Mariela was born in South America in the country of Uruguay. She accepted Jesus as her Savior when she was 8 years old, when a neighbor invited her to church. Since that time, she has always been active in her local church. She went to Nursing School and worked at a hospital for 11 years.  She enjoys sports and loves Music.  In 2015, she went on a mission trip to Panama. While there, she was able to serve God with her passions for nursing, music, and sports. She went back for a longer trip in 2016 and during that time God called her into full time ministry. 

In February of 2018, Mariela left everything behind to serve as a missionary in Panama. She has been using her nursing skills to help the homeless and people in rural communities.  Mariela serves as a basketball coach in a program that uses basketball as a platform to share the Gospel and teach kids & teenagers the Bible.  She is also involved in her local church, serving as a Bible teacher and on the worship team. She is excited to join the Daystar team to continue reaching the Panamanians and investing in the future generations.  As they say in the basketball ministry, “behind a ball bouncing, is a beating heart that has the need of a Savior.”