pPicture a loving husband and father devoted to the Christian message of faith. Add a gregarious, opinionated wife and mother who, along with their three daughters, embark upon a journey to El Salvador in a red and white Volkswagen van decked out in checkered curtains. For the Perez family, their missionary aspirations to serve and help others soon take a turn towards a different kind of survival their own physical lives and mental peace of mind. Tense border checkpoints crawling with armed militia, home invasions, even neighborhood kidnappings to raise money for terrorist factions. These were weekly occurrences in the 1970s in this country whose name, ironically, means The Savior. ppIn her intriguing memoir, Belinda McDanel exposes the dense beauty of this Central American region that borders the Pacific Ocean as well as government corruption in tandem with religious leaders' involvement with terrorist groups. To survive this intense two-year journey, it would take a family unwavering