Miles to Go Before He Sleeps : Jesus was drawn to Los Angeles by rumors that work was plentiful. The rumors proved false.

Since Jesus arrived here in April, the days all seem to begin and end the same way: He wakes up hopeful. He goes to bed weary and frustrated.

Jesus, 21, came to the United States from Sonora, Mexico. After two years in Arizona he was drawn to Los Angeles by rumors that work was plentiful. The rumors proved false. Every day, he tries to find a job. He walks the streets, his belongings nestled in a trash bag slung over his shoulder. He is a careful walker, often looking at the ground. He says he knows how easy it is to lose his way. He used to do a lot of foolish things like drink too much, “but now I have learned.” Sometimes, he stops on Pico Boulevard and tries to wave down a day-labor job. So far, he has found only three hours’ work. Jesus slept by the freeway until some passers-by warned him that someone had nearly been strangled there. Now, he sleeps in a crowded parking lot. The closest thing he has to a home is the Nuestro Hogar shelter, run by the Missionary Brothers of Charity. Three days a week he eats at the shelter, where he also is trying to learn English. He uses the Pico-Union address to receive mail. Jesus tries to write often to his older sister Lidia. Orphaned as a child, he lived with relatives until he dropped out of school because he needed money. Then, he hopped a freight train for America, thinking his luck would change.

In Los Angeles, his luck has been all bad. He says this reluctantly because he is a proud man. He says he wants to make it on his own. That’s why he keeps walking. But he knows that pride only goes so far. If he doesn’t find work soon, he may return to Arizona. Before he goes, though, he wants to earn enough money so he can ride a bus--and rest his legs.