FROM the time of our founding in 1990, the Bread of Life Mission has sought to tune into our community and engage in a way that enhances life. Our first concentration was engaging with the homeless community in Los Angeles and bringing people who were living on the streets into the mission home in Los Angeles. At that time, we were working with Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity who also had a home in our neighborhood. One focus of Mother Teresa’s ministry in Los Angeles was to provide a home for children who were fleeing from Central America in order to escape the poverty and violence that surrounded their lives.

An Immigrant Story

One of these children was Leonardo Aguilar. He came to the United States when he was 14 years old. He was born in a village called Santiago Chimaltenango. It is a village perched in the mountains of a verdant valley in Northern Guatemala. A village of 12,000 people who share the same Mayan heritage and speak the same Mam language. Although the village has few economic resources, it is a place of beauty and a place where family ties run deep.

These important factors make the village a very desirable place to live even though most people live with few creature comforts. However, in the early 1990’s, this village was engulfed in the Guatemalan Civil War. Deep economic disparities prompted rival forces seeking economic justice to engage the Guatemalan government in armed conflict. The opposing forces were apparent in the daily life of those in the village including young Leonardo.

Feeling that the potential violence provided no opportunities to create a positive life, Leonardo decided to make the trek to the United States. This was no easy undertaking for a young man who had no economic resources. He had to work his way through Mexico by picking coffee and doing other odd jobs in order to stay alive with food and shelter and continue his journey by foot or by bus. After six months he made his way to Union Station in Los Angeles. Beating the odds of traveling from Guatemala to the United States was a serious feat for a young person, but little did he know, this was just the beginning of the challenges that he would face. He was in the United States alone and unable to speak English. In fact, he had just begun to learn Spanish as his primary language was the indigenous Mam language. He was lost and afraid and knew of no person who could help him. On the very same day of his arrival, at Union Station in Los Angeles, a Missionary Brother of Charity saw Leonardo and could tell that he was in need of help. Brother Issac asked Leonardo if he would like to come to live in a house nearby that was set up specifically for kids that were in his predicament. Leo jumped at this opportunity and believed that it was an omen that his life meant something. He was filled with hope and determination that he could create the kind of life that he was yearning for.

Over the next four years Leonardo attended High School in Los Angeles. He studied very hard and became proficient in English. He was a top student in his classes. He graduated with honors and decided to pursue a college education. Upon graduation from High School, his time living with the Brothers came to an end as he needed to make space for another person like him who needed help from the Brothers.

Knowing that the Bread of Life Mission was affiliated with the Brothers and having known Scott Otterness (the founder of the Bread of Life Mission) over the years, Leonardo inquired as to the possibility of being supported by the Bread of Life Mission as he went through college. He was accepted to be a co-worker at the Bread of Life Mission (BOLM). He worked alongside others at BOLM to care for the mentally ill and handicapped people who lived at the Mission home. Leonardo immersed himself in his college curriculum while he devoted his free time to serving those in need at the Mission home.

After receiving his Business Degree from California State University, Los Angeles, Leonardo set out to build his own business. He noticed that during the building boom in Los Angeles, there was a need to haul off debris from construction sites. With the help of the Bread of Life Mission, Leonardo purchased a dump truck and began building relationships with businesses who needed his services. Leonardo was always honest, reliable, and trustworthy. The kind of person who you like to do business with. He, therefore, has been consistently busy since the first day he decided to go into business for himself. The business success has enabled Leonardo to have the finances to get married and start a family. He has a wife, Mireya, and two lovely children, Christian and Michelle.

Most people in the United States would say that the story should stop here because it looks like Leonardo is on his way toward attaining the American Dream. However, for Leonardo, there was a deep hole inside his heart that was aching no matter how much business success he was able to attain. This hole was from the fact that he left his family in Santiago Chimaltenango more than 25 years before, and had not seen them nor heard from them in all that time. He was even wondering if his father who would be in his 80’s by now was still alive. His new mission was to find a way to return to his village.

Leo did return to his village which is located in the “Mayan” region which is actually the southern part of Mexico as well as the northern part of Guatemala. He was overwhelmed with the warm and loving welcome that he received from the people of his village. Although by this time he was fluent in Spanish and English, he chose to address the people in his village in the native Mam language. This was a sign of deep respect for the identity of an ancient and proud civilization.

While visiting his village, Leonardo’s thoughts quickly turned to the poverty and the lack of opportunities that were afforded to a person growing up here. He noticed young people drinking cheap alcohol and passing out for hours in the street. He knew that even though his ancient village was beautiful and filled with warm, loving people, the paucity of economic resources made it difficult to create a positive life. There were several problems that Leonardo wanted to have addressed in order to improve the lives of the people in his village. There was a problem with water. Water was only available for a few hours every day. He thought that there simply was not enough water to go around and perhaps a new well was needed. A community center was needed for kids that could provide recreation and learning opportunities. There were no social services for the sick and elderly who could not support themselves. At this point, he was wondering how his resources could possibly make a difference to assist with these much needed services for his village. Knowing that a partner would be helpful, Leonardo decided to get the Bread of Life Mission involved. The Bread of Life Mission agreed, and thus a trip to Santiago Chimaltenango was planned so that the Bread of Life Mission could see firsthand and determine whether or not there was the possibility of help.

BOLM’s founder, Scott, volunteered to take the plunge into the life at Santiago Chimaltenango and see firsthand what the village was like, to assess the needs, and determine whether or not it was feasible for BOLM to assist with any potential projects.

Upon arriving to Santiago Chimaltenango, Scott received a warm welcome. Leonardo’s family realized the close bond between their son and the organization in the United States that was able to give him assistance during the challenging times in his life in the United States.

So during the next several weeks Scott interacted with new friends in Santiago Chimaltenango and learned more about the people and the village. He spoke with several people about the water sources for the village and was able to travel to the main wells. There he spoke with the water engineers. He learned that there was ample sustainable water for the village that was drawn from these wells.

Much more is needed to learn about the water and the plans that the Municipality has for distribution. Currently, the water is pumped into the homes of the village for only 3 hours per day. This water is free. There is a discussion about increasing the availability of the water for the residents of the village; however, it is likely that there will be a charge for this service. This is part of an ongoing conversation.

Walking throughout the village on any given day, one would encounter young men laying on the sidewalks or in the street sleeping from the effects of drinking too much alcohol. It was learned that there is a strong alcoholic drink that is available at a low price in the village.

Unfortunately, the village does not have any community center that may offer recreation or educational opportunities for the youth of the village. The Bread of Life Mission is currently looking for a site that would accommodate a recreation center and also house offices and classrooms. The recreation center will have a soccer field and basketball court. Some discussions have already begun concerning an existing property that would meet these criteria.

Another important issue that BOLM would like to address in the village is the lack of services for elderly and disabled people. Currently, there is no safety net for people who are unable to care for themselves. This leaves a huge burden on caretakers who are needed to earn money for food and basic needs while caring for family members. In addition, those who do not have family to help are left very vulnerable.

BOLM has already begun monthly support for select families.