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!!!Please read the Update posted on the fundraiser page (Feb. 13th 2021) for the amendment to allocate funds towards an Immigration Lawyer instead of a Truck!!! The update can also be found pasted below this original post!!!
If you don't know the story of how Gustavo & I got here, we ask you please take a moment to read it. I will explain our story with an open heart, letting you know more about my family and their lives, and let you know why your support would mean so much to us all.
OUR STORY:
When I was 10 years old, I lost my dad and my biggest hero. He was taken away by immigration from our family house in Richfield in the summer of 2010. When immigration came to the door my younger cousin Oscar & I were the only two awake. I had no idea what to do, I had no understanding of the concepts of US citizenship yet. The officers entered and searched the house where they found Gustavo asleep in bed. They searched his belongings and found an old Mexico I.D., along with his Minnesota Drivers License. They illegally took him that morning because of his Mexican I.D., overstepping their bounds by taking a resident with valid state I.D. The officers didn't even allow him to hug me goodbye. Broken hearted, my dad and I have not been able to spend more than 2 weeks together ever Since.
It is only now, 12 years later that I have the opportunity to live with my dad again. I decided that for both our hearts, moving to Mexico was something I needed to do. Giving up my life in Minneapolis was a hard sacrifice, but it was our only choice in becoming a family again. After 2 weeks in my dad's town & seeing his way of life, I have been humbled beyond belief. When he got sent back to his home town of Ozumba, he had nothing except his mother for support. The two of them have worked with what little opportunities they have had in order to eat and live. The reality in Ozumba is not of luxury, but of hard and laborious work. My 77 year old grandmother still gets up at 4 AM every weekday to sell vegetables at the market, only to make enough to get by. But continuing on out of absolute necessity.
Gustavo being the hard worker he has always been decided to pursue a more supportive job. In Ozumba, you must be driven and innovative to succeed. He continued and still continues to get up & help my grandmother at the market. But about 8 years ago, he began to build a party planning business for himself with his off time. Having no money to start out with, it took him a long time to get the supplies he needed. It took years! Literally. He has slowly built his business off of hard work, support from our family back in the US & word of mouth recommendations.
Business has always been slow for Gustavo. It isn't like the US at all. It's really hard to find work here in Ozumba! Especially since Gustavo has had no means of transportation. This whole time, his business has been supported by borrowing vehicles from friends & family. Ever since he started his business, he has dreamed of owning a truck. It has been his life mission and goal since arriving in Mexico. That may put into perspective how hard money is to come by in Ozumba. Saving money is simply a luxury not many have.
Between not owning a vehicle and jobs being so hard to come by, Gustavo has only been able to manage 1-2 jobs per month, if there are any at all. Each only paying about 100$ USD, not including the expenses for travel he has to sacrifice. But Gustavo is resilient and determined, and has managed to stay afloat by eating with his mother & living humbly.
If you've ever met my father Gustavo, then you have felt how big of a heart he has! He has always been an angel of altruism. His generosity, kindness and willingness will never cease to amaze me. The other day, I asked him why he still gives his money to every person in need he passes. He said "Son, we're not poor at all, we're rich compared to what my life used to be and how it could be in the future". He is a man of faith and always seems to put other people in front of himself.
SO WHY DONATE?
When the Coronavirus hit Mexico, my fathers business came to an absolute stop. Parties have been at a stand still. He has been living off of zero income ever since. With all the residents of Ozumba being in dire straits, its been even tougher for him to find transportation & jobs. The only jobs that have come up for him since April have been too far to travel to. With the unreliability of transportation and the constant flux of shutdowns, the hope of finding work has felt like an impossibility for his party planning business.
Things have changed and now that I am here we have another mouth to feed. It may sound far fetched, but in Ozumba, having another mouth to feed makes a big difference. I feel obligated to help support my family here, but there are just as many opportunities for me as there are anyone else - almost zero. Still, I am committed to finding a way to sustain my life here and stay with my family. I came here to do that, and I am not going to throw in the towel just yet.
The hope is to raise enough money to buy a good truck so that me and my father can find work together. This way I can stay here in Mexico without making life harder for my family... As important as it is to me to be with them, I'm not willing to put their own livelihood at risk to support me.
So, in order to support Gustavo's dream of having a truck, and to support my dream of having a father again, I ask you please consider donating to our cause. You have no idea just how far your dollar goes here. Any amount is welcomed and appreciated. With your donation, you are supporting an entire family and an entire community.
THANK YOU!:
Thank you all so much for reading me and my families story. It means a lot to us just be able to share it with you. I cannot express how humbled I feel from this experience and how grateful I am for this community. Everyone who has read this story is now a part of this community too. At the end of the day, donation or not, community and connection is all that really matters. I believe it is in the real life stories of struggle and triumph that this world will reunite & return to love. Its the reading of this story and the sharing of it that has the most impact. Even if we have to struggle, we can always help each other out, and that's a story in and of itself. Please share this with the people you love in order to expand our community even more. Thanks so much!
If you don't know the story of how Gustavo & I got here, we ask you please take a moment to read it. I will explain our story with an open heart, letting you know more about my family and their lives, and let you know why your support would mean so much to us all.
OUR STORY:
When I was 10 years old, I lost my dad and my biggest hero. He was taken away by immigration from our family house in Richfield in the summer of 2010. When immigration came to the door my younger cousin Oscar & I were the only two awake. I had no idea what to do, I had no understanding of the concepts of US citizenship yet. The officers entered and searched the house where they found Gustavo asleep in bed. They searched his belongings and found an old Mexico I.D., along with his Minnesota Drivers License. They illegally took him that morning because of his Mexican I.D., overstepping their bounds by taking a resident with valid state I.D. The officers didn't even allow him to hug me goodbye. Broken hearted, my dad and I have not been able to spend more than 2 weeks together ever Since.
It is only now, 12 years later that I have the opportunity to live with my dad again. I decided that for both our hearts, moving to Mexico was something I needed to do. Giving up my life in Minneapolis was a hard sacrifice, but it was our only choice in becoming a family again. After 2 weeks in my dad's town & seeing his way of life, I have been humbled beyond belief. When he got sent back to his home town of Ozumba, he had nothing except his mother for support. The two of them have worked with what little opportunities they have had in order to eat and live. The reality in Ozumba is not of luxury, but of hard and laborious work. My 77 year old grandmother still gets up at 4 AM every weekday to sell vegetables at the market, only to make enough to get by. But continuing on out of absolute necessity.
Gustavo being the hard worker he has always been decided to pursue a more supportive job. In Ozumba, you must be driven and innovative to succeed. He continued and still continues to get up & help my grandmother at the market. But about 8 years ago, he began to build a party planning business for himself with his off time. Having no money to start out with, it took him a long time to get the supplies he needed. It took years! Literally. He has slowly built his business off of hard work, support from our family back in the US & word of mouth recommendations.
Business has always been slow for Gustavo. It isn't like the US at all. It's really hard to find work here in Ozumba! Especially since Gustavo has had no means of transportation. This whole time, his business has been supported by borrowing vehicles from friends & family. Ever since he started his business, he has dreamed of owning a truck. It has been his life mission and goal since arriving in Mexico. That may put into perspective how hard money is to come by in Ozumba. Saving money is simply a luxury not many have.
Between not owning a vehicle and jobs being so hard to come by, Gustavo has only been able to manage 1-2 jobs per month, if there are any at all. Each only paying about 100$ USD, not including the expenses for travel he has to sacrifice. But Gustavo is resilient and determined, and has managed to stay afloat by eating with his mother & living humbly.
If you've ever met my father Gustavo, then you have felt how big of a heart he has! He has always been an angel of altruism. His generosity, kindness and willingness will never cease to amaze me. The other day, I asked him why he still gives his money to every person in need he passes. He said "Son, we're not poor at all, we're rich compared to what my life used to be and how it could be in the future". He is a man of faith and always seems to put other people in front of himself.
SO WHY DONATE?
When the Coronavirus hit Mexico, my fathers business came to an absolute stop. Parties have been at a stand still. He has been living off of zero income ever since. With all the residents of Ozumba being in dire straits, its been even tougher for him to find transportation & jobs. The only jobs that have come up for him since April have been too far to travel to. With the unreliability of transportation and the constant flux of shutdowns, the hope of finding work has felt like an impossibility for his party planning business.
Things have changed and now that I am here we have another mouth to feed. It may sound far fetched, but in Ozumba, having another mouth to feed makes a big difference. I feel obligated to help support my family here, but there are just as many opportunities for me as there are anyone else - almost zero. Still, I am committed to finding a way to sustain my life here and stay with my family. I came here to do that, and I am not going to throw in the towel just yet.
The hope is to raise enough money to buy a good truck so that me and my father can find work together. This way I can stay here in Mexico without making life harder for my family... As important as it is to me to be with them, I'm not willing to put their own livelihood at risk to support me.
So, in order to support Gustavo's dream of having a truck, and to support my dream of having a father again, I ask you please consider donating to our cause. You have no idea just how far your dollar goes here. Any amount is welcomed and appreciated. With your donation, you are supporting an entire family and an entire community.
THANK YOU!:
Thank you all so much for reading me and my families story. It means a lot to us just be able to share it with you. I cannot express how humbled I feel from this experience and how grateful I am for this community. Everyone who has read this story is now a part of this community too. At the end of the day, donation or not, community and connection is all that really matters. I believe it is in the real life stories of struggle and triumph that this world will reunite & return to love. Its the reading of this story and the sharing of it that has the most impact. Even if we have to struggle, we can always help each other out, and that's a story in and of itself. Please share this with the people you love in order to expand our community even more. Thanks so much!
!!!UPDATE & QUESTION!!!
Please read if you can ♥️
First off, we’d again like to thank you all for your support! THANK YOU! So so sooo much! The thought of it alone is enough to fill my heart with unbounded love, joy & delight. It still, and always will, mean the absolute world to us that so many people felt compelled to share our story & donate to our fund. The hope & humanity that it sparked in my soul has not lost any momentum since! So thanks again everyone! Words cannot truly express the gratitude in our hearts... What an amazing gift & journey its been.
So, here’s the update! (Please excuse our tardiness!)
Since I’ve been down in Ozumba, Covid-19 has gotten worse and worse. It seems to be spreading through small towns like our Ozumba a lot more aggressively now. We’ve had a number of deaths in the community, including 1 in the family. People are being very cautious, and parties are not on anyones agenda. They are also illegal here right now anyhow. With no work, Gustavo & I have been living a very simple life. Finding things to do here and there & spending our time together in creative ways. Its been very good getting to know my dad once again, and my family for the first time. It’s a blessing and a curse this Covid-19. Without income we have been penny pinching as we can. My 77 year old grandmother Lea is the only one who still has income & has been providing the family with breakfasts and dinners everyday. My family & I have been helping her at the market on the days she goes to sell her veggies. Which has also been an amazing experience.
So without any parties in sight & without many opportunities otherwise, the truck hunt has been slowed. In the beginning, we searched Facebook marketplace and the 3 dealerships within a 2 hour bus ride. But the market is extremely limited here and we were unsuccessful finding anything worth while. Slowly, as Covid-19 got worse, we slowly backed off on our search. We figured it’d be better to wait it out then buy a truck now with nowhere to go and no income to pay for gas. We have felt a bit guilty about not having found a truck yet, but feel like we’ve been making the right decisions based on availability and circumstances. And perhaps it was all part of a higher plan all along...
Fate may have it that just last week marked the 10th anniversary of my fathers latest deportation. We originally didn’t think he was legible for citizenship because he has been deported 3 times. Apparently the “3 strikes your put for good” rule no longer applies though. We received very good news from my father’s old lawyer that this anniversary marked an opportunity to petition for a visa!!! This is very wonderful news of course! It has sparked a hope that I may someday be able to live in a place with dad AND my mom. So we’ve been in contact with the lawyer. And we have a consultation on Tuesday to fill out a petition. If my dad can get his papers, our entire lives may change. And thus we are at a stand still with our donation funds, which remain secure in our GoFundMe account.
So, here’s the question!
If we can get my father his US documents, we would like to ask to amend our original request and redirect the donation funds. Since, we would have no other way but to crowdfund more money to pay for the lawyer, we’d like to use what we’ve already been graciously gifted. We feel uneasy about this request, because we don’t want to make anyone feel mislead. So we want to ask what our donors think & feel about this decision. We would be redirecting some of the funds to pay for the immigration lawyer & other fees associated. The rest would be spent on the things he needs in order to move back to Minnesota with me. This could possibly include a truck to continue his business once back! :)
We feel deeply in our hearts that this is the most impactful way to spend our money. We feel like this is our best option we have right now & think that it will allow us to pursue our best lives together. Ordinarily we would not ask to amend something like this, but we feel that most the donations we received were not only for a truck specifically, but for a better life for a father & son. We feel like this is an even better opportunity at that. So we ask again for your gracious support in allowing us to redirect the funds for a higher aim.
Thank you all for your time, energy & love.