Spiritual Perspectives
Take a Leap of Faith

By Mary Ann Montoya
Special to The Independent

Taking a leap of faith can certainly take you out of your comfort zone. There are two questions taken from the Gospels that can take one out of that comfort zone. In John 1:38, Jesus asks, "What are you looking for?" and in Mark 10:51, He asks, "What do you want me to do for you?" How do we respond to the challenges He presents?

On the feast of St. Barnabas, June 11, 1986, I took a leap of faith when I set out to Mexico with a 77-year-old woman to work at an orphanage for two weeks. Two years before, I had undergone a spiritual life change when I made Cursillo, which is a three and one-half day encounter/retreat. It was an encounter which challenged me to clarify my relationship with the Lord and my neighbor. Praying throughout those two years, on the shelf like St. Paul, I was offered an opportunity to travel to Mexico to minister to orphaned and abandoned children.

Of course, my husband, mother and daughters thought I was crazy, but they knew how committed I was to pursue this leap of faith.

I remember my husband dropping me off in Gallup to meet two sisters and the woman who would be leading us to the orphanage. Much later, he told me how he dreaded the thought of four women traveling to Mexico to God only knew where.

We drove to Tucson and stayed at a hostel with many other travelers. Elnora Scannell, our leader, had made all the arrangements as she had traveled there before. I trusted blindly going where she told us. From there we went to Nogales, the center of the Sanctuary Movement at that time. Father Tony Clark's staff transported us to the train station. The train we boarded, along with youth groups from Wisconsin and Tucson, was called "El Burro" because it was so slow. The youth groups turned out to be going to the same orphanage.

It seemed that we traveled in 10 mile spurts, dropping off passengers and picking up more. Most of them worked on the U.S. side during the week and traveled back to their homes on the weekend. It was an eye-opening experience to say the least.

When we finally reached our destination, we were loaded onto a bus much like the one from the movie, "Romancing the Stone" minus the chickens. We arrived at the orphanage about midnight. The darkness was dispelled by a dim light bulb on a post in the middle of a dirt courtyard. A small group, including the bus driver's wife, welcomed us and showed us where to put our belongings. Our accommodations were poor, but we weren't expecting anything more.

We were shown to a room with mattresses stacked to the ceiling and told to take one to the room we would be occupying. We settled in the best we could and made do under the circumstances. We later learned that the compound used to be a motel, which was donated for orphans and abandoned children. A priest and some nuns were given one dollar per month for each child. To sustain the place, many donations came from U.S. parishes.

After a short night's rest, we awoke to children's voices and laughter. Another group from Albuquerque had arrived the day before, so we got acquainted with them. They had brought vanloads of plumbing supplies, ceiling fans and clothing. The group was composed of choir members and guitarists, which enlivened our stay. That first morning, after a light breakfast, we set to scrubbing the cement floors, befriending the children and sorting clothes.

On the day the priest was in attendance, we participated in the liturgy of the Mass in the beautiful chapel. We learned to boil water for drinking to avoid Montezuma's revenge and drank a lot of soda because a Coca-Cola bottling company was located nearby. We ate what the children ate, and most of the food was donated by local merchants and prepared by the cook and those of us who volunteered to help. The youth volunteers were astonished by the poor meals, but they learned a lot about children in the Third World. The two weeks flew by, and we headed back to our families to thank God and count our blessings.

I know that it was the work of the Holy Spirit that compelled me to leave my comfort zone. All those who knew me then knew I was "Chicken Little." I know it was the Holy Spirit that guided the others and me on this spiritual walk. This experience proved to be a journey of self-discovery and trust in God.

We may not be saints like Paul and Barnabas, but we can make a difference in the world even if our mission field is downtown Gallup, Grants or Albuquerque. Today the Lord may be asking you to take a leap of faith. Will you take it?

Mary Ann Montoya is a member of the San Rafael Parish in San Rafael, N.M. She serves as lector, choir member, and RCIA team member. She can be contacted at flordelsol45@yahoo.com.This column is the result of a desire by community members, representing different faith communities, to share their ideas about bringing a spiritual perspective into our daily lives and community issues.

For information about contributing a guest column, contact Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola at the Independent: (505) 863-8611, ext. 218 or lizreligion01@yahoo.com.