Photos: Faith bolsters migrants as caravans journey towards the US

In the hope of a brighter future, thousands of people from Central America have been travelling to the United States all year round. Facing hardships along the strenuous journey, these caravans of migrants are latching on to faith in the Almighty to guide and protect them in these testing times. The Christian cross is omnipresent in the temporary shelters in Tijuana, Mexico, where many have taken refuge. This year has been especially hard for migrants fleeing turbulences in Central America, but with an unshakeable faith in God, they are slowly moving forward towards US, the land of opportunity.

Updated on: Dec 31, 2018 2:00 PM IST

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Since setting out from Honduras in the hope of reaching the United States, Nicolas Alonso Sanchez has worn a simple wooden cross around his neck – a quiet reminder of the Roman Catholic faith that propels him forward. “God gave me the strength to get all the way here,” said Sanchez. On the long journey from Central America to US soil, many migrants have taken solace in religion. (Alkis Konstantinidis / Reuters)

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Migrants, part of a caravan of thousands from Central America travelling to the US, raise their hands while praying before moving by buses to a new shelter, in Tijuana, Mexico. Several ‘caravans’ of mostly Honduran migrants who made the trek this year faced arduous conditions, braving fierce heat by day and searching for a safe place to sleep at night. (Alkis Konstantinidis / Reuters)

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For migrants far from home, the street often becomes their place of worship. On a warm afternoon in late November, pastor Jose Murcia, a Salvadoran who lives in the United States, preached outside a temporary shelter in Tijuana to a cluster of men. Later, Murcia joined a pair of men kneeling in the middle of the road, their heads bowed in prayer. (Alkis Konstantinidis / Reuters)

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On their way to the US border, the migrants walked the length of Mexico. Here, the Virgin of Guadalupe - an image of the Virgin Mary who devotees believe appeared to an indigenous man in the 16th century -- looms large. As if seeking her protection, a man draped himself with a banner depicting her as he crouched before a phalanx of riot police in Tijuana. (Alkis Konstantinidis / Reuters)

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Herso, 17, from Honduras, poses for a picture wearing a T-shirt depicting the Virgin of Guadalupe outside a temporary shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. (Alkis Konstantinidis / Reuters)

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Juan Francisco, 25, from Honduras, shows his tattoo of Psalm 23 from the Book of Psalms as he poses for a picture outside a temporary shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. The migrants face a future of uncertainty. The United States said this month that many asylum seekers may be forced to stay in Mexico while their claims are processed. (Alkis Konstantinidis / Reuters)

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A booklet of Psalm 119:105 is left on a self-made tent at a temporary shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. Some Mexican border towns are perilous places to wait, plagued with crime and violence. But many migrants, bolstered by their faith, say they are undaunted. (Alkis Konstantinidis / Reuters)

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Writing reads “ Jesus Christ is the Lord” is seen on a car window outside a temporary shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. (Alkis Konstantinidis / Reuters)