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November 1st, 2010 - The Love Link

Is it destiny that makes our course or is it the path that dictates our fate? Many follow their fate, but a few write their own. Sam Hawkins is such a person. Two weeks after we met this incredible man, he had a misfortune and while opening a bottle of chemicals, it exploded in his face and resulted in second degree burns from the neck up. When I received the news I was in shock as to why such a calamity could happen to such a saint-like person.

At age 71, Sam is as young at heart as any child. The twinkle in his eyes, his enthusiasm, his cowboy boots and thick Texan accent set him apart from the Salvadorians, but if that wasn’t enough, at six foot and some change, he stands out in the middle of the short Latin American crowd. Sam and his lovely wife, Julie, came on a church mission trip to El Salvador years ago during the civil war.  But it wasn’t the church mission that changed him; it was a little malnourished baby boy, abandoned in a sugar cane field that made Sam who he is today. Sam and Julie took the boy in, cared for him and after long nights of struggle, he made it. Twenty-two years later, he’s alive and well and residing in Bangor, Maine and is getting married in a few months. They named him Eric.  Since Eric, Sam and Julie made it their life work to open their door to every malnourished child they could find, and they have treated and saved over 1200 malnourished babies to this day. They made El Salvador their home and as Sam puts it, “I’ll never leave El Salvador.”

We met Sam through Claudia Aguirre who arranged the meeting at her office. We met Sam at 8 am and talked for hours before heading for the baby house. Before we left, I took him out on the bike for a ride and he loved it. His eyes were lit up like a little boy, and he hung on to me for the dear life as sped up through the tight streets of San Salvador. He really wants a motorcycle, but his wife Julie is very apprehensive. With a funny/sad face he said “She won’t let me.”

The baby house was incredibly clean and bright. Apparently Sam worked out at the gym next to the richest guy in El Salvador, neither of them knowing what the other person did. They talked about everything and anything but work. The guy finally found out about what Sam did and he donated the current baby house for the cause before he died. We met Julie at the baby house and she had no less enthusiasm than Sam. They are a perfect couple and they work together in perfect harmony. We played with the kids, got the tour and were amazed at their generosity. Over lunch, Sam told me about his other work. He started to visit prisons trying to rehabilitate the Salvadorian gang members. The government just puts more pressure on the gangs, shooting them when they can and treating them brutally when they get their hands on them (and they probably deserve it), but Sam’s way is the love way. The gang members actually listen to him, and no one bothers him. He created this program which he signs out prisoners and brings them back to society. He trains them, gives them the means and opportunity to have a job and education. They make handmade boots which they sell at the market and reinvest the profit back into the program. That’s why Sam is so proud of his boots.

We spent the night at Sam’s house, and after a delicious breakfast with Julie, we bid them farewell and got back on the road. It is heartwarming to see that there are still a few good men left who do everything and expect nothing in return. Get well soon Sam and thank you for being who you are. If you like to help out in his mission, consider making a donation of any amount, and we will forward it right to him. He has a nonprofit organization called the Love Link, but the website is not up to date and is hard to use. If you like to get a hold of him directly, contact me and I’ll provide you with the information.

Thanks to the wonderful KPMG staff, our stay in El Salvador was a memorable one. Salvadorian hospitality is hard to beat and this country will always stay in my memory. I hope I can make it back one day. Next stop: Honduras.

There are 4 Comments

  1. mom
    November 2, 2010 at 6:57 am

    beautiful, touching story… sooo sorry for sam’s burns…
    there are more people like sam than u think, chris… all over the world…

    sooo…u went to beautiful santiago to celebrate ur b-day!
    hope is the best ever…with others even better yet to come
    praying for u every day…

    in my heart always!
    luvu sorbi!
    mom

  2. CaddmannQ
    November 4, 2010 at 3:58 pm

    Man, when I see this stuff I realize how lucky I am that my kids and grandkids are so well fed.

    That’s heartbreaking news about your friend Sam. I know there aren’t many in the world like him who would put themselves out to raise 1200 orphans. Ordinary people mostly couldn’t understand making such a sacrifice, which instead for Sam must be his greatest joy.

  3. Chris Sorbi
    November 4, 2010 at 3:59 pm

    Cad, Thank you so much for your donation and thank you Spanky for the kind words. I started this mission not to change the world, but to see it. I had no illusion that one handed clap is going to be loud, but to me it was an attempt to understand the struggles that go on outside of our comfort zone. I grew up in Iran and saw many injustices, but now that I compare that country to what I see, I can definitely say that my childhood was a walk in a park.

    I don’t have kids of my own but I was a bloody kid one day, and all I have to do is to imagine myself growing up like they do. They have nothing. Absolutely nothing. I have more stuff on the bike than some people have in their houses. 2 blogs from now, I’ll post stories of a neighborhood in Cartagena Colombia which was out of this world. They lived on 40 cents a day. I wouldn’t even know where to start spending the 40 cents, let alone feeding a family with it.

    This trip has been an eye opening experience for me that I could have never imagined. I’m glad that it shows a different image of this issue to people back home and breaks their comfort zone. We never see it on TV, so I’ll bring it to you.

    Thank you guys for having me here, it’s an honor to post these stories and seeing the result.

  4. Claudia Aguirre
    November 27, 2010 at 4:24 pm

    Hi Chris,
    I love the story you wrote about Sam and The Love Link!!!! I’m glad that you also made it to Ushuaia safe and well… You know, Sam is back in El Salvador, we had dinner with them last night. You wouldn’t believe how well he is doing! His recovery has truly been a miracle! He is back on track, working at the Babies House, Metamorfosis and the rest… I really appreciate that you shared his story on your blog and I hope that people become more aware of the reality that so many kids suffer in different countries, you’re doing an amazing work!
    Hope to have you and Cynthia back in our country soon. Happy belated birthday btw!!!

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