Success Stories
Francisco Hernandez
Over the years, Francisco has done many good deeds for many people, including complete strangers. A few testimonials follow.
OLD FRIEND :I've known Francisco since he was 12. He's always been a faithful friend, helper, and eager to please. I love him as family, intend to help him out monthly with this dialysis, and pray that the Lord who heals will take this away from him.
Mary Campista, Las Conchas (Mary's family built the first home in LC. Francisco's parents were the caretakers until his Dad passed in 2003 at the age of 105+!)
UNSUNG HERO: We needed a service project to bring our youth group together and help someone else in the process. Our pastor contacted Amor Ministries in San Diego: they were just looking to expand their mission of home building for the poorest of the poor beyond Tijuana and Juarez. What does this have to do with Francisco? He helped establish trust with the local pastors who needed to work together to select future home recipients. He also worked with local government officials so this project could get off the ground. He provided us with housing so that we could work during the day and have a place to rest our weary bodies at night. Over more than a decade this Penasco project has built 700 structures, including clinics and churches. I don't know how any of this would have happened without Francisco's network of contacts and his quiet, humble ever-present help. He still takes care of our group when we come down twice a year, making sure we have everything we need. He's our unsung hero!
Bernale W. Assoc. for Christian Ed, Orangewood Presbyterian Church, Phoenix.
“FRANCISCO FAMOSO”: One Saturday in October of 2002, the Rocky Point fishermen and their wives staged a highway “planton” (roadblock) to protest the Mexican government's change in some rules that governed their livelihood. Not surprisingly, this coincided with the Las Conchas HOA's annual meeting, which was abruptly curtailed when President Chuck Clark suggested that we head for the exits if we expected to escape the blockade. Oy vey! Some of those individuals hadn't moved so fast since Carter was in office!
Enter Francisco Hernandez . . . he rounded up a convoy of Norteamericanos and guided them across goshawful back roads around the blockade and sent them safely on their way North . . back to civilization. They offered to pay him but no dice! Then he waded into the blockade itself and began trying to make peace among the factions. There were militant, angry fisher-people and equally angry Norteamericanos who were cursing their bad luck at being stuck in the middle of an ever-growing mess.
Enter Ms. Kristin Hagerson, US Counsel in Nogales. She'd heard of the flap in advance and was in town trying to mediate a solution. Governor Hull had roused Secretary of State Colin Powell on Saturday afternoon and asked him to intercede with the Fox government to cut through the stalemate. Good for her! God didn't give her red hair for nothing! So Counsel Hagerson and caretaker Hernandez met in the midst of the throng. She was amazed at his good English plus the patience and the respect he accorded both sides of the dispute. He was amazed that the US government would send a high level individual to Rocky Point. As Ms. Kristin talked with the crowd, she quickly learned that Mr. Pancho was well known and well liked by both Mexicans and US citizens. She dubbed him “Francisco Famoso” . . . and it stuck! Anyone who doubts his local influence has only to accompany him to the Municipal Building to pay taxes or whatever. There's the usual shaking of hands and a few abrazos . . . along with requests for him to be interpreter or problem solver . . . usually for the poor folks without any “juice”.
Anonymous
CELEBRITY? While hospitalized in Tucson in February of 2007, his roommate thought he was some sort of celebrity because his cellphone rang constantly. As proof, we learned that his Mexican TelCel roaming charges approached $1,000 for that week in the US! If the calls were a typical mix, chances are they came from a combination of well-wishers, clients with bad water heaters, hangers-on, church groups, government officials and politicians . . . many were no doubt needing something from him. What WE need from him now is to take care of himself, follow his diet, stick with the monitoring and GET BETTER! Word has it he turned 51 in April 12 of 2007.
Anonymous
SECURITY: At first, I was very afraid to come to Mexico but Francisco Hernandez our care-taker and care-giver allayed those fears and handled absolutely EVERYTHING for us for the past 20 years. During this time, he's often taken great delight in surprising us . . sometimes knowing just what we'd like before the idea even occurred to us! We have great appreciation and deep affection for him. Words cannot express what he means to us.
Carol Isham, Las Conchas
YOUNG STRANGER: Before electricity in Las Conchas, I mustered up my courage and “ran the border” at 11:45 PM, just before quitting time, with a huge generator stashed in my truck. Before crossing I put a sling on my arm, figuring that they'd be less likely to challenge a crippled woman to open the truck and help rummage through it. That part worked like a charm! When I rolled into my Las Conchas casita at 1AM, I found, to my horror, that it had been burglarized! It was a dark night and the wind was howling and blowing my stuff around the house and scaring the wits out of me. I fled back into my truck and retreated down the road looking for help. Now, at close to 2AM, I see a young Mexican stranger walking toward me.
Do I dare stop and ask for help? Gathering my courage and saying a little prayer, I rolled down the window and asked, “do you speak English and can you help me?” The young man said “Si, senorita!.” He went back to the house with me, checked it out and upon seeing a scorpion crawling across my pillow, said “you no stay here tonight”. He awakened an American friend at Casa Cielo and asked them to put me up for the night. Returning to my casa that next morning, I found a CRANE, waiting to hoist my new generator from the truck!
That was about1977. His name was Francisco Hernandez. We've been friends ever since, and this is not the only “scrape” he has gotten my family and me out of during these many years that he has cared for us and our home. Now it is my privilege to return the favor and help with his care.
Jannie Cox, Las Conchas & Carondelet Health Network, Tucson
35 YEARS: Our family has known Francisco for over thirty-five years, during which time we have grown to love him and consider him as family. He is a wonderful, loving and very selfless person who is always willing to help other people even if it means putting himself last...which has been the case most of his life. It is his overwhelming generosity of time and spirit that has left him unable to care for himself at this time.
Our level of trust and respect for Francisco extends to giving him full authority regarding the use of our mother's home in Las Conchas, enabling him to bring doctors, nurses, the unbelievable church people that build casitas for the poor, as well as government officials, teachers and olympians! As he began helping our mother in the early 70's, so has he continued all these years to help others at any given opportunity. His generosity has always extended far beyond our family; into the hearts and homes of the city of Puerto Penasco and the community of Las Conchas. I doubt you could find one family in Penasco who has not been touched at one time or another by Francisco's heart. Now it appears to be our turn to do the giving and we are humbled and grateful to be able to help support Francisco in any way we can in his time of need for as long as needed.
Linda Pomeroy Corbetta, Sheryl Pomeroy Storey, James Pomeroy & Our beloved mother Shirley Pomeroy Blair
MARINATED MERCEDES: In the midst of a huge rainstorm, our new car stalled in a flooded Rocky Point intersection after a long and scary trip from Tucson . . flooded arroyos and all! Our electric windows were down and the waves each passing truck threatened to swamp us! Across the intersection wades a young Mexican man with his pants rolled up . . . “can I help?” he says in very good English. Long story made short . . he towed us out, took us home to Las Conchas and departed. By the next morning, it sunk in that we'd given a complete stranger the keys to our new car! Where was it and what was happening? So we drove to town in search . . . there by the old Jimbur grocery was our car . . hood up and parts spread out on the ground. A number of young men were wielding hair dryers on them! Oy vey! What was to become of us?
Next day, the car drives up . . running like a Swiss watch! “How much do we owe you?”
The young Mexican man only wanted $30 for a battery he'd taken from one of his trucks! His name was Francisco Hernandez. That was over 20 years ago and we've been friends ever since. He was instrumental in helping us bring Amor Ministries' “Casitas de Amor” project to Rocky Point and 700+ homes have been built for the poorest of the poor. Now, we're glad to be able to help with his ongoing care. He's a very special guy.
Jeanette & Rodger Cliftofn, Las Conchas
BY OUR SIDE: For 15 years we were part time residents of Las Conchas. For all those years, Francisco was on our doorstep and by our side any time we needed assistance. He looked after our home, our property and more importantly, he looked after us. He often knew what we needed before we were aware of it. We are interested in helping Francisco by contributing to his dialysis fund.
Chip & Marilyn Mills, Boulder, Nevada
NOW ITS OUR TURN:
Like the Mills, Francisco has spent over 20 years taking care of us, our family, our friends, our cars and our medical emergencies. Sometimes he's had ESP about what we needed. Now, it's our turn to repay him for his unfailing kindness and generosity to all.
Suzie and Jim Hamblin, Las Conchas