Tere: Bringing Joy in a Place of Crisis
Celebrating our Baking Instructor on this National Baking Day!
Meet Tere, our baking instructor whose journey is a testament to resilience and determination. Growing up as one of six children in her family, Tere faced early hardships when her father left, leaving her mother to support the family. At just 7 years old, Tere found herself shouldering responsibilities beyond her years, helping care for her siblings while her mother worked tirelessly to make ends meet. By the time she was 12, Tere was already working alongside her mother in a factory, foregoing the opportunity for formal education—a dream she held close to her heart.
Despite the challenges, Tere's spirit remained unbroken. At 16, she married and shared her longing for education with her supportive husband, who encouraged her to pursue learning opportunities. Through various programs, Tere began to grasp the basics of literacy, but it was a vocational training program that truly ignited her passion. In Tere’s world, cooking over an open fire was the most common method, and ovens were luxuries reserved for the affluent. Baking was a skill uncommon among Guatemalan women, particularly those from impoverished backgrounds.
Driven by her dreams of owning a bakery and undeterred by the lack of resources, she ingeniously crafted her own version of an oven suitable for open-fire cooking using chicken wire and aluminum foil. All the while, she was strategizing on how to get her own oven. She asked for help and loans, but her quest for financial support hit roadblocks, with few willing to invest in her vision. Yet, Tere refused to be deterred. Using her chicken wire oven, she decided to make products at a local exposition; she showcased her baked goods and sold enough of her delicious cakes to earn money for a down payment on the coveted oven—a pivotal step towards realizing her dream.
With her bakery up and running, Tere's future seemed bright until the unforeseen challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic threatened to derail her progress. Amid stringent lockdown measures in Guatemala, Tere faced the daunting task of keeping her bakery afloat. Restricted to limited hours outside their homes, the community grappled with uncertainty and fear. Within weeks, Tere’s bakery closed and she was heartbroken.
As sirens wailed outside her home, Tere's thoughts turned to the plight of those beyond her walls, prompting a profound spiritual awakening. The Holy Spirit confronted her with the question of her life's purpose, and Tere realized she had been living solely for her own ambitions. Inspired to make a difference, she resolved to use her talents to serve a greater cause. She surrendered her life and her skills to God to be used for His purpose no matter what.
Today, Tere's baking skills serve women who are in crisis and searching for a way to feed their families. Tere works for Dare for More as the leader of our baking program. Her chicken wire oven is now bringing hope and healing to dozens of women. Guided by her faith, she imparts not only baking skills but also lessons of resilience and faith to other women. Her testimony of what God can do with a life surrendered to Him, serves as a beacon of hope to women who can’t see their way out of poverty, abuse, and crisis. Tere's journey is a reminder that from adversity blooms opportunity, and through the good news of the gospel, lives can be transformed for the better.
