War
“Like so many Salvadorian children of war, Jorge Torres grew up knowing his mother mostly as the voice on a long-distance phone call. Born in el Salvador at the height of the country’s civil war, Torres, 15, was raised mostly by grandparents. his mother left for the united States to work, first in houston and then new York. he was raised in San Alejo, a little town in eastern el Salvador, where war raged until 1992 and pervasive poverty reigned thereafter. So many people have left eastern el Salvador for America that the economy of some towns is almost entirely dependent on the money sent home.When his father died more than a year ago, Jorge honored him by getting a tattoo with the father’s name: ‘Lino.’ his mother finally sent for him this year. Relatives in el Salvador bought him a new pair of shoes, and then, like a modern-day huck finn, he set out on an adventure. he carried no legitimate identification, probably making it more difficult to confirm that he was dead. his mother identified him by his tattoo, his new shoes, his broken tooth and the scar on the hip from where he fell off a horse as a child.”
Poverty“Jose Luis hernandez Aguirre tried desperately to find work in the maquiladora plants near Mexicali but was unable to do so. With a wife and two children, ages one and seven, Jose needed to find a job that would put food on the table. A smuggler told him of the high-paying jobs across the border and offered, for $1,000, to take him there. Joined by his brother and several others, the group headed for the united States with hope. After one day, brother Jaime called and reported to the family and Jose’s sister, Sonia, that Jose was lost. Jaime could not make the trek in the desert, but Jose wanted to continue on the journey. he had to find a job for his family. four days later, Jose’s body was found in the desert. his sister Sonia borrowed a truck to retrieve Jose’s remains. upon her return, she encountered another group of migrants heading to the united States.‘Why do you want to risk your life like this?’ she implored. ‘Come and look at my brother in his coffin.’"
Hope“My name is Gathkouth and I am a Lutheran Pastor. I was in the ministry for 15 years in Sudan and eight years now in the united States. My ministry is devoted to helping our community transform its life through the Gospel. The main challenge our organization deals with is our members’ displacement and separation from their families because of the war and hardship in our native land. People often become voiceless and hopeless, but our organization works to change that. We teach people how to change their lives for the better, how to maintain a home, how to become self-sufficient, how to be independent, and how to adapt to a new country.”
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