First-time author and passionate nurse, Yareni Beltran is replacing political headlines with a personal story. Building Bridges: Made in His Image book traces her passage from the fog-kissed mountains of Hidalgo, Mexico, to the pine-lined back roads of South Carolina, revealing how faith reframed every border she crossed. Part memoir and part devotional, the book weaves cinematic childhood scenes—letter-writing to a father working in America, chasing turkeys in her grandmother’s yard—with Scripture-anchored reflections that insist identity is neither a passport nor a demographic box but a gift rooted in God’s design.

The narrative opens with seven-year-old Yareni clutching a backpack on a Greyhound bus bound for the United States. In her first American classroom she understands no English and sees a classmate ruin her prized pink dress with permanent marker, while the ride home echoes with shouts of “go back to Mexico.” Yet resilience takes root. A decade later her once-mocked accent becomes an indispensable tool when she is hired by the local faith-based clinic to translate for laboring mothers, easing fears at the moment life begins. “God transformed my accent into an asset,” Beltran writes. “He didn’t just bring me to a new country; He brought me to a new identity.”

Beltran’s story arrives at a national crossroads. Pew Research reports that one in four American children has at least one immigrant parent, yet genuine cross-cultural friendships remain rare. Building Bridges challenges congregations, school districts, and civic clubs to trade suspicion for hospitality, curiosity, and conversation. Early reviewers call the book “a hug in paperback,” “theologically rich yet disarmingly accessible,” and “a roadmap for loving across lines.” Endorsements come from Pastor Kevin Olueny of Redeemed Global Fellowship in Nairobi, minister Andrea Dukes-Stevens, and Women of Worth International Ministries, each praising Beltran’s courage and candor in confronting prejudice with grace.

About the Author
Yareni Beltran is a Mexican-born writer and faith-based clinic nurse devoted to dissolving cultural barriers through faith-rooted storytelling. After immigrating to South Carolina at age seven, she earned credentials in nursing and now serves multicultural families across the Southeast. Her book “Building Bridges: Made in His Image” is available worldwide through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online book retailers.