Estela is a single mom of four children. Her beautiful children are Jesus Eduardo, Yomara, Christian, and Joshua (Paco). Estela is from Puebla, Mexico. She speaks Spanish and a dialect called Nahuatl and didn’t learn to speak Spanish until she was about 12 years old. Estela went to Mexico City at the age of 13 to work washing dishes at a small restaurant. She moved to Baja with the hopes of a better life.

Estela moved into Hope Village in August 2017. She was one of the first families to move into Hope Village. Estela is a strong and hard working woman. She gets up at 3:30 a.m. to fix lunch for herself and her children before heading out to work at 5:00 a.m.  She works in the fields picking strawberries, tomatoes or other fruits and vegetables. She makes $250 pesos each day, which is about $12 dollars. The best season for the field workers is the strawberry harvest, when they make a little more money. During her time at Hope Village Estela had been able to save enough money to pay a down payment for a property.

In March 2019 a team from Radiant Life Church of Lodi, CA and students of Rutgers University came and built Estela a home of her own. Estela is now independent and thriving with her four children. Estela and her children live close to Hope Village, so we still get the opportunity to see them and their smiling faces as they enjoy their new home.