Stories of Changed Lives

Hope Turned to Fear

Maria came to the United States, hoping to find a job so she could send money to her family.  But when Canadian immigration officials dumped Maria over the U.S. border and abandoned her, she felt as cold and lonely as the north wind that whipped around her.

She had no money.  She spoke little English.  And she was completely alone, thousands of miles from her home in El Salvador.

Maria’s troubles began long before she ended up on the frozen Canadian border.  They started when she wed a violent man.

After years of enduring her husband’s verbal and physical beatings, she fled with her five children.  She couldn’t provide for her family’s financial needs, so she left her younger children with her adult children and set out for North America in hopes of finding work.

After bouncing back and forth between U.S. and Canadian immigration officials, and facing closed door after closed door, she landed at Cornerstone Manor, Buffalo City Mission’s shelter for women and children.  At first, Maria was very depressed and had trouble communicating her thoughts in English.

But now she’s a changed woman.  Here, she’s received food, shelter, medical care, Christian counseling and educational opportunities.  She accepted Christ as her Savior and has found fellowship with Spanish-speaking believers.  She hopes to get her alien work permit soon.

“I like Cornerstone,” Maria says.  “There are good people here.  Nice people here.”