Gabriela’s Journey to Thriving

Gabriela first arrived at our campus when she was six, holding tightly to her mother’s and her older sister’s hands. The girls’ tidy outfits and bouncy ponytails showed the mother’s efforts to help them present their best. Gabriela’s snaggletooth smile captured my heart. But her grin hid a world of pain that I wouldn’t fully understand until much later.

Instability and conflict ruled their home. When things became unbearable, Gabriela and her sister escaped to our campus in search of a safe place.

The girls became regulars in our after-school program. Along with their schoolwork, they learned to name what they were feeling and to calm themselves when fear rose. They practiced trusting again. They found caring mentors who were stable and who helped them believe in a better future. Their mother joined our women's empowerment program and found hope and community among women who understood. Little by little, the fear eased. Their father, though, refused to engage with us. He didn't trust us, and he didn't hide it. For years, whenever our team came to visit, the girls would first check to make sure he wasn't home before letting us in.

Everything changed at that same front door. When our team came to install a water filtration system, he let us inside for the first time. As he watched us care for his family without judgment and without asking for anything in return, something in him began to trust. The change was slow and his own: over time, he chose to fight for his family's well-being.

Today, Gabriela's whole family attends Bible studies together, and their relationships are stronger and healthier than they have ever been. And Gabriela? She just graduated from high school with exceptional grades. Her test scores opened the door to university — something her family never believed could happen. She dreams of attending seminary and giving back to a community just like hers.

This story exists because of generous partners — the clean water, the food baskets, and the safe spaces were all made possible by people who chose to show up for a family they had never met. Gabriela's story is still unfolding. It is what it looks like when a family moves from surviving to thriving.