New lives are latest creations of former fashion designer

Joy beams in the face of a child of Mexico City's streets as he shows the shirt he has been given by Juan Manuel Arreola's ministry. Food, clothing, and Bible Society Scriptures are given to the children in a holistic outreach to some of the nation's most needy youngsters. Mexico City, Mexico. Photo: UBS/Larry Jerden (MEX01DJ-20)

 

Mexico Focus by Larry Jerden, feelance photojourmalist

MEXICO CITY, Mexico — Juan Manuel Arreola was once a fashion designer with wealthy clients. Today, his ‘clients’ are street children, Mexico’s poorest people. Where once Mr Arreola was a familiar face in the sophisticated restaurants of Mexico City’s Zona Rosa – the tourist-oriented ‘Pink Zone’ – he is now known in those same streets as the best friend of the city’s cast-offs and runaways.

The transition came after a long search, a natural disaster and an encounter with the Gospel. The result has been a partnership with the Bible Society of Mexico that has brought hope to the city’s street children.

“I had been searching for meaning in life,” Mr Arreola recalls. He enjoyed financial success, but had turned to tarot cards, magic, voodoo and Eastern meditation in search of peace. Then a major earthquake hit Mexico City, destroying his boutique.

“I worked very hard to get back into business,” Mr Arreola explains. “I worked on new designs for a major show, but three days before the show, someone stole all my clothes.”

One of those who came suffered from both physical and emotional problems and was searching for answers.

Mr Arreola went into a deep depression. Two weeks later, he met a neighbour. “She told me, ‘Juan, God has a wonderful plan for you. But you need liberation. You need prayer, and I am praying for you.’

“She was not talking about ‘religion’, she was talking about Jesus. I felt in my heart that what she was saying was true, and that it was something I wanted to know about.”

Mr Arreola’s neighbour invited him to church. “In church I felt Jesus’s presence,” he says. “Seven ministers were there, and one of them asked, ‘Who wants to break away from black magic, from meditation and from death?’”

When Mr Arreola responded, the ministers placed their hands on his head in blessing.

Calling

He knew then that God was calling him, but was uncertain what his ministry would be. He began working with the Gideons, and for a year worked with a prison ministry. He also started holding Bible studies. Then God’s special call came in an unusual way.

“I could not afford the place where I was living,” he explains, “but I was using it to share the Gospel. I had groups of four or five people meet with me, and I would lead them to Christ.

“Then I rented an office in the Zona Rosa and hosted a prayer meeting. About 35 people attended each week.”

Searching for answers

One of those who came suffered from both physical and emotional problems and was searching for answers.

“This man came to be healed,” Mr Arreola remembers. “Several doctors had told him he could not be healed, but he was healed by prayer.”

The man arranged for Mr Arreola to rent an apartment. They began a prayer meeting there, and the living room was also large enough to hold 65 people for a Bible study each Monday. “All came together,” he recalls, “and I shared God’s Word with all of them.”

Former fashion designer Juan Manuel Arreola, now working to bring God’s hope to hundreds of the children and teens trying to survive on the streets of Mexico City, shares a moment with some street children who have come into a former disco where he provides them with a warm meal. Mexico City, Mexico. Photo: UBS/Larry Jerden (MEX01DJ-17)

During this time, Mr Arreola felt called to work with street children. “I already knew four children on the street, but I didn’t know how to start working with them,” he says. Then he became involved with a big musical event.

“The organisers wanted to charge the children 20 pesos (US$2.20),” he explains. “But several Christian entertainers said they wanted it to be free to street children. So it was, and with that experience my ministry changed.”

Mr Arreola spends much time working with youth in jail, both following up those he has already met on the streets and reaching out to others. He provides a breakfast for 23 young offenders every Sunday morning, and always shares the Good News, both verbally and with the Scriptures provided by the Bible Society.

Serving meals

His ministry with street children includes working with groups of children and teenagers, serving meals in a former disco and holding informal discussion sessions.

“On Wednesdays we have breakfast for four different groups of children, and at night we take food to a congregation that works with another group,” he says. “There is also a group made up of former street people who now have work.”

Mr Arreola smiles when he talks about his ‘success stories’, but there are so many others.

“On Wednesdays, we always have some boys who gather at the door. Sometimes they come in for food, sometimes we take it out to them. But they are hard to reach.”

While many donors in Mexico City support his work, both the Bible – and the Bible Society – play key roles.

“The Bible Society provides us with Scriptures for these children. Also, for many years, it allowed me to use its kitchen to prepare food for them. With its help, this work will continue to change lives.” (WR 375/44 - 3.03)