The nearby villagers chased him and his uncle with machetes as they intended to kill them to avenge the accidental deaths. In spite of the trauma and disadvantage, Iran was an excellent student and motivated to succeed. He let his guard down, however, and became involved with the wrong crowd and started to drink more heavily. His mom left to go to the states in order to provide a better life for her children and a young grandson that had joined the family. Six months later, at the age of 15, Iran was ready to head North. He got on a bus and took the three day trip to Tijuana with three compadres. After an adventurous crossing into the U.S. sans cell phones, GPS, and a command of the English language, he eventually arrived at his father’s ranch in Valley Center. There he finally met his dad, his new wife, a brother, and a sister who were English only communicators.
Iran’s education was not a priority due to the isolation of living outside the city and time constraints. He went to work with his dad in hopes of being able to support his mom and to bring the rest of his siblings and nephew to the states. His father was going through tough financial times and Iran was often not paid, or paid very little. Even though he had been reunited with his dad, the word dad didn’t manifest in his heart or roll off his lips. Iran continued to drink, work, and took some English classes. His sister, Yadira, soon came to the states and was attending a Christian church. She called him early one Sunday morning to share a dream she had about him. “Hermanito, God gave me a beautiful dream,’’ she said excitedly. “I saw you behind a pulpit teaching the word of God with so much joy in your face. It was so beautiful!” Iran hadn’t sobered up from the night before. He told her she was loca. “I don't even go to church and I don’t read the Bible!” he slurred. He was convinced she had joined a cult and lost her mind. He hung up on her. He later found out his mom was attending the same church with her and was praying for him.
In 1994 he met and fell in love with two girls. His now wife Linda, and her precious 2 year old daughter, Chelsea, came as a package deal. The trio spent a lot of their time together on family dates. A year and a half later, Iran’s best friend, Eddy, invited him to Pastor Greg Laurie’s Harvest Crusade at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. He turned his friend’s invitation down on Friday and Saturday evening, and then he finally relented on Sunday night when his sweetheart, Linda, had plans with her friend, Rainy, for the evening. Little did either of them know that they were both at the event that night and gave their lives to Christ on the same field on July 28th, 1996.
