Margarita's blog

Great Things Are Happening On The Street Of Miracles

2008-11-25T11:39:32-05:00

Dear Friends:

Christmas is quickly approaching and Thanksgiving is this Thursday! We have so much to be thankful for. This past Sunday, November 23rd, saw us in the old pool hall where in the past; gambling, drinking, fighting and drugs were daily activities.

Margarita and some of the newest singers in our Rez House Kids Chorus.That started long ago when this was a white community. Then, when the Mexican community came, they too fell victim to the pool hall. Most recently gangs called it home but yesterday the roof almost came off from all the praising and singing. The building was almost full!
We had two visiting Lutheran Pastors, one from Hope Lutheran Church in the Villages and another from Malaysia. After church we had lots of food and fellowship and everyone continued to enjoy the day!.
This all happened at "My Other House", the new teen center where during the week youth will meet for activities. We already have 17 young ladies and 15 young men that meet in two separate groups so that the teaching and sharing can be done in a safe environment. At times we’ll bring them together for good clean fun.
This office is going through a hard time just like other folks, but because we believe in our King of kings and we do believe that our Heavenly Father holds us in the palm of His hand. Our girls group meeting in "My Other House", the boys met in another part of the building.It is also wonderful how the scriptures can just come to life right in front of you. We have a donation jar on our desk for folks to share if they care to, for the services we provide. Last Friday an elderly lady came to ask us to read a letter for her. I believe she comes from somewhere in the Caribbean and though she can speak several languages, she cannot read. Anyway, I read the letter to her, then she said, “Do you like peanuts?”, and we said yes. So then she told us that she had no money but worked picking peanuts and that she would bring us some. When she did we gave her some beans and rice in case she needed food. I do not know if you know about picking peanuts but it is a very hard job. Folks get up at 4 am and use the headlights of their cars to see while they dig with their hands for the peanuts. For each 5 gallon bucket that they fill they are paid only $2.50, maybe $3 if they are lucky. This gift that she gave us was far more precious than any amount of money that she could have placed in our donation jar and it just happens to be a reminder of our Gospel from Sunday where Matthew 25:31-40 teaches us that we must share even when we have very little, being poor is no excuse.

God bless you for your faithfulness.

Where Has Our Compassion Gone?

2008-10-17T11:38:34-04:00

What would you do if you were told that your husband might be one of three people found dead in the desert? What if you would have to wait three months for DNA testing to confirm your worst fears? Roberto Sanchez-Martinez of Lacoochee, Florida, was only 25 years old. His crime? Seeking a better life for himself and his family and driving without a license. His sentence, deportation in July and then death in October. A body found in the desert of Mexico with Roberto’s identification papers, remains scattered by animals , yet his wife clings to hope and waits by the door every night hoping that he will walk in at any moment.

Roberto's wife and daughter, now uncertain as to his fate and their future.His little girl is just four old and she will grow up only knowing that her father died trying to get back to her and her mother. Some would say that he was undocumented, illegal and that he got what he deserved. I wonder, where has our compassion gone, or did we ever have any? The last paycheck that he earned and would have received while he was in jail awaiting deportation, was cashed, his signature forged. His wife has been forced to sell the family car just to pay the rent. I wonder what life holds for the two loves of his life that he was trying to get home to. What will become of them? When did a man-made border become more important than human life? All this man wanted was a better life but the people in charge said NO. All he wanted was to see his wife and child but the powers-that-be said NO. God told us to love one another as we love ourselves, but we said NO. I pray that God will forgive us for all that we do to our brothers and sisters. If you would like to help Roberto's wife make ends meet while she awaits the results of the DNA testing, FSH is accepting donations on her behalf. Send what ever you feel you can to FSH and mark the memo line of your check for Roberto's Family.

Don't just believe in miracles -- depend on them.

2008-05-20T15:54:38-04:00

Recent events in our community have made me feel the need to tell a little about the day to day life of the farmworkers in Dade City. In 1979 when I first came to this beautiful place called Pasco County with its hills that, though not like Tennessee, but in a much smaller way, reminded me of that great and gorgeous state. In fact, there is a road in Dade City that as you come around a curve and look to the right, you will see a beautiful view that I like to call ‘Little Tennessee’, and it is only about 2 miles from Tommytown.
We have seen a horrible week of death and desolation in our community. Three farmworkers have been murdered. Two in the darkness of our unlit streets while on their way to the store to wire money home to their families. Another was shot with no doubt many witnesses that are refusing to come forward. We see violence in other places and other cultures, but I have not seen the hate that has been added to these. We read the stories of these killings on the websites of our local papers and we see the comments left by other readers. “Three down, many more to go.”, “Throw the garbage out.”, and equally bad sentiments from people who feel that Tommytown’s troubles will all go away once we have killed each other off. It is almost as if the people making these comments do not see these three men as fellow human beings. How horrible it would be if someone said of the woman and her children that were recently murdered in another community that she had it coming because she exercised poor judgment in who she hung out with. That would be wrong and inexcusable and yet people are saying that the best thing that could happen to the people of Tommytown would be more murders simply because they are in this country illegally, or that they speak another language. Where are we as compassionate, caring Americans? We must all take responsibility and seek out the answers. Do not blame the problems facing Tommytown on race; blame it on economics and poor distribution of wealth. Tommytown was economically depressed before the farmworkers came. The white families of Dade City have said that the Mexicans are ruining the beauty of Dade City. When we worked to give hope to our community by changing the name of Lock Street to Calle de Milagros (Street of Miracles) we over heard people in the local grocery store commenting that Lock Street was the more fitting name because the Mexicans needed to be kept locked down. The blacks in our community claim no responsibility here as they feel that they are the minority and have no voice here. I am saying that we are all our brothers’ keepers. We can contribute hope or despair and by choosing to look the other way and do nothing is choosing despair!
What have we done? Since 1979, FSH has built an organization that has almost single handedly brought hope to this community. We have built a learning center, a free clinic for the farmworkers, a 4 acre park and a children’s church that now serves entire families. Not bad for a bunch of poor Mexicans, and with the help of our white and black brothers & sisters we have built a social services office that works to address many of the issues that affect farmworkers on a local, state, and national level. Before there were any services available for farmworkers, we were it and on many fronts, we still are, at no expense to the government. Through foundation grants, individual donations, and gifts from churches that care about what we do, we have brought money into this county, possibly over a million dollars in the 30 years that we have been working. Does the public see our staff in grandiose offices? No!, we have poured our lives into making Tommytown a better place to live and Lock Street is a street of miracles, God is not finished with us yet! We must remember that out of difficulties grow miracles. We must provide the work of our hands and hearts. And then I have to ask, where are the churches? There are six churches on our Street of Miracles including our own Resurrection House Mission. All of the churches in Tommytown have strong membership so I have to ask, why are we not dealing with our problems? We must be responsible and face the issues that are killing our community. The folks that shot those young men belong to somebody! Get it?
I did not intend to write a book here but this is what happens when you wake up at 2am with so much on your heart. I had planned to start work on our newsletter but our great strides and accomplishments seem so small in retrospect to what has happened here. I struggle to think of how we can fix the problems here, and they are our problems again, not the sheriff, not the County Commissioners, and not our neighbors. This is ours and we need to face it and take ownership and work toward a solution.
Wednesday evening we will once again call our community together to pray for our fallen brothers and then have a meeting to see what else we can do as a community. We plan to invite the sheriff and the County Commissioners as well as the Dade City Commissioners. If they do not come we will keep holding meetings until they do.
Good things happen in Tommytown too. Know that even while there is gang activity here, there is also God activity. Though there are youth here that are bent on destruction, there are also young people in our community that are doing something positive. They have gone through the community and replaced the gang tags that show up on buildings with messages of hope. Our Teen Dream Team youth have traveled to Tallahassee to learn how government works and they have met with legislators to discuss the problems that their farmworker parents face. Some of the youth have created a ‘Fish to Feed’ project that combines aquaculture and fish farming with traditional gardening. They have met with youth from other communities and cultures in an effort to understand each other better and they found that for all their differences they were not really that different.
We can not stop what we are doing! We must spread the great commission that Jesus gave us. Jesus said in John 14:12, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” The word also says that by our fruits we shall be known. Where are those fruits? Inside church walls, or out where everyone can see? We must have faith and we must shine for all to see. I challenge all of us, churches and individuals, if we are truly Tommytown residents, then let us rise up and take responsibility for the well being of this community for if we can not all come together simply as children of God, then we have already lost the battle. We can overcome the evil that waits in the darkness but only if we work together. Jesus said that we must seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. I pray that we can come together as one and forget the names of our churches, forget what denominations we come from and remember that our one true shepherd is Jesus and through Him, all things are possible.