Left in America Archives - Page 3 of 3

Sometimes I wonder where in life am I going and if I am doing what I am supposed to be doing. However, even in my wandering, I know without a shadow of a doubt the Lord is who guides my steps. I recently took a new job at a company called PureFun! Inc., and I had no intentions of making myself known to them. It didn’t take long for some of the office staff to find out who I was because of an email I sent to the man that interviewed me (my email contains information about my book and music). After my second interview, I went for orientation. As I was waiting to meet with HR, a young lady came through the door excited to meet me,

“Hey, you’re Juanton! I enjoyed listening to your music!”

That caught me off guard, but it was encouraging to hear that! I soon after went to meet with the HR lady, and she was excited to have me come on board with the “PureFun” team. As we started talking, I saw that she had many books in her room and asked if she liked to read. Excitingly she said “yes!” and mentioned to me that she had looked through my website and ordered two copies of the Left In America book! One copy for her, and the other for anyone who would like to read it.

She mentioned to me that every Wednesday they have a company meeting called “The Huddle,” and she wanted to set up a time for me to share with everyone about my book and testimony. I told her that would be an exciting opportunity! And so it happened. On June 15th they scheduled me for the last 15 minutes, and I went on to share my life experiences as an immigrant in America, being left in America, and how “Left In America” came about. I showed them a couple of pictures of my family and let them know that last year in November 2015 was the first in over ten years my sister and I saw our parents. Afterwards, I had people thanking me for sharing my story, and others asked me about possibilities to share in other places.

As I said earlier, sometimes “I wonder,” but God know the desires of my heart. As a young teenager I often thought, “there has to be so much more to life than what I see.” I still do, and I press on.

This is my family together for the first time in over 10 years.

I could only imagine what was to come as I prepared myself to enter Juarez for the first time in about twenty years. Is it what I thought it was? Is it what I heard? As I drove across with my uncle, a sense of calmness hovered over me; yet, I was anxious to see how different Ciudad Juarez was from the United States. Once I crossed over, the first thing I saw were the people standing near the border begging for money as they held their hands or cups out. Secondly, I realized how rough the roads were and how careful we had to be to not let a tire fall into the big dip. It was heartbreaking to witness how dirty the streets and broken down the buildings were. The driver drove as if there weren’t any street regulations. Almost at every stop light, there would be someone walking in the middle of the street selling candy, roses, or even windshield wipers. In just a few minutes of being in Juarez, I was amazed at the difference from where I live in Georgia.

The drive to my parents was about 25 minutes from the border. As we entered the street where my parents lived, I saw my Ma walking down the sidewalk. I jumped out of the truck and went straight to hug my Ma. Tears rolled out of both of our eyes because it had been about eleven years since we last saw one another. A couple minutes later, I walked down the street to find my Pa. He recognized me and walked toward me right away. As we hugged, he apologized over and over for leaving Alma and me at a young age. I felt torn apart; yet, I was built at heart. Alma and I were finally reunited with our parents. After many years of persevering without them, we had tears of joy because we knew that only the Lord made this possible.

My Ma has been affected by her diabetes lately, so she did not work the week Alma and I were there; my Pa took the responsibility to set up their tent. The street I saw my parents on becomes a flea market type of place Monday-Wednesday. Thus, my parents sit out in the heat and cold selling clothes and other products they have to bring in their income. Thankfully, my Pa is a handyman, and that way he also gets calls from neighbors who may need house repairs. He is able to make a little more money in that sense.

My grandmother was the reason we got to go because she is sick. She cannot walk anymore, and she has lost sight. She also has Alzheimer’s. I was betwixt, happy and sad to see her, but I am thankful we did see her again.

For returning to Mexico for the first time in 20 years and seeing my parents for the first time in 11 years was an experience words cannot convey. Even after returning to El Paso, I was amazed the immigration officers were kind to my sister and me. I thought it would have been different, especially after hearing that they can be quite rude. However, thanks to my wife and her parents who had various people praying for us, our experience crossing the border with DACA was at ease.

Thank you to all who have stood by us, Shalom!

— Dream Big; Take Action

Juan A. Terrazas

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Wayne Gretzky

*”Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.” Abraham Lincoln*

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Posts in category: Left in America

New Position & Trusting the Lord

Family Picture – Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

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