Dangerous and Daring: A Woman’s Journey into Unknown Territory

From left to right, Edilberto, Pastor Santos, Nuria Reyes (ENLACE'S Church Coach), and Estelita in the community

by Melissa Mefford

Estela trembled as she entered the community of Zacamil for the first time. Zacamil has a high level of gang activity and no community leader had the courage to work there. Despite the threat to her safety, she pressed on and prayed, “Lord I’m going alone, but I know an army is around me, and if this is your will I know that you will support me.” That day a remarkable, and perhaps somewhat unlikely, relationship between gang members and a church leader began. Over the last several months, Estela’s relationship with these youth has grown and they have become friends. Through Estela’s friendship and compassion, the gang members see a church committed to caring for everyone in their community.  

In June 2011, a woman from the local mayor’s office, Ludivina Lopez, approached Tabernaculo Biblico Salem Church about an opportunity in Zacamil. Ludi explained that Zacamil had been excluded from a recent government-sponsored project because of the gang activity in their area, but that a group of youth were interested in learning about home gardens and tilapia cultivation. The church accepted the challenge and because Estela lived closest to the community, she became the church representative for the project.

William fertilizing his seedbedVilma Estela Ventura de Perez, a church leader, was never interested in identifying material needs in her own community, let alone others, until ENLACE’s Annual Pastors and Leaders Retreat in 2010.  She says, “The teaching and reflections helped me to discover the purpose God really had in my life and I started to get involved.”

Since then, Estela has been actively participated in many of the church’s projects.  The two projects which stand out the most to her are working with youth involved with gangs and children with special needs. She says, “It was not easy at the beginning of the projects, but I worked very closely with Pastor Santos, and he has been a great guide.”

One day EstelaAlvaro showing his tilapia went to visit Zacamil and was surprised to see they had recruited friends to work with them. Now a group of five works together on the same garden, and they have over 50 cabbage plants, 400 tomato plants, some green pepper plants, and each one has a tilapia pond. Estela shares, “They say they never thought they would be capable of growing vegetables and fish. Before the project they had no hope and they were excluded.”

One of the gardeners, William Geovanni Revelo, 26, says, "At first one with no experience feels he will fail, but to be united with other people, you feel you cannot fail, with the help of others. All of us who have a home garden are proud to produce nutritious food for ourselves."

Estela is thrilled to be working with them and only wishes the church would have realized the need sooner asking, “My God, why did it take so long for us to awaken to this reality?”