Elen Martinez was born into a family of six on March 12, 2008, in Ethiopia, Africa. Her mother was ill, so to give their youngest child (Elen) a better future, they did the only thing they knew was best and decided to put her up for adoption at the age of four. One key memory that Elen has is that a mission group came to Elen’s foster home and gave them clothes and shoes. Elen remembers meeting her parents for the first time and knowing they would be the ones. On February 17, 2013, Elen was adopted into the Martinez family.
After this, Elen was overjoyed and could not wait to come to the U.S. “I thought that coming to America was going to be a whole new world, with a mansion that has three pools and my own made-to-do my hair and I would get whatever I wanted and could eat unlimited foods.” When Elen arrived at her new life in Colorado, her impressions were underwhelming. She didn’t have everything she hoped for, but it was still a unique experience. Almost six months after she arrived in the U.S., Elen’s family had a life-altering experience. On October 12, 2007, Elen was sitting in her basement watching cartoons when suddenly, she remembered the light going out. “I was just laying there, and everything went black, then all of a sudden my moms pulling me out from under a bed with my other siblings screaming. I walked out of my house to find almost my whole house was blown to pieces” said Elen. Later that evening, Elen’s family found out they had a gas leak, which caused the explosion. Ellen’s mom noted that guardian angels were looking over them that day, and the only injuries from the event were black eyes.
After this devastation, their family recovered fast with the help of their community and family. They moved a couple of years later into another home a couple blocks away from their old one. Ellen has been living and adjusting to the U.S. for 11 years and attends Castle View High School; she takes on the role of a leader and a follower of Christ. She is grateful for what God has gotten her through and the journey he is paving for her.
