Growing Up, Giving Back: Leany’s Story

At 16 years old, whenever orders came in, Leany would wake up at 2 a.m. to make tortillas.

By 5 a.m., she was selling them. By 6 a.m., she was on her way to school.

She was working to make it possible to attend a church youth camp, an opportunity her family couldn’t afford.

“What motivated me was to continue to grow,” she said. "Even when it was hard, I had a goal." 

That determination had been shaped over time.

Leany grew up in a Lifeline church and attended a Lifeline school from first grade through twelfth grade. There, teachers and mentors encouraged her to believe in herself and to use what God had given her.

What began as a small tortilla business became the foundation for her future.

At 18, she joined Lifeline’s economic empowerment program. Through that program, she grew her business, gained confidence, and began to see new possibilities for her life.

Before long, she was not only building her own business. She was helping others build theirs.

“My satisfaction was to see them accomplish what they dreamed of,” she said.

Today, Leany is serving alongside her husband in Guatemala, investing in her community, teaching, and continuing to use her skills to help others. Her life reflects the investment made in her through Lifeline’s church and school, and the business she started as a teenager is still running, now serving loyal customers who continue to buy her tortillas.

"My whole life is Lifeline, she said." 

Her story did not happen in a moment.

It was shaped over time through faithful giving that opened doors to opportunities like microloans, which Leany faithfully repaid as she grew her business.

Today, she is helping carry that story forward.

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"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." - Galatians 6:9