away, showed her how to hold and feed the infant and she has been coming back each week and the infant is making great strides, gaining weight, receiving vaccinations, food, water, clothes and once again is alive because of all of your benevolence. We are having so many maternal deaths
that it is overwhelming. Most of these mothers have never
received any kind of pre-natal care so this is a big factor.
Most have no money for food, are malnourished and dehydrated
and too weak and anemic to deliver the babies. So you see
our plight is very, very sad. Each one of the parents who
arrived that “baby day” had terrible tales to tell. One
was worse than the other. I cannot adequately tell you how
horrible it is to watch so many young mothers desperately
seeking some kind of assistance just to keep their babies
alive. Next, I looked up to find a young father in front of me. He told me he had been an Army man and a mason by trade. He came home the other day to find his baby screaming so loud that he could hear him as he walked along. When he got to the hut, which was just four sticks with a tarp over the top to try and keep out the rains and winds, the neighbors told him that his wife had left. She had left a message saying that she was “sick of crying kids and that he should take care of them.” She also abandoned a 5-year-old and a 3-year-old. The baby was so puny and lanky and thin and the child was just a year old. It looked more like a month old. The baby just cried and cried and it was the saddest baby I think I have ever seen. Once again we went through our routine of showing a desperate father how to feed his child, change him and clothe him. We also had to provide food and daily necessities for the other two children as they too were in very bad condition. And so this was how we began Christmas a few months earlier than expected simply because of the kindness and sacrifices of each of you, my beloved co-missionaries. The poverty here is far beyond one’s imagination. My crippled children regularly go outside the campus to overturn brush and find mothers and children just laying there waiting to die. There is no help for them, except the assistance each of you provides with your prayers and sacrifices. You can only be rewarded here on earth with our prayers but in God’s eyes He is already preparing great things in heaven for each of you, those who love Him through his forgotten children. A while ago a man from Kenya who worked for a non-governmental organization arrived. He had heard about us and wanted to speak to me about a child that an orphanage had thrown away. Daniel is about 10 years old and has a hump on his back (kyphosis). He was extremely malnourished and unable to walk when he came. This worker was truly dismayed that the orphanage had just released Daniel on his own. He said, “Sister, why couldn’t they keep him? He just has a hump on his back and he is a beautiful child.” He was chagrined and terribly upset. He asked if I would consider taking this child in. I smiled and said, “Yes, the rehab is a special place for all in need.” The child was on the streets of Monrovia, so they put me in the truck and out I went on another excursion for God. I spotted Daniel in the middle of town digging in garbage cans, dirty and disheveled. I went up to him and spoke with him. At first he seemed frightened but as I asked him where his mom and dad were, he hung his head and said, “They were both killed in the war and my grandma tries to take care of me but she is old and has nothing.” He said he had an uncle in Monrovia so off to the uncle’s house we went. This man had five children and his wife would have NOTHING to do with a handicapped child and he felt he owed his allegiance to his wife. The uncle asked me if I would please take the child. So Our Lady of Fatima Rehab once again became a home for another child as Daniel came back with me. When he entered the gates this poor child was so weak we had to place him in a wheelchair but his eyes lit up. “Oh, this is a wonderful place. I really know I am going to love it here.” I said, “Good Daniel, this is your home as long as you obey, behave and pray.” “I’ll even do more if you want me to as long as I can stay.” When he saw his bed I thought the poor child’s eyes would pop! “Sister, I have never slept in a bed and is it really mine and these clothes, can I keep them?” As you can see, another child from God directed to us through Mary. Today Daniel is gaining weight, running around without a wheelchair and he appears at every prayer session without fail. He is a joy to watch and delights in receiving any attention. All because of you dear co-missionaries and all because you are open to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit and to the needs of your brothers and sisters in Christ. Now there is Frank who I never knew existed. Many of you have heard me speak of Sakor, who is about 17 years old and who is on his death bed. He is dying from a wasting disease in which anything he eats is not absorbed into his system. He is unable to move any muscle in his body except one foot which “dances” to the sound of music. I spend much of my time with Sackor these days and we talk and pray and laugh and he has been so close to death that I can actually feel Christ’s presence. Well, the other day I was summoned to Sackor’s room. As I rolled into the room, Sackor’s eyes met mine. “Oh, Sister, I have a big favor to ask of you. It’s a problem that has been bothering me for months now. I just have to tell it to you.” I asked him what was wrong. “Oh, Sister, I have a little friend and his name is Frankie. He’s about 11 years old but he is really good to me. Sometimes when the children go to chapel and leave me alone he comes from the outside. He’ll feed me, turn my head or my wheelchair, clean me up and even feed me. Sister, you’ll love him, and he’s a hard worker but he needs a home. He doesn’t even have clothes. He wears the same dirty clothes every day.” I told him I would talk to Victor and I would get back to him. Well, Victor knew all about Frank and he had spoken to his mother who had five other children. She was penniless. Victor suggested that I might hire Frankie’s mama to help work with the girls and he immediately enrolled Frankie in the school and brought him in to see his new room and bed. “Sister, I never slept on a bed or even heard of a sheet — I always sleep on the dirt floor.” When I gave him a little bag of clothes, he was beside himself. “Sister, I only have the clothes I wore here. Are you sure these are for me?” I am so proud of Sackor. Here he is on his death bed and he knows that Jesus is waiting for him and yet, he is pleading for a friend who I never knew existed. I went over to Sackor the next day after getting Frankie settled, and I asked, “Well, Sackor, has God solved your problem?” “Oh, Sister, God will reward you immensely. Thank you, thank you so much.” And now little Frank lives with us too and takes care of Sackor when he can and keeps him company. It is amazing to watch this child turn Sackor and help him in so many ways. Wonders of the Christ Child never cease here at the rehab and only because each of you believe in the Corporal and Spiritual works of Mercy. May I ask you to remember in prayer one of our children who went home to God this month, John Williams (also known as German Boy), who was a wonderful witness of Faith for Christ. John lived with us for a number of years and he suffered from a spastic disorder of unknown origin. He never missed a prayer vigil, Mass or a Marian procession and was devoted to the rosary. He suffered a bad fall and never regained consciousness. May he rest in peace. Another saint in heaven for the rehab. And so my dear people, miracles of Christ’s love and the sweetness of His Most Blessed Mother never cease here in a land which is void of all materialism - a land where love prevails. We now have close to 300 residents, almost 900 in the school and 17 in college studying everything imaginable. Annie, our principal has been with me for many years now and she still wears calipers and uses crutches. She is a wonderful young woman and gives so much to the children. The others who have graduated from college are now officially running the rehab in all capacities and as I watch them all I can do is say, thank you Jesus - thank you for hearing the cry of the poor. We have just reached about one fourth of the funds needed to break ground for the clinic and we are beginning to dig. We need an extension on the school and a library as the classrooms are overflowing with students eager to learn and are all on scholarship as there is no money or jobs available to the poor. Why do I continue to accept children into Our Lady's rehab? There is only one answer - God sends them and when God asks something of us, we must be like Mary when the angel Gabriel appeared and asked her to be the Mother of Our Redeemer - Yes, oh yes. Lord Jesus for you, yes. As I look into the faces of each child who arrives, I can only see the face of that tiny babe who was born in a manger because there was no room in the inn. As long as there are poor among us, Mary through her Immaculate Heart, will present each one to Her Son knowing full well that His answer will always be, "Let the little children come unto Me." We are here for only one purpose - to know Him, to love Him and to serve Him in this world. Everything else is immaterial. We will not be judged by the material things we have amassed, nor by the fine clothes and cars in the driveways of our mansions. These we cannot take along with us. But the Oceans of Mercy will be showered upon those who look towards the Face of Christ and focus on giving to His Beloved Children. This is our faith and our belief and this will be our most Merciful Saving Grace. We continue to pray for all of your intentions this Thanksgiving and Christmas and from the bottom of our hearts we thank you for opening your hearts and pockets for His Least. As you sit with family and friends this holiday season, please stop and think about my children and how they have suffered and how they pray non stop for peace in your hearts and in our world. We live in dangerous times and we ask God to shower SUPER ABUNDANT BLESSINGS on each of you for CARING AND SHARING with His Least-the abandoned (mostly) handicapped children of Our Lady of Fatima's Rehab in Africa. We will be praying for every one of you and thanking God for his generosity to us in allowing you to be open to His call. A super grateful Sister Sponsa Beltran and all The Rehab Family!!!
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The
grandma clutched the baby to her as she sobbed over the
loss of her only child. When I asked her how she had cut
the cord, she told me she found a rusty razor and that was
all she had. She had come in grief seeking assistance for
her grandchild. We were grateful that Jesus showed her the
path and that we were able to give her a playpen, some formula,
some clothes and diapers. We showed her how to feed the
infant and she has been returning to have the baby weighed,
receive immunizations and food. The baby is surviving but
the poor mother’s body had to be left in the fields for
there was no one to assist.