Hope for Hispanic Immigrants

TWR's Jehiel Ortiz seeks to reach the heart of the Hispanic immigrant with a new podcast, Hope Along the Way. 

In a season of uncertainty, TWR’s Jehiel Ortiz wants Hispanic immigrants in the United States to know there is a hope that’s not affected by government policies.

Ortiz is producer and presenter of Esperanza en el Camino (Hope Along the Way), which launched July 7 on the media streams of RTM USA, the Spanish-language counterpart of TWR.

Far from pretending to offer political or legal solutions, Ortiz’s podcast seeks to touch a deeper fiber: the spiritual heart of the Hispanic immigrant. Through honest, gospel-centered conversations, the program offers a clear and transformative message that lasting hope is found only in Christ.

The spark that ignited this initiative was Ortiz’s growing concern for the emotional and spiritual state of many foreigners who live in fear of deportation and are in a constant sense of instability.

“I came up with the idea that they could [feel] hopeless at that moment,” said Ortiz, who serves as both U.S. Spanish Ministry development manager and Thru the Bible Spanish program representative out of TWR’s Cary, North Carolina, office.

Hope Along the Way wants to be an invitation to stop putting our trust in the temporal and to turn our gaze toward eternal hope in Christ: “Not to solve the immigration problem, but to provide a different perspective on life ... a hope in Christ that is lasting,” Ortiz said.

A message for everyone

The program has a dual mission: to strengthen the faith of believers discouraged by their legal status and to present nonbelievers with the only true source of peace and security. “For those who do not have Christ in their hearts, let them see that Christ is their only option for true peace and security,” Ortiz said. Thus, each episode becomes a bridge between everyday experiences and eternal truths.

Ortiz does not shy away from the difficult emotions of foreigners who live in constant anxiety. “Christ offers you another way of life,” he says, inviting listeners to find rest in faith.

Each episode has a conversational format, with guests answering a central question. This allows for exploring themes such as God's sovereignty and identity in Christ while sharing the reminder that believers are kingdom citizens. “If our identity is in Christ, then it changes the whole perspective,” Ortiz emphasizes.

Ortiz does not speak from theory. As a foreigner, he has experienced firsthand the challenges of adapting to a new culture, understanding complex systems such as finance and health, and facing culture shock in everyday aspects such as meal times or distances. "If it weren't for Christ – really, if it weren't for the gospel – it would be more difficult," he confesses. Church life has been fundamental for him and his family, and that same community is the one he wants to replicate in the program’s audience.

When thinking about the impact of the program, Ortiz is clear that the most valuable results are not the metrics but the testimonies of transformed lives. "More than numbers, I would like to see testimonies ... people who say, ‘This program spoke to me’," he explained.

In addition to listening to the episodes, he encourages listeners to share them, submit their own stories, and ask for them to air on local stations.

In times of difficulty, Psalm 46:10 — “Be still and know that I am Jehovah” — has been a beacon to Ortiz and his family. “That has helped me a lot ... knowing that we can trust that God is in control,” he says. That trust, precisely, is what he hopes to transmit to each person who tunes in to Hope Along the Way.

An invitation to hope

At a time when many walk with uncertainty, this program wants to be a voice that reminds us that there is hope, that we are not alone and that, in the midst of the journey, Christ is the true destination.

Would you like to listen? Tune in to Esperanza en el Camino on streaming platforms such as Spotify or YouTube and share your story on RTM USA's social networks. Because, on life’s journey, we are never alone.