In Morelia, Mexico, the Victory Center serves as an afterschool program where children and youth come to find learning, community, and Christ. For nearly three decades, it has been a steady presence in a neighborhood shaped by both resilience and real challenges.
True to its name, the Victory Center has seen many small victories over its 27-year history. One of the most meaningful came recently, when a former student—who had spent years attending programs at the Center—returned not as a child, but as a leader. After participating in Vacation Bible School as a first grader, she came back years later to help lead VBS for a new generation of children. It was during that time that she asked Erika, the Assistant Director of the Victory Center, a simple but life-changing question: “What does it mean to really know Jesus?”
Years after first walking through the Center’s doors, that question opened the way for a powerful conversation. A student became a teacher. And years of faithful investment quietly began to bear fruit.
The Victory Center was founded in Morelia in 1998 by Irma Bedolla Ponce and Mesa worker Sue Leak. Originally created as a home for girls who had experienced exploitation, the ministry later expanded into an afterschool program serving children and families in a community impacted by drug trafficking and violence. Today, the Victory Center provides a safe place where students receive academic support, learn English, build relationships, and encounter the love of Christ.
Twenty-seven years later, Sue continues to lead the Victory Center faithfully, alongside Erika, who joined the ministry seven years ago.
“I came to the Victory Center at an exciting time,” Erika explains. “We started to really see the fruit of the work that Sue had poured into the ministry for so many years.” Former students began returning—not only to visit, but to serve. Some helped fix computers or printers. Others worked as teacher’s assistants or stepped into leadership roles during VBS. Their return revealed something deeper: the Victory Center had become a place people wanted to come back to—a trusted space that had shaped them and welcomed them home.
In Morelia, that kind of trust does not come easily. Parents lead with caution, aware of the real dangers that exist outside the home. Additionally, most families practice Catholicism—a faith tradition often seen as separate from evangelical Christianity. Because of this, Sue, Erika, and their team intentionally lead with relationship over religion, emphasizing that faith is not merely about practicing traditions, but about living in relationship with Jesus.
Over time, the Victory Center has become a trusted part of the community and the safe space it set out to be—one where students find academic, emotional, and spiritual support. In this season of ministry, the team is finding new ways to walk alongside students who return as adults, welcoming them as leaders and empowering them to invest in the next generation.
The story of the Victory Center is not one of quick results or immediate transformation. It is a story of staying—of showing up year after year, long enough for trust to take root and faith to grow. These are the victories that cannot be measured overnight. And after 27 years in Morelia, the Victory Center continues to show that when you stay, God is faithful to bring the growth.
Stories from the Field
