“It’s in my soul to help people,” says Adriana.
Living in Columbia, Adriana and her husband worked for a nonprofit that helped vulnerable people in their surrounding communities. Adriana never thought that that one day her and her family would be needing the same support.
“We had a desire to help people, and when we moved to Peru, we had to keep doing what we were called to do,” says Adriana.
Adriana and her husband would help anyone that came to them. From single mothers, people facing addictions, women working in prostitution, to people affected by human trafficking and drug trade. However, helping the vulnerable people in their community began to become dangerous for Adriana and her family.
“We began to have problems with the gang’s selling drugs,” explains Adriana.
“They would follow us, threaten us, and they even hurt my husband because of the people we were helping.”
Adriana began to worry for the safety of her family, so they made the difficult decision to leave everything behind and leave the country. Her, her husband, and their two kids packed up what they could and fled to the United States, and then to Canada.
“We couldn’t go back to Columbia and put our kids in danger,” says Adriana.
They were now in a new country, with a different culture, different language, and they only knew the family members they came here with; but her family was together, and that’s what mattered most to Adriana.
After three months in the United States, Adriana and her family made it into Canada where they were then put in contact with services that could help them access the foodbank, employment, and find schools for their children. Through these contacts Adriana found The Mustard Seed and was able to start participating in the various programs offered at the Community Impact Centre (CIC).
“We started taking the English classes offered, going to church, and my kids would go to the kids club,” says Adriana.
It was also through the CIC that Adriana learned about The Mustard Seed’s family housing, Ogden Hub:29. Adriana, her husband, and their two kids had moved into a camping trailer when they first came to Canada, then moved into a basement once the space became available, a family of four living in one room. They were there for five months before they learned about The Mustard Seed’s family housing in Ogden.
“They have supported me so much since I first came here,” says Adriana.
“Not just with material resources and financials but emotionally too.”
The Mustard Seed was able to offer that rest that Adriana was so desperately searching for since leaving Columbia.
“We left everything behind, our family, our friends, our work, the people we love. And we had to leave it all behind just because we were trying to help people,” says Adriana, tears welling up in her eyes.
Adriana can finally live in peace. After being on the run and simply trying to protect her family, she finally feels safe and protected at Ogden.
“The first week we were here my children didn’t believe we got to stay in this apartment,” says Adriana.
Her kids now have their own rooms and their own space in their Hub:29 apartment, but more than that, they have finally been able to find some stability in their own home.
“It’s like we can breathe now,” says Adriana.
Adriana hopes that one day she can help people again like how The Mustard Seed has been able to help her and her family.
“I used to help people, and you can’t change that about a person,” says Adriana.
