In Comayagua, Suazo Suazo’s engineering degree met an empty job market. Suazo Suazo put her passion on hold and obtained a qualification to teach kindergarten. Life was beautiful in Honduras, but every bright object has a shadow, and the shadows in the cities of Honduras are particularly dark. Suazo Suazo described how “freedom” in Honduras remains a term without substance: “You can’t walk alone, and there’s certain times at night you can’t go out, things will happen. You get your education, but there’s no work for what you got your education in. It’s really hard to obtain what you want—education for the kids, your own house, security, just to be able to live—it’s really hard.”    

3,360 miles away, Tim Visscher and his wife, Tina, were living similar lives in Bozeman, Montana. Alike in size and landscape to Comayagua, Bozeman is where Tim grew up, went to school, and earned a degree in Spanish. He and Tina celebrated birthdays and holidays with their grown children, participated in their Quaker community, and enjoyed the mountains that surrounded their home.   

Tim, Tina, and other members of their congregation had begun to notice a growing population of refugees and migrants and sought a way to connect with these new community members. They noticed the potential for cultural exchange and the need for help in the transition.  

Despite the beauty of the mountains of Honduras and the traditions and culture that made Honduras home, the challenges Suazo Suazo faced caused her to follow in her mother’s footsteps and move towards a promise of safety and opportunity for her children. She wasn’t the first of her family. Twenty-one years earlier, her husband’s older brother had moved to  Bozeman. 

In 2019, her family made plans to emigrate. First, her husband and daughter, Astrid, left together. “She suffered more than I did,” said Suazo Suzao. “When you cross you see a lot of things.”  

Suazo Suazo left two months later with her three-year-old son, Manuel. The journey was harrowing and took them an additional two and a half months. They traveled with her sister-in-law through Guatemala and Mexico, where they stowed away on trains to reach the border of the U.S.   

“When I came, I came with my sister-in-law and another woman, who was pregnant and traveling with her son. She told me she knew she was going to die. I asked why? ‘Why do you say you’re going to die?’ She said, ‘Because I know.’”   

Twelve days later the five were riding the trains together. There were 70 people and 12 children hiding with them. The time came to take a new train. “When we switched trains [the pregnant woman] couldn’t jump to the second train, and she died,” explained Suazo Suazo. Her son continued without her.  

Suazo Suazo, her son Manuel, her sister-in-law, and their friend’s son, arrived at the border together. She and her family successfully crossed the border, one step closer to the rest of their family. Their friend’s son was turned away, forced to return alone.  

“Sometimes, things like that would make me want to turn around and go back,” said Suazo Suazo. “When you arrive, you’ve suffered so much. You’re exhausted and drained from everything you’ve gone through.” 

The promise of opportunity for her children that Honduras could not offer, kept Suazo Suazo going. She reunited with her husband and daughter in Longview, Texas. “I was crying and crying when I saw my family again,” Suazo Suazo said. After one year in Texas, the family moved to Bozeman to join her husband’s brother.  

One of the first challenges to navigate was the school system. While Tim and Gina had been building connections with Spanish speaking community members, Astrid and Manuel were starting school. Fortunately, their teacher had become a friend of Tim and Gina’s. They were introduced, and the relationship that formed would become the first of Bienvenidos’ mentor program.  

“In general, I would say that I’m just aware of how much courage and persistence it takes to be able to make the change, said Tim. “I’ve become much more aware of all the obstacles people face, just getting kids registered in school, getting transportation to work, dealing with a traffic ticket. For a migrant, that’s a big deal.” 

The Visschers helped Suazo Suazo and her family navigate U.S. systems and the difficulties of relocating to a new country. Suazo Suazo described difficulties since moving to Bozeman, like how hard it is to teach her kids Honduran traditions since they were so young when they arrived in the U.S., and all the things she misses from Honduras, including cooking over an open fire, “fogón,” a more open way of life, having access to foods from home like carne asada and pollo frito, and spending days by the ocean and walking in the mountains.   

But not everything was different, and Suazo Suazo described her attachment to Bozeman: “It’s like the city I’m from, I’m comfortable, I feel like I’m at home.” 

The relationship with the Visscher family fostered this sentiment because it went deeper than just technical help with U.S. systems. Their families celebrated birthdays together and exchanged traditions and culture. “She’s been teaching me more Spanish than I’ve been teaching her English,” said Tim Visscher.  

By bringing families together in partnership and mentorship, Bienvenidos has opened paths for cultural exchange from across the world in Bozeman. 

“For me personally, it’s expanded my world,” said Tim. “I really have learned a lot about Central America. I’ve actually learned a lot about prejudice, but mainly about generosity in the Bozeman community. I see people being willing to be generous and helpful and interested.”Suazo Suazo has even had opportunities for these exchanges at work. She’s been able to share traditional dishes and dialect with people from Columbia, Mexico, and Venezuela.   

In Comayagua there were many people who had immigrated from Honduras and Columbia, and 

Suazo Suazo said how they remained siloed. She pointed out how the community there could’ve been better connected and how stronger relationships could allow for a stronger community here in Bozeman as well: “It would be better if there was a change, so everyone can get to know each other, find out why there’s so many cultures…all the immigrants came for something different.”  

Carmen Rubio has spent her life as a liaison and advocate for the Latino Community using her personal and career experiences to help her clients overcome language barriers. She is currently working for Montana Language Service as an interpreter and serves on the board of Bienvenidos. She interpreted for Suazo Suazo during this interview.