Summer at Home

There really is no place like home.

I had the pleasure of spending a good part of my summer in Puerto Rico, serving alongside my pastors and church family at New Family Church, spending time with my family, and enjoying my island before heading out again.

One of the highlights was getting to preach and minister during my youth ministry (Akros 4:12)'s annual summer camp. This year's theme was Influyentes. The weekend was filled with memorable moments—from game nights to an amazing afternoon at a river in Barrio Casey, where we went on a treasure hunt hike and just had a great time together.

Even with all the fun, there was also a powerful time in the Word and the Holy Spirit’s uplifting presence. I shared two messages that Saturday night and Sunday morning, La Verdadera Influencia (The True Influence) and La Iglesia Influyente (The Influential Church), challenging our youth and entire church body to understand what true influence looks like and, as the Church, to use the influence God has given us to impact the people and the world around us.

Another huge part of my summer was Campamento Semilla Viva. Alongside an amazing team, we planned our third edition of the camp, this year under the theme Raíces de Esperanza (Roots of Hope).

Semilla Viva is a weeklong, agriculture-focused camp for children ages 4–13, filled with hands-on learning, activities, teaching, and plenty of fun. This year we welcomed a record-breaking 76 participants! As part of the week, we also took the kids to Finca Explora in Isabela, where they had the opportunity to learn about local sustainable agriculture and experience some of what they had been learning firsthand.

It was heartwarming for me to witness how so many prophetic seeds in the lives of the participants, volunteer force, and church administration are producing a great harvest. I am confident that next year’s camp will be our best one yet. 

Beyond the larger events, small parts of the summer consisted of the ordinary rhythms of church life. Those moments were just as meaningful to me.

I had several opportunities to preach and teach during our Wednesday discipleship meetings, minister to people personally, and help strengthen our prayer team ministry. I spent a lot of time with my pastors, leaders and church family, serving wherever I could and enjoying what the Lord is currently doing in the house that has poured so much into me.

I also made some time to rest and have fun with people I hold dear to my heart. 

There were also various opportunities to celebrate the Lord's faithfulness and goodness in the lives of those I cherish!

On July 16—my birthday!—my immediate younger brother, Zom Nicholas, graduated from my alma mater. He flew in from Atlanta, where he works as a mechanical engineer, for the occasion. My father, who also completed his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and is a Materials Science and Engineering professor at UPR-Mayagüez, had the honor of escorting him to receive his diploma. Getting to celebrate such an important milestone together on my birthday made an already special day even sweeter.

I also celebrated my pastors, Jay Sánchez and Mary Jiménez, on their 30th wedding anniversary, as well as Pastor Jay's 53rd birthday, during my last week in Puerto Rico. During that weekend, two great friends who are expecting their first child, had me moderate their gender reveal gathering (it's a girl)! 

That same Sunday, August 2, I had the privilege of preaching one last time at New Family Church—and this time, I got to preach alongside my beautiful "sister friend", Naomy, who translated into Spanish for the very first time. She did amazing! It was such an honor to have my hermana be my voice in another language and share the pulpit with her. It made my last Sunday at home even more memorable.

The following day, I left for Peru, closing out a summer filled with unforgettable moments.

No place could ever feel like home the way Puerto Rico always will.  I'm grateful for the time I had this summer to minister, serve, spend time with family and friends, and enjoy my enchanting island.