A long road to the American dream.
Rita and Jaime Montenegro’s better life started a quarter century ago when they immigrated to the United States from a small village in the state of Durango, Mexico. It was the fall of 1977, and the couple arrived eager to seek their fortune.
Their road to the American Dream, however, was bumpier than they could ever have imagined. “Upon arrival, you find yourself with a language barrier and immigration documents,” Rita remembers. “There, our struggle began.”
Years of Struggle
Over the years, they worked hard. As their family grew, Rita and Jaime worked opposite shifts — she nights, he days — so there would always be someone home with their four children.
” I worked for 23 years in a canning factory,” Rita recalls. “It was very hard work because I loaded boxes, swept, and had to select the fruit. My hands were ruined.
“In time I was promoted to a machine operator, but that was very hard, driven and tiring work,” she continues. “I earned only $3.50 an hour, working a 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m shift every night!”
When their second son, Jimmy, was 3-years-old, he developed asthma and sinusitis. After seven years of antibiotics, Jimmy still suffered from his conditions. Anxious to find a real answer, Rita finally took her son to a medical nutritionist who warned her about the possible side effects of all those antibiotics.
“We decided to look for natural products, and one blessed day Reliv came to our home,” Rita says. “With this evidence in my hands I began to share the wonders of this product.”
Daring to Dream
Fueled by her passion for the products, Rita’s business quickly took off. Her second month in the business, Rita was number one in the US, earning her a $5,000 bonus. A few months later, she earned a trip to the Reliv Mexico National Convention in Puerto Vallarta.
“I had never been to a beach,” Rita says. “One of those afternoons, with the ocean in the background and all my dreams before me, I made the decision and opened my heart. I came to understand that, in order to make Reliv a career, you need more than anything to believe in it yourself.”
When she returned to California, she gathered the family together and asked for their permission and support. “My husband told me to be patient because it was a new life, a challenge to overcome,” Rita says. And what a new life it is.
“Today I have my own house, a car, schools for my children — including two in college — and a much more relaxed and decent standard of living,” says the new Silver Ambassador and Inner Circle member. “I have been able to travel and see the world thanks to Reliv.”
Sharing the Vision
With the once elusive American Dream now firmly in her grasp, Rita says teamwork is the key to it all.
“The support that Jaime and I give to one another in this wonderful adventure that Reliv represents is essential,” Rita says. “Together we work, dream and achieve our goals. I advise anyone who wants to rise to this level that it is only achieved through teamwork and going the extra mile every day.”
That philosophy earned the Montenegro’s a $13,000 check and Presidential Director status last October. “Our next goal is to help a leader in our organization reach Ambassador on an annual basis, and I know that with God’s help, we will surely achieve this.”