Date Build: Friday 27th - Saturday 28th, June 2025
FAMILY INFORMATION
MOTHER: Maria Lorena
Age: 36 years old
Job: Quality Control
Salary weekly: $145 US
FATHER: Rafael
Age: 41 years old
Job: Didi
Salary weekly: $150 US
CHILDREN:
Rafael - 10 years old
Brisia - 8 years old
LETTER FROM THE FAMILY:
Dear Homes of Hope Team. We saw you working and asked about your mission. We would like to request your support—for both ourselves and our children. This is our story: Our son Rafael has been, and continues to be, our miracle. He was born prematurely and did not receive enough oxygen at birth, which caused a delay in his breathing. He spent 15 days in an incubator before being discharged. When he in preschool, we noticed he struggled to express himself clearly. Upon evaluation, we were advised to seek speech therapy. It was then that we learned he had a tongue-tie (lingual frenulum), which prevented him from speaking properly and, as a result, affected his comprehension. Rafael needed surgery and underwent speech therapy for three years. It has been a long and difficult journey—not only due to his health but also because of our financial situation. Consistently taking him to therapy was a challenge. We did everything we could to stay afloat, cutting costs and working together as a family. We decided to pursue a better future by starting our own small business. We bought a car so my husband could work with Uber, while I stayed home to care for our children. After living in the same apartment for ten years, we were asked to vacate, so we took a leap of faith and began searching for a plot of land to build our home. We are a family of four, living alone here in Tijuana. We no longer have any relatives nearby. On December 15, 2023, a tragedy struck. My husband was assaulted at gunpoint. They stole everything—his wallet, money, phone, and the car, which was our only source of income. Thankfully, his life was spared, and for that we are immensely grateful. Still, losing the car meant losing our livelihood. For five months, I was the only one able to work. It was an extremely difficult time. We had no gifts during Christmas, but we still shared joy and love. We cried and suffered; life came to a standstill. We almost moved back with our families, but instead, we found a way to keep moving forward. That is why I am submitting this request—perhaps you can help us. My husband no longer believes in miracles, but I want to show him that God is great and that there is still hope. Any support would mean the world to us. Our family would be truly grateful and happy.