Lilian Tekwe

December 2022

In early 2018, Lilian Tekwe and her husband attended a prayer session in their native Cameroon. These monthly events attracted hundreds of faithful from miles around, and miracles were known to happen. On this particular day, nearly a thousand people had come together for a full day of intense prayer and worship.

That evening, as Lilian knelt in prayer, something strange happened. Her body became rigid and she couldn’t speak. Her hands locked tightly together, fingers interlaced. She lost all awareness of her surroundings and began to shake. In a trance-like state, Lilian was led forward to the foot of the altar. There she remained, on her knees with her forehead on the floor, motionless for over two hours. People sang and prayed over her, but only when they implored Mary to intercede did her body relax. Finally, Lilian fell asleep there at the foot of the altar.

When she awoke much later, nearly everyone had gone home. A priest came and spoke to her. “Do you know what happened?” he asked. No, she answered. “Do you know Our Lady of Guadalupe?” Again, no. “She was the one,” he announced. “I don’t know why she came. Maybe she is preparing you for something. You should start calling her in your prayers.”

Lilian was baffled. She had never even heard of Our Lady of Guadalupe. How could this have happened? But she trusted the priest, so she decided to learn about Our Lady of Guadalupe and begin a devotion to her.

Months later, the political situation in Cameroon worsened. Lilian’s family was in danger and had to flee immediately. At first they planned to go to Italy, but when Lilian couldn’t get visas for her two boys, they changed their plan. Ecuador was visa-free, so they would fly there instead and then travel to the US through Central America.

Upon arrival in Ecuador, the frightened family found a hotel. Lilian dreaded the next stage of their journey. She knew the trip through Central America would be dangerous, and she prayed for strength. An answer came when she entered the hotel and her eyes landed on a familiar image: a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe on prominent display in the lobby. Lilian caught her breath as she heard a voice say to her, “I have prepared you for this journey. Be strong.”  

Soon after that the family set out, and their trip north was far more treacherous than imagined. “I don’t even want to think about it,” Lilian says, shaking her head. “We saw all kinds of things.” But at least one thing that Lilian saw kept her going. As Patroness of the Americas, Our Lady of Guadalupe’s image was everywhere—statues, pictures, shrines by the roadside—and as her family made their way from one point to the next, Lilian finally understood why Our Lady had come to her at the prayer session all those months ago. “She knew we would have to suffer,” Lilian explains, “and she told me, ‘I will be there for you.’”

After reaching the US, Lilian’s family settled in West Des Moines, and much to Lilian’s surprise, Our Lady had yet another blessing in store. A neighbor told Lilian about Sacred Heart Church, and she decided to check it out. When she entered the Parish Center, the first thing she saw was a room dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe with Juan Diego’s tilma on the wall. She continued into the Gathering Space and there was Our Lady of Guadalupe again—this time as a beautiful statue surrounded by flowers and candles. Amazed, Lilian knew immediately that she had found her new parish home, all due to the loving intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe. “She is doing so much for me, and she keeps doing it every day,” Lilian says with gratitude. “She brought me here.”

Photo: Lilian Tekwe with Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Gathering Space