Testimony of Conversion

I was not born into a Christian home. My family was very devoted to the traditions of Roman Catholicism and sorcery. My mother was unexpectedly abandoned by my father and she had to raise me on her own. She had no support from her parents or siblings because they disagreed with her when they found out she was having a child with an older man while engaged to another man.

So, my childhood was very difficult. We never stayed in one place very long but we always moved from one location to another. My heart got more and more restless and I developed strong resentment toward my father to the point of wishing many curses upon him.

I studied in a state school near my house where I met several people who became very bad influences in my life. As a young man I began to believe I was living a great life full of pleasure and fun. Those things were becoming more and more attractive to me and I thought that this was going to be my life forever. All the while, my hatred for my father kept growing in my heart and I began to have a desire to treat other people the same way he had treated us.

I finished high school and refused my mom’s offer for me to continue studying a professional degree. I felt that the effort my mom had made in order to get me through high school was more than enough. I decided to start working in order to help my mom raise my little sister, who had also been abandoned by her father just as I had been by mine.

I started getting money for the work that I was doing and I felt the freedom to do with my life whatever I felt like doing without giving an account to anyone. The possibility never came to mind that I would ever belong to a religious group since at the time I did not accept the idea of believing in a God who had allowed so much suffering in my family. Even then, I still knew that I was going to come into judgment one day before this God, and that thought tormented me. 

I got a job working in a bicycle shop whose owners were Christians. They always talked to me about the gospel, but I was unwilling to submit to God or repent. I loved my life full of every type of vice and pleasure and I thought that if I left those things behind I would never be happy.

One day, the man at the bicycle shop that preached to me invited me to an evangelistic event that they were having in his church. As I listened to the man preach—it was pastor Angel Colmenares—it was is if they had told him all about my life and my problems. He spoke about a Father who was far greater than any father in this world. I decided to continue attending in order to know what this message was all about that seemed so marvelous to me. 

But I still did not understand that I too was guilty, just as my father was, and that I too deserved to be justly punished for my sin and corruption. My sin at the time led me to believe that I was merely a victim, not a guilty sinner. But one night in the church I came to understand this and I gave my life to Christ. I experienced great freedom from my guilt and also from my bitterness toward my father.

Call to the Ministry

After my conversion, I was immediately discipled by a pastor named Luis Siancas. At the time, he was a Sunday School teacher in the church. Little by little, I grew in my understanding of God until eventually, I decided to attend the newly opened seminary in Sullana. It was there that I began preparing to serve the Lord in thankfulness for all that I had received from Him.

During my years in seminary, I did not have a lot of clarity regarding where I would serve the Lord when I finished. There were many needs in the work in Peru. What I was sure about, however, was that I wanted to serve the Lord in gratitude for all He had done for me. 

I learned a lot about missions while in seminary and especially through the example of Pastor Angel Colmenares. When I was in my last year of seminary in 2004, after a trip into the jungle, I understood with clarity that missions was what I wanted to do in the ministry. Since that time, I have been able to preach in many different places such as the coast, the mountains, and the jungles, and I believe that God has called me to preach His Word and help in the edification of the Body of Christ.