She Comes Bearing Gifts
San Diego Union Newspaper, Dec. 25, 2003

Many parishioners at St. Luke Catholic Church in Rancho San Diego liken Carmiña Morfin to Mother Teresa because of her many years of ministry on behalf of the downtrodden of Tijuana and Tecate.

Since 1989, Morfin has been gathering such materials as water, food, clothing, medical, school and office supplies and furniture as well as treats for children. Each week she and volunteers sort the goods at her La Mesa home, load them into a couple of vehicles and then cross the border in search of needy families, the names of which are provided by two charitable groups, Helping Hands and Friends of the Poor.

Morfin makes her rounds, distributing the items among grateful individuals living in the poorest colonias. These missions of mercy come naturally for this generous Mexican lady whose upper-middle- class mother did whatever she could to aid the poor.

At Christmastime Morfin makes it a point to buy more than 200 blankets on the Mexican side of the border to supplement the toys, candies and other special items she delivers to needy families who eagerly anticipate her visits.

And Morfin is no less determined to be there for them. In the course of a delivery several weeks ago, her aging van blew a tire and rolled over. She was taken to the emergency room with bruises and lacerations. Days after being discharged, she resumed her deliveries despite recurring bouts of dizziness.

This exceedingly modest woman, who ministers so faithfully to the less fortunate 52 weeks a year, epitomizes the essence of the Christmas season.