A New Road to Travel

On Saturday July 28, 2012 I concluded my time as Youth Pastor at Spanish-American Church. As I waited for my senior pastor to finish his sermon and announce to the crowd of six hundred that I was to part, I kept telling my self not to cry. Sitting there I thought of how I got there, the circumstances that had lead me to become a pastor after years of running away. I thought my ministry was in education but God always has a silly way of doing things. (God does have a sense of humor)

I remembered how scared I was my first day preaching. I remembered how weird it felt to be called pastor by so many adults. I remembered standing there, naïve to the whole experience and how useless I felt as I stood before people who had been Christians longer than I have lived. A new challenge. A new opportunity. My tenure at Spanish-American started at VBS (Pandamania) and ended with VBS (Sky); one year and a month to be exact.

I never knew how attached you can get to a group of people. As the sermon finished and got called up, I was telling my self “Don’t cry. Don’t cry.” I was doing good until I looked at my senior pastor and saw how serious he was (I know he was crying inside). The tears just started flowing.

I love Spanish-American Church. It was my first church. I love the youth there. I love the Pathfinders. I love the adults there too. Yet in this ministry, as all know, one must go where he/she is needed.

In my heart I will take many memories. I have grown bounds thanks to the guidance of my now former senior pastor. I have been loved by such a great group of young people and I love them back too. I have seen young boys and girls grow into amazing followers of Christ. I have seen youth and young adults eager to make a difference. I have laughed, gotten sunburned, slept in freezing temperatures, faced my fears with MY, oh so energetic, Pathfinders.

Yet, now is time for a new challenge, a different road. I will head out to land different from this one but I do not head out alone. I head out knowing that there is a church in Boyle Heights on Bridge Street that is praying for me.

I love you Spanish-American…

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

"The Road Not Taken" -Robert Frost