FRANCISCO AND ANNA

Francisco and Anna and their children at the Christmas Party.

We met Francisco, Anna and their four children at our annual childrens' Christmas Celebration in Nuevo Progreso.  They enthusiastically invited us to join them for a combined Christmas and birthday celebration at their home on Christmas day.  Directions were given to their house and we promised to join them for their small fiesta.

Francisco and Anna at their house on Christmas day.

Christas day was cold and blustery, but the weather didn't stop the family plans for barbecued chicken.  When we arrived and greeted Francisco and Anna and several children who decided to join their family, we were given chairs up close to the house.  We were somewhat sheltered from the strong gusty wind that threatened to extinguish the all important fire being prepared to roast the chicken.  Francisco and Anna scurried around making their preparations while we visited a little with the children.  There were many trips made to the little corner store, not much more than a booth on the street, and we could see that the family had some concerns about the still uncooked chicken.  Their barbecue grill consisted of an old tire rim fitted with a circular wire top which looked suspiciously like the front of an old electric fan.  But it would have been perfect for their needs except that any heat from the fire was blown away.

The family in front of their little Christmas tree on the side of their house.

We left them with the promise to return in a couple of hours, giving them time to complete their preparations without the added stress of people watching them.  And when we returned, they proudly served us beautifully cooked and seasoned chicken along with perfectly cooked rice.  It was an extremely good meal.

Their youngest little boy proudly quoted a scripture for us.  They are proud of him.

The children love to go to school, but an education in Mexico is a challenge because of expenses.  The children are required to wear uniforms and are charged a fee for each semester.  Additionally, each child must pay for his or her drinking water.  For a family such as this one, it's a major challenge to keep all their children in school.  We were shown their oldest son's report card which had excellent grades on it.  Their youngest son proudly gave us a demonstration of his knowledge of the Bible - quoting one of his favorite scriptures.

Francisco and Anna made it clear that the main reason for inviting us to join them was to get to know us better and to share with us.  Francisco who works in the fields has no work until spring.  They live in a borrowed home since they lost their home in a fire.  They cannot receive help from the government because all their identification papers were lost in that fire.  But they asked nothing from us but to visit them often and be their friends.

We were humbled and blessed by this special family in Nuevo Progreso.  And when we go to visit them again, we'll take food, warm sweaters and blankets that we know they need.

Don't forget to mention Francisco and Anna in your prayers.  This is a happy little family who all seem to love the Lord.  Their main goal seems to be to raise their children with a good education and a knowledge of the Bible.