I was born in Medellin, Colombia, and God gave me the gift of faith through my family, a practicing Catholic family. From when I was very young, I had close contact with uncles and aunts who had consecrated their lives to God through the priesthood or religious life. Missionary magazines arrived at my house in which I read, with interest, stories of heroic men and women who left their places of origin to go to announce the Gospel in mission lands. Remembering all this, I see how God was planting in me the seed of the missionary vocation.

At the age of 15, I went with my family to live in the United States, where we continue to cultivate our life of faith. In my heart, there was still a longing to belong only to Him, but I had no idea how, when, or where.

The Lord took it upon Himself to answer those questions for me. Through the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Miami, I learned about the congregation to which I have belonged for 44 years: the Guadalupan Missionaries of the Holy Spirit.

Since I met them, I was attracted by the testimony of simplicity, the joy of the sisters, and the name. I said to myself, “In the name they have it all: missionary, Holy Spirit, and the Holy Virgin.”

Since 1981, I have happily worked in catechesis and leadership formation in various dioceses in the United States and Puerto Rico. Although I no longer minister through catechesis, I currently announce God’s love in Eutaw, Alabama, through the center for social services, Guadalupan Multicultural Services, evangelizing with the testimony of life in service of my brothers and sisters.

I have no words to thank God for the gift of a vocation that I love and that makes me immensely happy. Please pray for me and for all those who continue to be called to the beautiful vocation of the consecrated life.