Javier and Adriana were expecting twin girls. Their family lived in a small trailer with broken windows, and water from the early morning dew would seep in and get all their things wet. Their daughter, Naomi lived with them in the trailer, but their son Juan had to stay with other family members because there wasn’t enough space. At some point in Adriana’s pregnancy something shifted and she began to feel so tired that she was unable to walk her 9 year old daughter Naomi over the hills and valleys to and from school anymore. Her doctor had some concerns about the pregnancy and she was put on bed rest. Despite taking all the necessary precautions, the unimaginable happened and the babies decided to make an appearance two months early, one stillborn and one fighting to survive. Javier and Adriana faithfully visited their sweet baby Kimberly in the hospital each day for a month, walking miles each way to reach her.
To make things worse, the bakery Javier had worked for refused to give him any time off and fired him for missing work. Left without a steady income, a new baby and medical bills to pay, Javier would buy supplies and borrow a friends kitchen to bake donuts to sell in their neighborhood so that they would have some money for food and rent.
Despite going through such a terrible hardship, Adriana carries a quiet strength and a hope for her family’s future. During the dedication ceremony, after the family had been handed over the keys and had a few precious first moments in their brand new home, Adriana shared: “For the first time in my life I have a house I can call my own. We thought we were alone, but now we know we’re not, because you guys came without knowing us and helped us. This feels like a dream.”
Now they have a home that will not only keep them dry, they can all be together as a family. When asked what she was most excited about her new home, Naomi didn’t say the new toys or clothes, she answered, the kitchen table. She hasn’t ever had a table to sit down and have a meal with her family, but now she does. The Fraire Cuellar family has a dream to eventually build a small kitchen so that they can run a bakery from their very own home. As they settle into their new home, they not only have a hope for their future, they have many family meals at the kitchen table to look forward to.
