El Diván
Sin miedo a nada
Nora Elena Yu Hernández, funcionaria juarense que abrió el camino al género femenino
En un mundo normalmente dominado por hombres, de vez en cuando sobresalen mujeres que saben ejercer su liderazgo de manera importante y responsable, y que ponen el ejemplo a las otras que como ella buscan hacerse respetar en cualquier ámbito que se desenvuelvan.
Ejemplo de lo anterior es Nora Elena Yu Hernández, un rostro conocido en la comunidad fronteriza, a la cual ha defendido desde diferentes trincheras.
Nora Yu es una juarense hija de madre parralense y padre yucateco, descendiente de coreanos, que desde la preparatoria le gustó involucrarse en toda actividad que ayudara a resolver las problemáticas que aquejaban su entorno, ya sea en la escuela, la colonia, su familia, y otros.
Quienes saben de la labor de esta Mujer Visionaria, son testigos del camino que ha trazado para otras que ven en ella un ejemplo de tenacidad, constancia y dedicación, que en combinación con sus virtudes la han hecho triunfar, incluso sobre hombres que al final del día la admiran y respetan.
Trayectoria
Yu Hernández cuenta a nuestra revista que nunca se queda de brazos cruzados y en lugar de enredarse en problemas busca soluciones que no únicamente resuelvan la situación del momento, sino que sean respuestas definitivas a favor de los demás.
Lo anterior lo descubrió desde la preparatoria, cuando trabajó en la campaña estudiantil de quien en un futuro se convertiría en presidente municipal de Ciudad Juárez, Héctor “Teto” Murguía; luego desarrollaría su liderazgo en la universidad y finalmente se consolidaría en el negocio de su padre, donde comenzó a tratar con comerciantes y finalizaría como miembro, vicepresidenta y presidenta del Consejo de la Cámara de Comercio.
En esa misma época, Nora se convirtió en agente aduanal y después en presidenta de la Asociación de Agentes Aduanales, a la que volvió 20 años después; antes, estuvo al frente de la Junta Municipal de Agua y Saneamiento (JMAS) y fue diputada plurinominal por el Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI).
“Por lo mismo inquieta que soy, por lo mismo de estar cuestionando… empecé a conocer a mucha gente y eso me abrió las puertas”, dice sobre su paso por la política en el sexenio de Vicente Fox.
Nora es vista por sus colegas y amigos como una líder nata, algo que ella también reconoce y que le pesa no encontrar en otras mujeres.
“Me preocupa mucho la falta de liderazgos en la ciudad… tenemos el problema de una generación apática. Es muy fácil como ser humano ser conformista, ser apático y que los demás resuelvan tus problemas”, menciona.
La familia
Entre risas nos dice que también es líder en su familia, a la cual describe como su refugio, “el descanso que tienes después de tanto trabajar”, es por eso que a este núcleo nunca le habla de problemas “de la calle”.
La exdiputada se dice una mujer de fe que toma como ventaja ser conocida en la comunidad, al mismo tiempo que reflexiona sobre el estancamiento del género femenino, que no avanza porque es él mismo el que se repliega y no compite con los hombres, tal y como ella lo ha hecho, sin temores que frenen el desarrollo de la mujer visionaria, a la cual describe como aquella que “lo que está viviendo ahorita es porque ya lo planeo desde antes, es ver hacia adelante, lo que sigue… lo que estoy viviendo ahora es porque ya lo hice, ya lo planifiqué, ya lo caminé; lo que estoy haciendo ahorita es sembrar para el futuro”.
“Toda mi vida he vivido en Ciudad Juárez y espero morirme en Ciudad Juárez”
Fearing nothing
Nora Elena Yu Hernandez, Juarense official who paved the way for the female gender
In a world generally dominated by men, from time to time, women stand out for knowing how to exercise their leadership effectively and set an example for others who seek to make themselves respected in whatever field they work in.
One of them is Nora Elena Yu Hernandez, a well-known face in the border community, which she has defended from different positions.
Nora Yu is a Juarense, the daughter of a Parralense mother and a Yucatecan father of Korean descent. Since high school, she has been involved in activities to solve problems with the environment, school, neighborhood, family, and others.
That has led her, throughout her career of service, to positions that had previously only been held by men, including president of the Chamber of Commerce, president of the Customs Agents Association, president of the Water and Sanitation Board (JMAS) and even plurinominal deputy for the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).
Those who know her work are witnesses of the path she has traced for other women as an example of tenacity, perseverance and dedication. Her virtues have made her triumph, even over men who respect and admire her.
Trajectory
Yu Hernandez says that she always stands up. Instead of getting entangled in problems, she looks for solutions that not only solve the situation of the moment but are definitive answers in favor of others.
She discovered this in high school when she worked in the student campaign of Héctor “Teto” Murguía, who would become the mayor of Ciudad Juárez. She developed her leadership in the university, and finally, she consolidated in her father’s business, where she began to deal with merchants, which would eventually lead her to the Chamber of Commerce, in the wholesale section, where in addition to being a member, she was vice president and president of the Board.
At this same time, Nora became a customs agent and then president of the Association, of which 20 years later, she again heads the leadership. Still, before that, she was at the head of the Municipal Water and Sanitation Board and was also a deputy.
“For the same restlessness, I am, for the same reason of questioning… I began to meet many people, and that finally opened the doors for me”, she says about her political career during the six-year presidential term of Vicente Fox, in which she was an essential part of the decisions that were made in favor of the country.
“It has not been difficult for me,” says the interviewee, who assures that she is entirely against injustices, “I don’t like the fact that they want to impose something illegal,” she adds.
Second round
Returning to her time at the Customs Brokers Association, Nora tells us that after 20 years, she found the organization in a circle of comfort, which she hopes to change with the help of her colleagues, who see her as a born leader. Leadership that she also recognizes and that she is affected by not finding in other women.
“I am very concerned about the lack of leadership in the city. We have the problem of an apathetic generation,” she says.
“It is easy as a human being to be conformist, to be apathetic and have others solve your problems, but the main thing is that you get involved in the problems of your school, of your city, of your family, because I am even the leader of my family,” she mentions with a laugh.
Family
She describes her family as her refuge, “the rest you have after working so hard,” so she never talks to them about “street” problems.
The former deputy says she is a woman of faith who takes advantage of being known in the community, where she would like to leave a legacy of work and order and, above all, benefits other women, whom she asks to “do their work well so that they do not close the door to others.”
She reflects on the fact that the female gender does not advance because it is the one who withdraws and does not compete with men, just as she has done. She took advantage of the opportunities without conformism or fears that only would hinder her development. She describes herself as ” living now what she has been planning, looking ahead for what is next. I am living now because I have already done it, I have already planned it, I have already walked it; what I am doing now is sowing for the future”.
“All my life, I have lived in Ciudad Juárez, and I hope to die in Ciudad Juárez.”
La Pastora Alma Cristina de Santiago cuenta a Visionarias cómo conoció al Señor Jesucristo y sobrevivió a una vida de excesos.
A través de diversos medios diariamente conocemos historias de violencia, drogas y abuso, pero poco escuchamos sobre testimonios que hablan de sobrevivencia, como por ejemplo el de la Pastora Alma Cristina de Santiago, quien conoció a Dios cuando se encontraba en un fondo muy oscuro.
El enemigo en casa
Siendo la cuarta de cinco hermanas, Alma Cristina fue parte del abuso al que eran sometidas por su propio padre, un hombre al que describe como inteligente y muy preparado, por lo que a muchos les costó creer lo que era capaz de hacer a sus hijas, incluso a su madre, quien aún así decidió denunciarlo a la policía.
Cuenta que fue cuando tenía 10 años que su mamá se enteró de lo sucedido y a partir de ahí sus vidas cambiaron para siempre, empezando por perder la comodidad a la que estaban acostumbradas, pues era él quien llevaba el sustento a casa, mientras su madre se dedicaba a ellas.
Pero el encarcelamiento del hombre que se suponía debía protegerlas, no acabó con el martirio de las mujeres, pues ahora debían enfrentar las amenazas que la familia paterna les hacía, así como las necesidades que cada día se volvían más frecuentes.
Comienza la caída
La madre de la pastora sentía que las había traicionado y el tener que dejarlas solas para trabajar y poder darles de comer, creía que las había traicionado, por lo cual se refugió en el alcohol, lo que nubló el pensamiento de la pequeña Alma Cristina.
“Por ver a mi mamá triste y como lloraba empecé a llenar mi corazón como de mucha rabia y mucho rencor”, recuerda nuestra entrevistada.
Al crecer prácticamente solas, ella y sus hermanas, comenzaron a juntarse con supuestos amigos que las llenaban de regalos de dudosa procedencia, especialmente uno, el cual cuando ella cumplió 15 años le obsequió un auto, comprado con dinero producto de la venta de drogas.
Poco a poco Cristina comenzó hacer uso de las drogas y el alcohol a inmiscuirse en ese “ambiente”, pues creía que ahí se olvidaría de sus necesidades.
“Comenzamos a conocer a otro tipo de personas, gente de altos mandos, comenzamos a conocer gente que andaba movida en el narcotráfico muy tremendamente… ahí fue donde mis hermanas y yo entramos en esa vida y empezamos con el consumo y narcomenudeo en el narcotráfico”.
18 años después
Han pasado 18 años desde que Alma Cristina tocó fondo y con el tiempo logró sobrevivir la adversidad y superar ese mundo de droga y narcotráfico.
Ella nos cuenta que el amor y el deseo de estar con sus hijos la hizo agarrarse de la fe y el amor de Dios para poder cambiar, fue muy difícil pero no imposible, comenzó una vida entregada a la palabra de Dios, como también a la iglesia, se convirtió en guía y directora del centro de rehabilitación donde le cambió la vida, ahí se enamoró del líder que la recibió el pastor Fernando Hernández Marin y con quien formó la familia que tanto quería.
Ahora, ambos convertidos en pastores, sirven al Señor y están al frente de la congregación llamada Renovación en el Espíritu Santo, el templo está ubicado en las calles Andrés Ortiz y Alberto Álvarez número 9540, en Juárez Nuevo.
La pastora Alma Cristina y su familia trabajan con mujeres y hombres con problemas de adicciones, atienden comedores de niños de bajos recursos y son apoyo en su educación.
Llevan el evangelio a colonias o zonas sumidas en la drogadicción y trabajan de la mano con la Universidad Pedagógica Nacional del Estado de Chihuahua (UPNECH) Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez (UACJ), a cuyos alumnos ofrecen realizar prácticas en sus diversas actividades, todo tomados de la mano de Dios y con el objetivo de encaminar las familias.
“Creemos mucho en la restauración de la familia”, dice esta visionaria, quien hoy, después de ver a los ojos la maldad y el mundo oscuro, se dice afortunada, feliz, plena y muy agradecida con el Señor Jesucristo por haberlo conocido.
Let it be God to do things
Alma Cristina de Santiago tells Visionarias how she met the Lord Jesus Christ and survived a life of excess.
Through various media, we know daily stories of violence, drugs, and abuse, but little do we hear about testimonies that speak of survival, such as that of Alma Cristina de Santiago, who met God when she was in a very dark background.
The Enemy at Home
Being the fourth of five sisters, Alma Cristina was part of the abuse they were subjected to by her father, a man she describes as intelligent and very prepared; so many found it hard to believe what he was capable of doing to his daughters, even her mother, who still decided to denounce him to the police.
She says that it was when she was ten years old that her mother found out what had happened, and from then on, their lives changed forever. They started by losing the comfort to which they were accustomed since he was the one who brought home the livelihood, while her mother dedicated herself to them.
But the imprisonment of the man who was supposed to protect them did not put an end to the women’s martyrdom; for now, they had to face the threats made by their father’s family, as well as the needs that became more frequent every day.
The fall begins
Believing that she had betrayed them and had to leave them alone to work and feed them, her mother took refuge in alcohol, which clouded little Alma Cristina’s thoughts.
“Seeing my mother sad and crying, I began to fill my heart with anger and resentment,” recalls our interviewee.
Growing up practically alone, she and her sisters began to get together with friends who showered them with gifts of dubious origin, especially one who, when she turned 15, gave her a car, bought with money from the sale of drugs.
Little by little, Cristina began to get involved in that “environment” because she believed she would forget her needs there.
“We began to meet other types of people, people in high places, people from the police; we began to meet people who were involved in drug trafficking… that’s where my sisters and I entered that life and started with drug dealing, with drug trafficking”.
Facing death
But beyond getting everything that money can buy, Alma Cristina tells us that she lost herself in such a way that she lost her peace. Between drug and alcohol chases, an overdose, and even a forced abortion, she thought many times that she was going to die.
She tells us that, together with her partner, she began to set up several drug “little shops,” which her sisters and even her mother ended up taking care of, while the man who would eventually become the father of her children got involved in contract killings, which led to his death during the first wave of violence that hit this city.
It was at this stage that she had a complex addiction.
“God kept my life because God is great; I know he had a purpose for me,” she mentions.
Reaching the bottom
The strong addiction and feeling alone led her to give her children to a relative while she lived on the streets amid drugs and other dangers, which had her tired.
However, her 8-year-old sister led her to reflect on whether this was the life she wanted, although another of her sisters told her about Christ, who had come into her life and kept her sober.
On a visit to her home, she gave Cristina a pamphlet titled “Christ breaks the chains.” This upset Cristina.
“I left that day with her and started to cry a lot. I started to remember, until I talked with the Lord, ‘If you exist if you are God, if you have power, if you are that one, change me, do something in me. I don’t want to go on like this,’” She mentions that this is what he told her.
That same afternoon, she returned to her sister’s house, and with the help of a lady, she was taken to a rehabilitation center, where she finally accepted God’s call.
“I had the privilege of meeting the Lord 18 years ago, around the age of 22, when my life, at that young age, was destroyed. I ended up terribly… I no longer wanted to live. I believed that everything was over, that there was no longer a future, and that there was no longer something to live for,” she says.
Rebirth
When she arrived at this site, she met one of its leaders and a couple who took her to their home. There, she was guided to get ahead and recover her children, who could live with her.
On the verge of tears, she confides that at that point, the only thing she wanted was to be with them, play with them, take them to school, and feed them, so she accepted all the conditions of the center to recover and be able to have them by her side.
18 years later
It has been 18 years since Alma Cristina hit rock bottom. With time, she overcame adversity and became a guide and director of the center, which changed her life; there, she fell in love with the leader who received her and with whom she formed the family she loved so much.
Now, both have become pastors. They serve the Lord and are at the head of the congregation that attends Renovación en el Espíritu Santo, a temple located at 9540 Andres Ortiz and Alberto Alvarez streets in Juarez Nuevo.
Alma Cristina and her family work with women and men with addiction problems, attend soup kitchens for low-income children, and support their education.
They take the gospel to neighborhoods or areas plunged in drug addiction and work hand in hand with the Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez (UACJ), whose students are offered internships in their various activities, all hand in hand with God and to guide families.
“We believe very much in the restoration of the family,” says this visionary, who today, after looking the enemy in the eye, says she is fortunate, happy, fulfilled, and grateful to the Lord for having met him.
Educando a la Niñez
Esta escuela tiene como objetivo fomentar valores en los menores, desde la enseñanza bíblica hasta transformar su entorno
Desde hace 30 años la escuela Educando a la Niñez, se dedica a infantes desde preescolar hasta sexto grado de primaria. Se encuentra ubicada en la calle Canutillo número 2430, en la colonia Ladrillera de Ciudad Juárez.
Elsa Ivette Valenzuela Rojas, directora técnica con 15 años de servicio, relató a Visionarias que uno de los principales motivos de haber fundado la institución fue implementar los valores en la infancia, “ya que muchos de nuestros niños desgraciadamente, llegan con valores nulos”.
Una nueva esperanza
Educando a la Niñez inició primero como un comedor infantil, en el cual se dio atención a cerca de 100 menores, sin embargo, se encontró la necesidad de instalar una escuela, pues quienes acudían a comer no estudiaban, por lo cual, se tomó la decisión de abrir el primero y segundo grado, y paulatinamente, se fueron abriendo más, hasta llegar a sexto.
Lo primordial en la institución es fomentar “el amor y el conocimiento a Dios en los niños, sabiendo que todo esto viene por medio de los valores”, por ello, se pensó primero en inculcar esto a través de la enseñanza bíblica, desarrollar al niño en sus habilidades y potencialidades, y en el plan curricular que exige la Secretaría de Educación.
La directora declaró que ha sido difícil, porque están en una zona conflictiva, en un área cercana a Rancho Anapra, “esta es una colonia donde hay diversos problemas de seguridad y pobreza, donde hay mucha gente que está pasando por dificultades y necesidades espirituales, entonces creemos que si llegamos aquí, fue con esa finalidad, de impactar familias”.
‘Nos enfrentamos a muchos retos’
Elsa Iveth recordó que en 2006 se registró una fuerte inundación en la escuela, por lo cual, se perdieron mesabancos y escritorios, “volvimos a empezar la escuela, se fue mucho alumnado, porque mucha gente emigró a otros lugares, donde se les dieron hogares, sin embargo, la obra ha continuado”.
En la actualidad, considera que se viven muchos conflictos en la sociedad, por ello, es importante sembrar esa semilla en los más pequeños, porque una vez que concluyen su educación primaria, “ellos se enfrentan a un mundo totalmente diferente y complicado”, aseguró.
En este sentido, Educando la Niñez, busca crear conciencia en los menores y después que ellos la lleven a sus papás. La directora destacó que, la mayoría de las generaciones han salido adelante, logrando una carrera profesional, e incluso los padres están muy agradecidos.
Asimismo, llevan a cabo una escuela para padres y matrogimnasia, para también capacitarlos en la importancia de dichos valores.
Necesitan ayuda
Actualmente la escuela tiene muchas necesidades, como la rehabilitación de los techos, pisos y se requieren áreas deportivas y recreativas, así como un domo, por lo cual, hizo extensa una invitación a la ciudadanía para apoyarlos con un donativo, a fin de continuar con su labor en la comunidad juarense.
Sowing values in Juarense’s children
Educating Childhood
This school aims to foster values in minors, from biblical teaching to transforming their environment
By: Luz María Sotelo / Jazmín Ibarra Trejo
For 30 years, the school Educando a la Niñez has been dedicated to children from preschool to sixth grade. It is located at 2430 Canutillo Street, in the Ladrillera neighborhood of Ciudad Juarez.
Elsa Ivette Valenzuela Rojas, technical director with 15 years of service, told Visionarias that one of the main reasons for founding the institution was to implement values in childhood “since many of our children, unfortunately, arrive with no values at all.”
A new hope
Educando a la Niñez began first as a children’s dining room, which served about 100 children; however, the need to install a school was found because those who came to eat did not study, so the decision was made to open the first and second grades. Gradually, more were opened until reaching sixth grade.
The essential thing in the institution is to foster “love and knowledge of God in the children, knowing that all this comes through values”; therefore, the first thought was to instill this through biblical teaching to develop the child’s abilities and potential, and in the curriculum required by the Ministry of Education.
The director stated that it has been difficult because they are in a conflictive zone, in an area close to Rancho Anapra, “this is a neighborhood where there are several security and poverty problems, where there are many people who are going through difficulties and spiritual needs, so we believe that if we came here, it was with that purpose, to impact families.”
‘We face many challenges’
Elsa Iveth recalled that in 2006, there was a strong flood in the school, because of which, desks and desks were lost, “we started the school again, a lot of students left, because many people migrated to other places, where they were given homes; however, the work has continued.”
She considers many societal conflicts; therefore, it is essential to sow that seed in the youngest children because once they finish their primary education, “they face a different and complicated world,” she said.
In this sense, Educando la Niñez seeks to create awareness in children and then take it to their parents. The director pointed out that most generations have moved forward, achieving a professional career, and even the parents are very grateful.
Likewise, they conduct schooling for parents and matrogymnastics to teach them about the importance of these values.
Help is needed
Currently, the school has many needs, such as the rehabilitation of the roofs, floors, sports and recreational areas, and a dome, for which he extended an invitation to citizens to support them with a donation to continue their work in the Juarense community.
Un accidente aéreo cambió su vida, la cual entregó a Dios ese mismo día
Por lo regular los seres humanos solemos recurrir a Dios cuando nos encontramos en una situación extrema o de emergencia, pero cuando logramos salir de la dificultad nos olvidamos de él y de todo aquello que le prometimos a cambio de ayudarnos.
Este no fue el caso de Rocío de la O, una mujer que a sus 17 años se enfrentó a la muerte y al vencerla decidió entregar su vida a Cristo de una vez y para siempre.
Ahora de 62 años, y convertida en pastora, cuenta a Visionarias que la madrugada del 31 de octubre de 1979, el avión en el que viajaba de Los Ángeles a la Ciudad de México explotó en la pista de aterrizaje.
Recuerda que la aeronave entró en una pista equivocada, donde estaba en reparación un camión y al no poder esquivarlo chocó, ocurriendo la explosión. De 97 pasajeros, sólo 13 sobrevivieron, siendo una de las víctimas mortales su primer esposo.
La vida después de la explosión
Aunque pensó que iba a morir en ese accidente, el Señor no quiso que fuera así, en ese momento comenzó su transformación y relación con Dios.
“Han sido los mejores años de mi vida, me ha dado todo… soy una mujer sumamente bendecida en todas las áreas de mi vida, he pasado por muchos procesos, no ha sido una trayectoria fácil, pero Dios a través de todos estos años ha mostrado su amor a mi vida de una manera sobrenatural, en todos los procesos he visto la mano de Dios una y otra vez”, asegura.
Otro comienzo
Dos meses después del accidente, Rocío llegó a vivir a El Paso, Texas, donde conoció a su ahora esposo Jimmy, con quien tiene 39 años de casados, aunque se conocen desde hace 43.
Con él comenzó a congregarse en Asambleas de Dios, donde estuvieron durante una década, ahí se casó y tuvo a sus dos hijos (un hombre y una mujer).
Fue por sus dos pequeños que decidieron cambiarse de iglesia, pues buscaban una donde hubiera ministerio para niños, ahí permanecieron por 9 años hasta que al ver las necesidades de otros –y pese a no querer pastorear– dejaron su negocio y edificaron su iglesia.
Nuevo Pacto
Desde hace 25 años, Rocío y Jimmy están al frente de la Iglesia Cristiana Nuevo Pacto, un ministerio que abarca desde cuneros, pasando por niños, adolescentes, mujeres y matrimonios. También ofrecen conferencias, congresos y otras actividades, entre las más importantes, la entrega de despensas a personas vulnerables.
“Nuestro deseo es que la gente conozca de Cristo, ame al Señor, viva una vida que agrade a Dios, con familias y hogares transformados, que la gente salga de lo que es la religiosidad y conozca el amor de Dios, que pueda disfrutar esa libertad que se tiene en Cristo, libre de vicios, libre de problemas”, afirma la entrevistada.
“El deseo es que la gente sea transformada de adentro hacia afuera, que pueda entender que siempre hay una vida mejor”.
Sobre la entrega de despensas nos informa que se realiza todos los jueves a las 4:00 de la tarde y los miércoles después del ministerio. Esta labor la realizan con sus propios medios, aunque a veces reciben donativos, lo cual les permite apoyar a otras comunidades.
Así que, si deseas apoyar la causa o buscar un lugar donde puedas conocer a Dios, puedes acercarte al 1401 Lomaland Dr. esquina con la calle Pelicano, en El Paso, Texas, donde serás recibido por las personas que te guiarán en el camino.
“Si quieres una vida transformada vive para amar a Dios y para amar a la gente”, menciona Rocío, quien ahora tiene con el Señor la relación que siempre deseó.
En medio de su labor pastoral, Rocío comparte cómo una experiencia de vida intensa fortaleció su fe. Hospitalizada con COVID hace dos años, pasó 19 días entubada y requirió una traqueotomía. Aunque salió del hospital 6 semanas después paralizada, gracias a la fe, oraciones y terapias, logró recuperarse. Esta experiencia fue otro testimonio del amor y la misericordia de Dios en su vida.
“Siempre desde que conocí al Señor he buscado tener una relación estrecha con él, íntima… significa todo, él es todo para mi vida”, concluye.
Para más información sobre la Iglesia Cristiana Nuevo Pacto puede contactarse a través de nuevopactoelpaso.com o enviar un email a nuevopactoelpaso@gmail.com
Rocío De la O
A plane crash changed her life, which she gave to God that same day
Usually, humans turn to God when we find ourselves in an extreme emergency. Still, when we escape the difficulty, we forget about him and everything we promised him in exchange for helping us.
This was not the case for Rocío de la O, a woman who, at 17 years old, faced death and, upon defeating it, decided to give her life to Christ once and for all.
Now 62 years old and currently a pastor, she tells Visionarias that in the early hours of October 31, 1979, the plane in which she was traveling from Los Angeles to Mexico City exploded on the runway.
She remembers that the aircraft entered the wrong runway, where a truck was being repaired, and, unable to avoid it, crashed, causing the explosion. Of 97 passengers, only 13 survived, one of the fatalities being her first husband.
Life after the explosion
Although she thought she was going to die in that accident, the Lord did not want it to be that way; at that moment, her transformation and relationship with God began.
“They have been the best years of my life; he has given me everything… I am an extremely blessed woman in all areas of my life; I have gone through many processes. It has not been an easy path, but through all these years, God has “showed his love for my life supernaturally, in all the processes I have seen the hand of God again and again,” she says.
Another beginning
Two months after the accident, Rocío came to live in El Paso, Texas, where she met her now husband Jimmy, with whom she has been married for 39 years, although they have known each other for 43.
With him, she began assembling at the Assemblies of God, where they stayed for a decade, where she married and had two children (a man and a woman).
It was because of the two little ones that they decided to change churches; they were looking for one where there was a ministry for children. They stayed there for nine years until seeing the needs of others – and despite not wanting to pastor – they left their business and built their church.
Nuevo Pacto
For 25 years, Rocío and Jimmy have been at the head of the New Covenant Christian Church, a ministry that ranges from nurseries to children, adolescents, women, and couples. They also offer conferences, congresses, and other activities, among the most important of which are delivering food supplies to vulnerable people.
“We desire that people know about Christ, love the Lord, live a life that pleases God, with families and homes transformed, that people leave what religiosity is and know the love of God, that they can enjoy that freedom that one has in Christ, free from vices, free from problems,” says the interviewee.
“The desire is for people to be transformed from the inside out, to understand that there is always a better life.”
Regarding the delivery of pantries, she informs us that it takes place every Thursday at 4:00 in the afternoon and on Wednesdays after the ministry. They carry out this work with their resources, although sometimes they receive donations, which allows them to support other communities.
So, if you want to support the cause or look for a place where you can meet God, you can come to 1401 Lomaland Dr. on the corner of Pelicano Street in El Paso, Texas, where you will be welcomed by the people who will guide you along the way.
“If you want a transformed life, live to love God and to love people,” says Rocío, who now has the relationship with the Lord she always wanted.
During her pastoral work, Rocío shares how an intense life experience strengthened her faith. Hospitalized with COVID two years ago, she spent 19 days intubated and required a tracheostomy. Although she left the hospital six weeks later paralyzed, thanks to faith, prayers, and therapies, she managed to recover. This experience was another testimony of God’s love and mercy in his life.
“Always since I met the Lord, I have sought to have a close, intimate relationship with him… it means everything; he is everything to my life,” she concludes.
For more information about the Nuevo Pacto Christian Church, you can contact through Nuevopactoelpaso.com or send an email to Nuevopactoelpaso@gmail.com
