A Home Away From Home Ms. Solis’ Story

Lucero was 14 years old when she left her family and home in Northern Mexico. She had attended Christian schools and loved learning. Being in school was fun and safe. All was well until about the age of 11. The drug war that had been going on in Mexico for decades began to increase in violence, bringing pop-up gunfights, kidnappings, and city-wide curfews.

“When it was time for me to start middle school, there were no Christian education options. Things were getting worse—more dangerous, and the future was unknown. My parents are involved in ministry and have connections in Michigan. While on a ministry visit, someone told my father that if I wanted to come study in the States—they would sponsor me. Out of love, my parents accepted the offer. I continued my education in West Michigan at a good Christian school.

Leaving my home at a young age, so much changed. Things were new and unknown. The culture and language were different, and I did not have my family. But school provided some consistency—it was still school and learning, and we served the same God.

After high school, I attended Cornerstone University (CU). Neither my parents nor I had the finances. It was a struggle and seemed impossible. I shifted my perspective from what was impossible and surrendered it all to God—who makes everything possible. I learned how to trust Him.

In high school and during college, I made friends with students from different parts of the world. My close friends, who were Christians, had similar experiences of surrendering to God. We learned from each other, did life together, and were connected through the joys and sorrows of leaving our homes to pursue something better for ourselves and our families.

As a freshman at CU, I met Dr. Burgess, a former Potter’s House teacher. I told her I thought I wanted to be an educator. After hearing my story, she said, ‘I have the place for your student teaching.’ But, by my senior year, I had decided that I was not going into teaching.

My mind changed as I did my student teaching at The Potter’s House. For the first time, I was in a place with many different cultures and ethnicities. I loved it. I loved having students who had gone through the same situations as me, like leaving home at an early age. And I also loved having students who had never done that. I liked how different we were. It opened up my vision of the world and God’s kingdom. God reminded me of what He had called me to do.

I became a teacher to be the teacher I did not have. My former teachers were great, but they did not understand that I had to leave my country, my home, because it was unsafe. I felt alone in my story then, but did not know what I missed until I became a teacher at TPH.

There is joy in the fact that I am here and in all the things I can do, but there is lamenting of all that I have missed. My leaving home had to be hard on my parents. When my grandpa passed away in Mexico, I was here.

There is a lament because I now have students who go through similar things. Some of them are 14 or 15 years old–so young. I think, ‘That’s how old I was.’ I can understand what they are going through without them ever having to explain it. There are things you experience that you can never put into words, but knowing that someone else has lived through it gives a supernatural connection.

There is joy in being able to understand. Because I am a woman from Mexico, I bring a different level of understanding to many of our students. I want them to feel heard, understood, and valued. All that I have lived through has worked together for my being here. Perhaps through my story, they can see the provision of God.

There is a vision in the Bible of all different people coming together to be one. That vision is a reality at TPH. I feel peace and confidence that I am where God has called me to be. In a way, TPH has been a home away from home. It feels right to be here; it feels safe to be here; it feels loving to be here. That is what home is.”