God can choose anyone to be a source of blessing to their family and the world irrespective of their age or status.
8-year-old Aaron Moreno of Los Angeles dreamed of designing shoes for Nike and eventually becoming a judge. Before becoming an entrepreneur he was just a young boy who wanted some Flamin’ Hot Cheetos topped with melted cheese.
Living in a shed
Even that seemed out of reach for him because Aaron, his sisters, and his mother were living in a shed, without the internet, a bathroom, air conditioning, or even a table. Mom Berenice Pacheco, 30, said, that after she lost her job they “didn’t have any other options.” She said, “As a mother, it broke my heart,” she continued. “I felt like I was failing my kids.”
View this post on Instagram
The kids would have played in the nearby playground and found happiness, but due to COVID restrictions, they all had to be cramped up in the shed and with no money to even buy a snack that Aaron so desperately craved. “He wanted it so badly,” Pacheco said. “But I needed to pay the phone bill and do the laundry.”
Startup
She told her son that if he wanted such things, he’d have to earn money somehow and gave him all the cash she had on her ($12) for seed money, and Aaron got to work with that precious startup money in March. “He came up with the idea to start selling plants,” Pacheco explained. “I told him to invest the money.”
View this post on Instagram
His first purchase was eight succulents, which he sold and made a $4 profit which he put back into his products and slowly expanded his lineup. Soon the industrious young man who’d set up shop selling plants started getting business and kind customers tipped him, and soon he had a following.
GoFundMe page
Aaron gained a devoted fan club on Instagram and a GoFundMe page was set up by a family friend for him and his family, where the $1,000 goal currently stands at over $46,000. It means so much to this family as it has helped them move into an apartment and even get a car thanks to the strangers who have supported the young businessman. “We finally have our own kitchen,” Pacheco said of their home. “Aaron and his sister have a place to do homework. It’s not big but it feels huge to us.”
View this post on Instagram
On the GoFundMe page, she spoke about how much the move meant to them, “Great news,” an update from Nov. 4 read. “We were finally able to say bye to my shed, the place that taught us to be patient and be grateful in the little things so God can bless us with bigger things. God tested us hard. The shed taught us to make the best of what we have even if it takes 4 people staying in one twin bed. Where we kissed and hugged it out to go to sleep even if we were mad at each other, we had no option. The shed taught us that a home can be many things but a family remains one through thick and thin.”
Praying hard
She added, “The shed taught us to clap it out when things would fall all over the place after just picking stuff up because things were always piled. When we couldn’t find stuff because everything seemed lost in storage boxes, and we barely fit in the shed, instead of complaining we would hug harder, pray harder and love harder. “We had a small tool shed and made it to be a living room, room, kitchen a closet playroom, a closet,” the update said.
“Remember how I wanted my own business? Well we are converting our new garage into my own Aarons Garden, so soon you can shop here at this new house. Can’t wait to show you!!!” Now “Aaronsgarden” on Instagram has over 28,000 followers, and things are looking so good for this family, who are operating out of their garage now. Aaron certainly has a wonderful future ahead of him thanks to his supportive family, friends and followers.
