by Fernando Loyola
Transcribed and translated by Andrés Castillo
In my father’s room I stumbled across a Bible passage: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Mat 5:8). I did not consider myself pure in heart—on the contrary, in those days I was an alcoholic and had been abusing my authority as a policeman. I began to cry.
In this context, in Mexico, I received my call. I was neither a Christian nor did I know what it meant to read the Bible.
One day, the desire to follow Christ came to me, but I didn’t know where to start. I told my mother, who simply responded, “you already follow Christ.” While it was true that my family was Catholic, I knew that even drug traffickers in my country aligned with the Catholic faith. I replied, “I feel like there is more to following Christ.”
One day my older brother introduced me to Kirk Hanger, a Mennonite missionary, and through him I learned about the gospel. I started going to church, where I met my wife, Letty. I began studying and became a teacher. Although I still didn’t understand what it meant to follow Christ, I wasn’t drinking, and things were going better for me.
Unfortunately, the increased salary of the new job influenced me, and I relapsed. I stopped going to church and my wife’s leadership role was taken away. I began to be mentally and verbally abusive to her, which caused her to leave me and take our two daughters with her. I reacted by doing what I knew best: I drank.
I was ready to let myself die, so much so that I ended up with alcohol poisoning and my sister, a nurse, aided me in recovery. The Lord reminded me of something I had once said: “God, I know You exist, but I want to live my life my way.”
I went to a rehabilitation center. During my time there, I felt that the Lord was calling me to go to the United States. I knew my wife, Letty, was there and while I was finishing my rehabilitation program, she called me and invited me to come reunite with her.
Despite the possible dangers, I believed it was what I should do. “Don’t the United States belong to me?” God asked me. The next day I started the journey and managed to get to Denver, where my wife lived. This call really was from God.
In Denver, Letty and I went to church, worked, and lived “the American dream.” One day through Kirk Hanger my wife received a call to go to Philadelphia. I was helping her there when we suddenly received a call; Aldo Siahaan from Philadelphia Praise Center (PPC) was looking for a pastor who could help engage the Hispanic community.
Shortly after accepting PPC’s invitation, people began to call me “pastor.” I did not feel worthy. I prayed, “God, confirm this call, and may there be no shortage of food in my house.”
We now live a few minutes’ walk from Centro de Alabanza’s new building, which is undergoing renovations. I am studying at Anabaptist Mennonite Bible Seminary (AMBS). Some members of the church are studying with the Anabaptist Bible Institute (IBA) and with the Hispanic Anabaptist Bible Seminary (SeBAH) and my wife and I lead Bible studies.
We have two daughters: Fernanda, 22, who supports with praise by playing the piano; and Daniela, 19, who is studying law. My hobbies are watching movies based on real events with my wife and reading about Biblical topics.
The opinions expressed in articles posted on Mosaic’s website are those of the author and may not reflect the official policy of Mosaic Conference. Mosaic is a large conference, crossing ethnicities, geographies, generations, theologies, and politics. Each person can only speak for themselves; no one can represent “the conference.” May God give us the grace to hear what the Spirit is speaking to us through people with whom we disagree and the humility and courage to love one another even when those disagreements can’t be bridged.
This post is also available in: Español (Spanish)
This post is also available in: Español (Spanish)