Dairy Yamillet Ruedas Marquez’s migration journey from Venezuela to Colombia passed from sorrow to joy — with the support of a Mennonite congregation — and today she runs her own small business.

Venezuela was in the midst of political upheaval in 2019. President Nicolás Maduro was reelected in what many world governments labeled an illegitimate election. The country’s economy was collapsing, with record-breaking inflation and mass protests.

Unlike the millions fleeing for economic or political reasons, Marquez left her home because her son Anderson was very sick. He had cancer, and Marquez applied successfully for medical migration to Colombia in hopes her son would recover in that country’s more advanced healthcare system.

She only had enough money for two seats on a bus to Bogota. She, Anderson and her two daughters, Ariannis and Aranthza, sat on each other’s laps for the journey.

“Aranthza was so little, she cried because of the cold on the bus,” Marquez recalled. “I was sleeping in the passageway between seats, and a man behind us gave his jacket to keep my daughter warm.”

Unfortunately, the more advanced care in Colombia wasn’t enough. After a few years of cancer treatment, Anderson died in 2021.

Marquez had two daughters in school in Colombia. (She welcomed a third daughter, Alaysha, to the family in 2024.) She was working to support them and mourning the loss of her son. She needed support, but with the massive increase in Venezuelan migrants, resources were scarce, and local sentiment wasn’t always positive.

Then one day, a woman from her neighborhood suggested she reach out to a local church, Iglesia Cristiana Menonita de Teusaquillo (Teusaquillo Mennonite Church).

The congregation partners with Mennonite Central Committee to provide support for migrants from Venezuela in Bogota. When Marquez visited, they were well-equipped to help.

Over the next few months, Marquez and her girls received monthly food baskets, rent and health assistance, regular visits with a psychologist and a supportive church community to help them rebuild their lives.

With the support from the Teusa­quillo church, Marquez is running her own small business, Caseritas ­Maxfull. She makes baked goods, snacks and coffee at home and sells them at markets or events. She’s building up a following on social media and was invited to cater the church’s Christmas party last year.

Many of her best-sellers are Venezuelan classics, like meat arepas, or pan de jamón (ham bread), an enriched bread with ham baked into it that’s popular around Christmas for Venezuelans but loved year-round by Marquez’s customers.

Since receiving the support through the church, Marquez has acquired her high school diploma — a remarkable feat, said Ian Horne, who works with the Teusaquillo church.

“She studied and received her diploma while raising three daughters and running a business. I don’t know how she did it,” he said. “She did her classes at 9 p.m. because she couldn’t fit them in any other time, and she did all of it on her cellphone — it’s incredible.”

Nearly two years ago, Marquez applied successfully for Colombian nationality for her and her daughters. While her parents remain in Venezuela, and she hopes she’ll see them again, Colombia is home.

“I’m very grateful,” she said. “MCC has brought a lot of blessings to me and helped to improve the quality of our lives. As a single mother, it’s very hard to meet all the needs of my children at the same time. I’m going to carry on doing the best I can, improving my studies so that one day I can think about having a better job and better welfare for my kids.”

She says the support she’s received from MCC and the Teusaquillo church has changed her life. She hopes she can find ways to sow back into others’ lives in turn.

“I felt blessed and victorious when I was connected to MCC and Teusaquillo,” she said. “It’s very special what I’ve received. When we receive, we also need to give.”