BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

"Already, we have 11 kids learning how to do welding and about the same number of adults learning how to sew," says Sergio. "Because we only have seven sewing machines right now, some of them are on a waiting list." Students attending the facility are recruited from the streets, or by canvassing neighborhoods. Some come because they heard about the facility from friends. "Our ministry is about empowering these young people," Sergio said. "We make sure the parents understand that we're interested in saving their kids from the streets—that we want to give them something they can build on. Yes, we tell them about God. But we also know God has put some talents into these kids and we want to strengthen those talents." Of utmost importance to Sergio and his team is the safety of the children. "We are a children's ministry, and it's important that we look out for the safety of every child who comes into our buildings," Sergio said. "That's our main focus. We have 22 cameras stationed all around the building, inside and outside. I'm able to monitor the activity on my phone 24/7, even when I'm not in Juárez. I see the kids when they come and when they leave." In addition to security cameras, the ministry hired security to patrol the buildings around the clock, even when the school and church are closed. While he says the ministry will likely expand, for now, Abundant Living Faith Center is everything he envisioned. "I never just wanted to do a church or a soup kitchen. I dreamed of more. Doing greater things. I want to build something that would really help the kids," he said. "Eventually, we will be adding more. God told me to build three separate schools. One is to be on the other side of Juárez. Once He shows up, then we will do it." B V O V : 2 1 childhood, and the sense of loss he felt from the absenteeism of his parents. He was only 2 when his father, a drug addict, walked out on the family, which included his mother and a younger brother. His mother had turned to prostitution to care for her children, only to lose her life to the streets—fi rst to alcoholism and eventually to liver disease. Once he became a Christian and moved to the United States, Sergio thought he had left that life behind—that God had delivered him from his past and given him a new life. Years later, after learning about a woman who had been ministering to the children of Juárez, those memories resurfaced. Sergio sensed God was speaking to him—telling him to return to Juárez and build a place of healing, transformation and hope for the children there. While the main fl oor of the 12,000-square- foot building houses a church sanctuary, a kitchen and dining room, the upstairs area includes classrooms where students can learn life skills such as reading, writing and computer operations. "We have 36 students enrolled in computer classes and about 26 kids, ranging in age from 6 to 16, are learning how to read and write," Sergio says. "Paid professionals from the community have been hired to teach and train in the various areas. The second building is used to train older students and adults in sewing and welding.

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