Guadalupe had grown up knowing what it meant to struggle.
Her childhood was marked by deep poverty, loss, little access to education, and parents who were distant and often unable—or unwilling—to provide the love and guidance she needed.
She didn’t have many good role models.
So, like so many women who grow up without knowing what healthy love looks like, Guadalupe went looking for it in the places she could find it.
She found relationships.
But most of them weren’t healthy.
They were often based on physical needs rather than genuine love, commitment, or the kind of relationship that helps someone grow.
By her twenties, Guadalupe found herself facing an overwhelming reality.
She had two children of her own.
She also had a younger sister who depended on her.
There was no husband to help carry the responsibility.
No home of her own.
No reliable job.
And very few opportunities.
But there was something Guadalupe had that poverty couldn’t take away.
She was a fighter.
And she was a dreamer.
Then Guadalupe heard about the James Project Redeemed Women’s Program—a program designed to give women opportunities for education, job training, and a chance to build a different future.
She didn’t hesitate.
She reached out to our team.
Guadalupe enrolled in an adult education program and began working hard to complete the elementary education she had never been able to finish.
At the same time, she entered our job-training program.
And then something happened that would become a pattern in Guadalupe’s life.
During one of her first classes, the women learned about another woman who had started a pizza business out of her own home.
Guadalupe listened.
She thought about it.
And then she said to herself:
“I can do that.”
She went home and looked around at what she had.
She sold her phone and some other belongings.
Then she bought a small pizza oven.
And Guadalupe started making pizzas.
She began selling them to people in her community.
It was a simple idea.
But it was the beginning of something much bigger.
A few classes later, the women were learning how to use sewing machines to make aprons.
Guadalupe watched.
She thought again:
“I can do that.”
So she went home and started telling people that she was a seamstress.
She discovered she had a natural talent for sewing.
Our team helped her receive additional training, and soon she was taking on more work.
Her pizza business was growing.
Her sewing business was growing.
And Guadalupe was discovering something she had perhaps never truly believed before:
She was capable.
Within just ten months of entering the program, Guadalupe had accomplished something extraordinary.
She had started two successful businesses.
She had completed sixth grade.
She was providing for her children.
And yet, she wasn’t finished.
Guadalupe still thought:
“I can do more.”
But this time, her dream wasn’t just about herself.
She had been blessed with an opportunity, and she wanted to use that opportunity to bless someone else.
Guadalupe went to the Ministry of Education and asked how she could help women in her community who, like her, had never had the opportunity to receive an education.
With their help, she opened a school.
A school where women could learn to read and write.
Think about that for a moment.
A woman who had once struggled to complete elementary school was now helping other women receive the education she had been denied.
Her hardship had become part of her ministry.
Throughout this journey, something else was happening in Guadalupe’s heart.
She was seeing the goodness of God.
She was experiencing His love.
She was learning that her identity wasn’t defined by her poverty, her past relationships, her mistakes, or the opportunities she had missed.
She began to understand that God had a purpose for her life.
And she gave her life to Christ.
Her transformation continued.
Soon, Guadalupe wasn’t just running two businesses and a school.
She was volunteering at church.
She was helping with Vacation Bible School.
She was encouraging children.
She was motivating other women.
She was telling them that their circumstances didn’t have to determine their future.
And she kept dreaming.
She began selling desserts.
She got married.
She bought a piece of land where she could eventually build a home for her family.
The little girl who grew up surrounded by poverty and limited opportunities was now creating opportunities for herself, her children, and others.
And perhaps one of the most beautiful things about Guadalupe’s story is that she never stopped saying those four words:
“I can do that.”
Someone showed her a woman making pizzas from her home.
“I can do that.”
Someone taught her how to sew.
“I can do that.”
She saw a need for education in her community.
“I can do that.”
She discovered the love of Jesus.
And then she began telling other women that they could do it too.
Today, Guadalupe is literally flying.
Not because someone simply gave her something.
But because someone gave her an opportunity.
Someone believed in her.
Someone was willing to walk alongside her.
And once Guadalupe realized what she was capable of, she began running with it.
Her life is changing.
Her children’s lives are changing.
And the lives of women throughout her community are changing.
That is what happens when you give someone more than a handout.
You give them a chance to learn.
You give them skills.
You give them encouragement.
You give them someone who believes in them.
And when that woman discovers that God has a purpose for her life, the impact can reach far beyond her.
One woman can change a family.
One family can change a community.
And one transformed life can become a source of transformation for generations to come.
Guadalupe didn’t need someone to tell her what she couldn’t do.
She needed someone to help her see what she could do.
And once she saw it, she took off.
She was a fighter.
She was a dreamer.
She became an entrepreneur.
She became a teacher.
She became a wife.
She became a mother.
She became a servant.
She became a follower of Jesus.
And she is still dreaming.
Because Guadalupe has discovered something powerful:
With an opportunity, someone who believes in you, and God leading the way, your past doesn’t have to determine your future.
You can rise.
You can learn.
You can build.
You can serve.
You can dream again.
You can fly.
