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[narrator] Farm workers in California's Central Valley
produce 8% of the crops in the U.S.
They put food on tables but often can't
afford meals for themselves.
[In Spanish] Getting water.
Marcelo Escarzaga delivers meals, water,
and prayers of encouragement.
[Marcelo] I want to ask you Lord for these men...
[narrator] Here, men and women labor six days a week in the
blazing sun following the crops in season.
Marcelo and his wife Corazon are both pastors who have built
their ministry around understanding the challenges
of this nomadic lifestyle.
[Marcelo Escarzaga] When I got my feet dirty in the fields
and when I was harvesting grapes alongside the men,
it was a big impact on them.
They said "the pastor is one of us."
[Corazon Escarzaga] I can learn more about their reality by
visiting the women in their homes and kitchens,
going with them to their English classes.
[narrator] Corazon has four children of her own,
so she knows how long work hours strain families.
Domestic violence is common and children often don't have a
relationship with their fathers.
[Corazon Escarzaga] We are trying to inspire the people
we serve through our example.
So they can see a family who takes care of the children and
teaches them family values.
[narrator] Marcelo mentors children through soccer
[kid] Oh Ya!
and talks to them about healthy living.
[Marcelo Escarzaga] It's very important to do exercises;
walk, run, play soccer.
[narrator] Unlike their parents, these children are
getting an education. They hope to find better jobs.
Junior is a teenager who sometimes works in the fields to
help his mother cover rent and buy clothes for his brothers.
[Junior] I used to tell my mom, "That's an easy job."
But she brought me here and it wasn't.
[narrator] The Escarzagas serve three United Methodist Churches,
offering spiritual support to laborers far from home.
They also give practical support like clothes and food.
[woman] Do you have more family who needs any?
[narrator] Corazon and Marcelo came from urban Mexico.
Their rural mission field in the U.S.
provides opportunities they never dreamed of.
[Corazon Escarzaga] My life can touch in the morning,
someone from Nicaragua.
In the afternoon, I can find a person from Mexico.
At night, I can finish it up with a
person from southern Mexico.
The outreach is tremendous every day.