I graduated from Maranatha Bible School International, North America Extension, and currently serve as the Head Minister of a recently established local church in Guatemala. Before this role, I worked as a sous chef at Bellaggio Wine Bar in Bellaggio, Vancouver, Canada. Using my culinary expertise, I ow contribute by cooking and serving our leaders, particularly during significant events in Los Angeles, California. Additionally, I serve as an on-call chef for Home Free Global Crusade guests.
Sometimes broken people create broken homes. I was broken, but God healed me. I am now restored, and He guides me to broken individuals so that they can also be fixed.
Before I answered the call, I was a regular youth in the Church. Just a Sunday goer and full-time sous chef at the Bellaggio Cafe restaurant. As a youth, I earned a good amount of money. I go to bars and restaurants on the weekends under the influence of my friends and travel to different countries for fun and entertainment. Looking at it from a different perspective, my life seems perfect. But deep down in my heart, I was broken for not understanding that I was an only child without a father.
All these reasons made me very rebellious. But by God’s grace, I have a very faithful and loving mother who constantly reminds me to go to church. My mother is not very rich, but she is very rich in faith. Faith is something she wanted me to have, and because I love her, I keep on attending the Sunday service. I might act so rebellious, but I always made sure to keep Sunday free from work. So, before they offered me a high position in the restaurant, I pleaded for an agreement. Luckily, I got the position, a higher salary, and a Sunday off. That was the time when I started to fall in love with God. I felt healed and started forgetting all of my reservations and disappointments. In return, I wanted to be faithful to God. However, it was challenging due to the influence of coworkers in the restaurant.
In 2016, I received an invitation from our local pastor to go to a spiritual camp. The church’s deputy, Bishop Jonathan, was the speaker at that moment when God touched me. That very moment, the pain I felt at hearing the Word truly pierced the core of my soul. I shed a lot of tears, surrendered, and prayed that God would give me one more chance. I made my way to ask my mother to pray with me. There, I realized that I had not held her hand in a very long time. The Lord made me understand my mom’s dedication to attending the church’s services: prayer, fasting, and the meditation of the Word. It’s been her joy to serve God. I may not know the reason for my existence, but one thing I know is that she loves me. Our relationship was rekindled. After the camp, my relationship with my mother and especially with God was rekindled. When I got back from camp, I gave my two-week notice at work to pursue the Apostolic Missionary Program (AMP).
I developed a deeper and stronger love for God as an AMP intern. The supportive, energetic, and spiritual individuals within inspired me to become a minister. At first, I was hesitant, but after observing how quickly and massively our church is expanding and realizing the need for additional workers in God’s vineyard, I felt the need to dedicate my life fully. However, I continued to seek signs from God. It was in the year 2018 that I realized I was fully dedicated to the mission. The topic Stopped by God, preached by Bishop Jonathan S. Ferriol, hit me so badly that I can no longer return to my normal life. “Remember your promise to God,” he said with full conviction. I realized it took me 5 years to enter the ministry. So, after the AMP, I enrolled as a Bible student at the Maranatha Bible School International, North America Extension. This life is the best life to live. And by God’s grace, I was able to use my talent for cooking to serve nutritious food to everyone inside the church, especially the pastors of the church. I find immense joy in cooking for our church leaders, a task that brings me greater fulfillment than preparing meals for strangers in a restaurant. It has become the most rewarding aspect of my ministry. While I hold my life dear, serving in the ministry is where my heart truly lies.
This is something that Bishop Jonathan would always teach and show us – to advance the gospel. Seeing him every day and how he does his ministry gives me the motivation to keep going. Bishop Jonathan then received a vision for the Hispanosphere region. I and a few of my classmates, together with some of our LA church members, were chosen to pioneer Guatemala. We knew no one would come to that place because of the language barrier; we only used our phones to translate the language. But we had faith that the true sheep of God who heard his voice would eventually follow.
Being in a different country with a different culture is hard. But God provides everything we need for the mission. One time, while I was doing evangelism, I decided to buy juice from one of the local vendors. To my surprise, one of the vendors spoke English. His name was Brother Pablo. That beautiful conversation gave me the courage to invite him to our church service. By God’s grace, after a few Bible studies, he became my translator. Before his conversion, he had no job because of discrimination in this country against slightly older people. He faced many problems and almost gave up on life. But after much prayer and fasting, Brother Pablo now has a full-time job and no longer sells juice on the street. He also used to experience pain in his body that would hinder his walking, but now Brother Pablo is fully healed.
Brother Victor and sister Sayy were two of our very first converts in Guatemala. Brother Victor worked as an Uber driver at that time. As we shared our testimonies and extended invitations wherever we went, Brother Victor became the very first person we converted. Prior to his conversion, he lived a lifestyle characterized by wild parties and cohabitation with his girlfriend. However, upon embracing the teachings of the Word of God, he decided to abandon his vices and eventually married his devoted wife, Sayy. They have become my primary pillars of support in Guatemala, always ready to assist me with whatever I need.
There’s a couple who own a store near our evangelism site, and when their daughters heard our singing, they eagerly joined in. The wife, Magdalena, was invited to watch the Home Free Global Crusade online and decided to be baptized. She had a very shaky relationship with her husband, Mario, because he was a drunkard. They would always fight and not get along. However, after inviting Mario to one of our services, he, too, decided to be baptized. Now, their family faithfully serves the Lord, and Mario has left behind his vices. As they continue their journey with the Lord, blessings abound for their family. One of their daughters even secured a job in America and now supports them financially.
We gained friends and allies from different churches that provided us with everything we needed for our inauguration. We were provided with a free car and sound system. We even had people play the instruments for us. God provided and used people for us to have a successful inauguration. Now we have a growing church here in Guatemala. All our converts are Guatemalans. It was then decided that I would be the head minister here in Guatemala. Although I don’t know the culture or how to speak their language, I took on the challenge, and now we have our place of worship here in Guatemala. I’m looking forward to bringing them to our next International Convention.