Survive to Live is the fascinating autobiography of Jonathan Orozco, a former member of a Los Angeles gang. Born into a squalid neighborhood known as La Limonada which is notoriously known as one of Guatemala's worst slums. His brutal childhood was filled with a confounding mix of motherly love and fatherly abuse. As a teen he and his family crossed the Mexican and U.S borders in order to reach safety and search for the American dream. Upon reaching the big city, however, he abandons his high ideals and became involved in the gang underworld. The seductive veneer of power, popularity, and security offered by the gang proves to be an illusion, and Jonathan finds himself stuck in a lifestyle of danger, violence, substance abuse, and hopelessness. Bullets couldn't kill him; crack couldn't kill him. Only through the prayers of his mother, an amazing supernatural warning, and several close brushes with death does Jonathan find the courage to leave the gang behind and embrace a new future. Jonathan's story will strike a chord with all who read it regardless of their age or their background. This book is a captivating chronicle of how a mysterious beam of light that Jonathan discovered as a boy eventually led him out of a dark labyrinth of evil into a life-changing encounter with the light's Source. Jonathan is now a musician, worship leader, and motivational speaker, who lives a passionate life for God.
About the Author: Survive to Live is the shocking true story of Jonathan Orozco, a starry-eyed immigrant turned gang member whose defiant trajectory is transformed through a series of inexplicable miracles. Survive to Live poetically traces Jonathan's childhood from Guatemala's most treacherous slum, La Limonada, to his daring border-crossing into the land of his dreams. His roller-coaster life of harsh physical and emotional abuse, grinding poverty and despair is sporadically eased by the love of his saintly mother. Sharing a one room shack with seven family members, Jonathan's hope of escape is sustained by a single pinpoint of light that beams through the tin roof onto his face. Events take a surprising turn and Jonathan finds himself on an unexpected and unwanted journey northward with his unpredictable, explosive father. Dropped off by 'coyotes' in Los Angeles, teenaged Orozco experiences extreme culture shock. Strong of body but desolate in spirit, he seeks identity through gang life with the feared "Hollywood Bandits." Disillusionment and crack cocaine blind Jonathan to the persistent heavenly warnings of death heading his way. Only the prayers of his devoted mother stand between Orozco and the dark beyond, but are they enough to save him? A cautionary tale that knows no borders, Survive to Live inspires as God's plan for Orozco's destiny as a musician, worship leader, and passionate motivational speaker unfolds.