I have four Granddaughters.
The other day at the Greyhound bus station during my shift (3 p.m. – 8 p.m.), we welcomed 62 children—with their parents, of course—in two charter buses, one from Del Rio and one from Laredo. It was hectic, but we managed. Eventually most of them left—some going to the airport, some whose family came to pick them up, others who went to the city’s Migrant Resource Center (MRC). The ones that stayed waited for buses to leave for different destinations.
At that point, I had the opportunity to talk to six boys who were between the ages of 7 and 9 years. All of them started to call me “Abuela”. I was delighted!
They told me: “Tú eres mi Abuela Mexicana.”
They kept asking me and the other volunteer questions such as the names of the states (we have a map). When I showed them, they noticed right away that Texas was the largest state. I taught them to count to ten in English.
I ended my shift with six new grandsons! I hugged them when I left! They will continue their journey with their parents, which won’t be easy, but I will keep praying for them.
And this is why we volunteer at IWC.
