We met M. in family # 1 in 2007 when he was in our second grade Wednesday night Bible class. He was such a sweet, cute and fun kid. He had a thick accent, but his English was pretty good. He liked to please us very much. During drawing time, he would put his hand up to his face like he was calling us on the phone and say, "Mr. 'Burden,' what should I draw?' We met his brother C. and his mother J. when Terry was helping with the vans and C. along with another young man pulled a little girl's hair. Terry asked me to explain this to C's mom, so that she could ask him not to do it. We later learned that this was really unusual behavior for C. He was in our second grade class the next year and we grew to love him also. M and C came from a family of seven children.
We wanted to get better acquainted with this family, so we asked if we could pick their children up instead of having them ride on the van. The parents were hesitant at first, but let us since three of them would be riding with us. They had an older sister, L. that came with us. Their younger sister V. was about 1 1/2 years old and the boys would proudly bring her to the car so that we could get to know her and she us. This allowed us to really get to know their parents and siblings and relate in a totally different manner. This extra time each week before and after class became a treat for us and made them the envy of others who saw this as a special privilege. The exposure to the family and neighborhood created a bond and trust that enabled us to be welcomed into homes of other kids as we expanded in our role in the community of Solms which is just south of New Braunfels, Texas.
We learned that M. had been the first child in their family to come to the U.S. at age four when his dad came to build the apartments they were living in. The other children came a couple of years later with mom. V was the first child to be born in the united. She was later joined with another sister S. and a brother A.
Early on we made a mistake with this family that we have tried not to repeat. Mom invited us into their home to eat beans and rice. We had just eaten, so we told her thank you, but that we were not hungry. It took her a long time to invite us again. We realized shortly after we said "no" that we had made a mistake. How could they trust us if it looked like we did not trust them. Fortunately we have become a great part of their family and are often in their home and they are in ours. We are now the adopted grandparents of all the children except the oldest who left home before we got to know him. Miguel was the first to call Terry and me Grandma and Grandpa and still resents it when he hears other families call us that now.
M.'s older brother, L. did not come to church with us. We didn't really get to know him other than to speak until after he graduated from high school. We happened to be at his graduation because our granddaughter had graduated at the same time. We told him we saw him at his graduation and he has been very comfortable with us since then. He also started calling us Grandpa and Grandma and gets us Christmas presents and comes to us for advice. He invited us to his new home before he had moved in and again for a move-in celebration.
Another older brother N. remained aloof with us until this year. He became the soccer coach for his youngest brother A. We attend both the games and practice and this has opened us up to being friends. He now talks easily to us, so much so that L. is silent when N is around and L is usually not silent.
I was asked to take mom to the hospital for the birth of A. Dad, also A. was working, but met us there. I was able to coach her and pray with her. What an honor! I was the 2nd one to hold him. Dad held him first, but the family reports that I was the first.
We help the younger children with homework, help teach them to read, take them on trips and were the first to take them to a movie and to the beach. We took one sister, V., to Oregon with us and had the most fun vacation we have ever had. We took M. and C. to Washington DC for M.'s graduation. M. wasn't the best traveler, but he talks a lot about how much he enjoyed the trip. C. loves politics and wants to be a senator so he loved everything about the trip. He wants us to take him to a presidential convention for his graduation! We have been to the baptisms of their children, their daughter's quincinera, lots of family birthdays and other parties and even spent a Christmas eve with them. Now that M. is working, he wants to eat with us every Thursday at lunch so he can have special alone time with us. Thank you Lord for the blessings this family has been to us.
