Faith and Offering Saved and Restored the Páiz Family
Photos by Ramón Hernández
La Nueva Familia Páiz is truly a new family all thanks to the strong faith possessed by the mother/grandmother of today’s new family.
“My mother (Martha) was always a Christian, but my father (Natividad Sr.) liked women. For twenty years she suffered mental and physical abuse. So as kids, we grew up seeing both sides as we saw our mother holding on to her faith and when we were bad, she used my father (Natividad Páiz Sr.) as an excuse for our misbehavior,” Ruth Páiz revealed during an interview at West Campus Baptist Church.
Her mother was orphaned at age five, therefore her husband and their children, most of them which were born in Lubbock, Texas, were her only family and she wasn’t going to lose this precious gift. So Margarita prayed to God for a miracle.
The interview was held following a Christian concert by La Nueva Familia Páiz during which Ruth had testified that the turning point came when her mother had been invited to a three-day Christian campaign at an enormous venue in Sanger, California just hours after seeing her husband pack his bags and walk out the door to be with another woman.
“That night my mother committed to give a $500 offering, when she really did not have the means to do so, but she wanted God to transform our lives; she made a pact with God and took that step of faith. Then after twenty years, the salvation started. On the third night, my father showed up.
“God answered her prayer and in one year, he saved the entire family. She gave ministry not only to her children, but also her grandchildren,” the singer-songwriter continued. “Yes God is in the business of making miracles, but God also needs to spend some time with you.”
This statement is best defined in one of their Intocable-styled tunes, “No Ignores Mi Amor” (“Don’t Ignore My Love”).
Suzanne and evangelist Natividad Páiz Jr.
Everything under the sun, material things such as a house, a car, etcetera, is vanity. So in 1983 when the Lord gave us the call, we (the Natividad Páiz Jr. Family) sold everything. We got a bus and we began to travel.”
It was during one of their coast-to-coast stops that they stopped to give their testimony and perform at the West Campus Baptist Church. Their father has long since passed, but their mother was seated with the rest of the congregation.
God told them that Austin and that is now their home-base. Here their address is a post-office box which a Christian brother checks every couple of weeks for their true home is miles and miles of long roads as they travel to spread the Word of God.
In 2007, they recorded “Despertar,” their first Christian compact disc and last year they released “Para Siempre” (“Forever”) written by keyboard player/lead vocalist Maylin Páiz. She also wrote “Glorioso,” “La Luz” and “Aqui Estoy.” Other original tunes in this CD are “Nada,” a lively catchy song by María and Suzanne Páiz, “La Razon” and “Ciega” by Elya Páiz (now married and living in Oregon), the latter with Suzanne Páiz; and “Quiero Más De Ti” (“I Want More of You”) by Ruth. Then there’s “Nopal,” a beautiful instrumental everyone came up with.
Gabriela, Ryan, Aaron and Andres Páiz
Maylin, lead vocals; Ruth, vocals; Aarón, accordion and guitar; Andres, lead guitar and bajo sexto; Ryan, bass; Gabriela, lead and rhythm guitar and vocals; Christian, congas; and Serena on drums; make up the musical portion of La Nueva Familia Páiz.
Serena and Christian Páiz
Their father, Natividad Jr. is the evangelist; their mother, Suzanne is the sound engineer and their aunt Debbie is the publicist. Then there’s’ Lupita and María, who arrange and keep track of their schedule.
Incidentally Aarón and Andres are identical twins, but one can tell them apart because one has long hair and the other trims it real short.
Any church desiring to have La Nueva Familia Páiz stop in San Antonio for an unforgettable concert should e-mail them at lafamiliapaiz@aol.com or call them at (512) 695-8423.