What to read after Journey to America?

We all make important, and crucial decisions at some point in life. Some decisions can truly be life changing. A month after I turned sixteen years old, I was given the opportunity to leave my country, and go north in the continent to the great United States of America. It was not an easy thing to do by any means, neither was it to decide over. After seeking God’s answer in prayer for a few days, I decided to leave my known life behind to venture into the unknown, trusting in God alone to make it safe to my destination.

As I made the decision to leave my country, that also included leaving behind the most beautiful girl I had known. I was risking my life in many ways trying to reach the “Land of the Free, the Home of the Brave” with only one purpose in my heart. I wanted nothing more than to become a successful man in order to have something to offer to the girl I considered to be the love of my life. This was my one, and only reason for leaving my country.

However, as the day for my departure approached, the strange feeling that I was going to end up with a broken heart at the end of it all became very overwhelming each day, and even more so during the entire journey. Although I hoped that was not going to be the case, I wanted God’s will to be done above all else. I believed that God had a reason for taking me away from her, my country, my friends and family at the time He did. If He did not want me to go to America the way I did, He simply would have said so when I asked if He wanted me to go.

It took twenty-five days from the day I left my home in El Salvador until the day I arrived at my new home in Orange County, California. There were a number of dangers that I faced during a three week period, going across four different countries, traveling for more than three thousand miles. While my faith was tested in different ways each day, my mind, and my body were also put to the test in more ways than I expected.

It all began on the eleventh day of February in the year two thousand and two. A group of fifteen individuals full of hope, and dreams of a better future decided to begin a journey that would forever change their lives. Although unique, my story is not the only one for there are millions more that have come before, and after me. This, however, is the story of my Journey to America.