OUR TEAM
DAVID RODRIGUEZ
Executive Director
David came to work with Faith Ministry as Associate Director in 2003 and became Executive Director in 2008. While the office in McAllen is his home base, David is often traveling to Reynosa and Miguel Alemán to oversee the activities of the ministry. Originally from Monterrey, Mexico, David lives in Texas with his wife Nancy and son Alan. In his free time, David can often be found manning the grill at his house, especially when his oldest son Luis is home from college or a mission work group is in town.
COLLEEN HERNANDEZ
Associate Director
Colleen first volunteered in Mexico with Faith Ministry at the age of 16 and was a summer intern during college. She started working for Faith Ministry in 2015 as the Communications & Community Coordinator and became Associate Director in 2022. She is based in the McAllen office, but spends a lot of her time in Reynosa and Miguel Alemán supervising activities and mission work groups. She is originally from North Carolina, but now lives in Texas, and will soon be joined by her husband and two stepdaughters.
SANDRA TERRAZAS
Office Manager
Sandra began working for Faith Ministry in the McAllen office as a part-time employee in February 2019 and joined our full-time staff in October of the same year. She is excellent at what she does and makes everything run smoothly for the administration of the ministry on the U.S. side of the border.
REYNOSA STAFF
GUSTAVO OMAR SALDAÑA HERNANDEZ
Administrator, Reynosa
Omar has been with Faith Ministry since 2008 and coordinates all construction activities and office logistics in Reynosa. He is from Monterrey, Mexico, and he is passionate about his soccer team and is a huge TV and movie buff.
YADIRA CRUZ MARTINEZ
Assistant Administrator, Reynosa
Yadira began working for Faith Ministry in 1998 when she was only a teenager! She has many duties in the Reynosa office, including managing our staff and communicating with families that benefit from the ministry through housing, scholarships, and more.
ADOLFO VITE LORENZO
Logistics Support Staff, Reynosa
Adolfo joined our staff in summer 2019 to support our administrative staff in Reynosa. He transitioned in February 2020 to begin assisting the logistics staff with overseeing mission work groups, translating, and coordinating on-site activities for groups.
CARLOS ALEJANDRO PONCE
Pastor, Reynosa & Naranjito
Carlos started with us as a missionary in July 2015. He graduated from Berea Bible Institute in Monterrey, Mexico and is leading church activities in both Reynosa and Naranjito. In addition to pastoring the two churches, he works with the children in our nutrition program and the patients at the clinic, as well as our construction volunteers.
ISMAEL PONCE REYES
Construction Foreman, Reynosa
Ismael started as a construction volunteer in 2015, when he worked for his family’s house. He has worked with us off and on since then in the construction area and joined our staff in 2018 to work in the clinic as security and to help with patient intake. He is now back in the construction area of the ministry, working as one of our foremen.
JULIO GONZALEZ
Construction Foreman, Reynosa
Julio, commonly known as “Chuky,” became one of our construction foremen after graduating from our foreman apprenticeship program in May 2017. Chuky began working with us after the ministry built his house about 15 years ago, and he is known and loved by many mission work groups. He enjoys joking around, so chances are, if you’ve been to Reynosa, you’ve been teased by Chuky!
JOSÉ GARCÍA GUILLÉN
Construction/Support Staff, Reynosa
José joined our staff in February 2020 to assist the office in Reynosa with various errands and activities. He also assists the construction staff with projects.
BRAYAN ZUÑIGA MIRELES
Construction Support Staff, Reynosa
Brayan began working for the ministry as a volunteer for his family’s house in 2017. He completed the ministry’s apprenticeship program in 2019, and he joined our staff officially in the construction area in 2022. He assists with house building and other projects and works alongside U.S. groups when they come to volunteer with us.
JOSÉ HERNANDEZ
Garden Caretaker / Construction Support Staff, Reynosa
José works in many different areas of the ministry, mainly taking care of our garden in Naranjito and guarding the area at night. He also works on the job site for various construction activities.
MARTHA ESQUIVEL CASILLAS
Kitchen / Construction Support Staff, Reynosa
Martha is a support staff for the construction area, as well as the kitchen. She has previously worked as a volunteer for the ministry for her house, as well as for other community members’ houses, and she joined the staff officially in 2022.
ERIKA CORTES MORA
Office Assistant, Reynosa
Erika was originally in our scholarship program through her high school graduation. She joined our office staff in 2018, assisting Yadira and Omar with administrative and secretarial activities.
MARISELA CRUZ VAZQUEZ
Cook/Caretaker, Reynosa
Marisela started working with Faith Ministry in 2000. She is our primary chef on staff and cooks not only for mission work groups and volunteers, but also for the children in our feeding program every morning at the clinic. If you’ve eaten a meal cooked by Marisela, you know how talented she is!
LUCIA CASTRO DOMINGUEZ
Caretaker/Cook, Reynosa
JULIANA DOMINGUEZ CRUZ
Nurse, Reynosa
Juliana grew up in Faith Ministry’s scholarship program and graduated from nursing school in 2019. She worked in a hospital in Reynosa for about a year before starting as the nurse at Faith Ministry’s medical clinic in 2020. She assists the doctor with patient consultations, manages the infant formula program, and oversees the children’s nutrition program.
CIRO SANCHEZ GARCÍA
Clinic Security, Reynosa
Ciro started on our staff in summer 2019 as our clinic security staff. He is responsible for the security, as well as patient intake, of the medical clinic in Reynosa.
SERGIO RAMIREZ RODRIGUEZ
Maintenance/Support Staff, Reynosa
Sergio has been involved with Faith Ministry as a church member in Naranjito for almost five years and joined our staff at the beginning of 2022. He is responsible for running ministry errands, such as food shopping, staying on top of the maintenance of our facilities, and supporting in ministry activities such as our grocery package program.
ALBERTO ZARATE
Construction Volunteer, Reynosa
Alberto is one of our permanent volunteers who has been around for years, working daily on the job site with our staff and family volunteers. He occasionally says his name is Gilberto, but he is more commonly known as Don Beto. He’s another jokester and enjoys working with the mission work groups.
MIGUEL ALEMÁN STAFF
LUZ MARES MUÑOZ
Construction Supervisor, Miguel Alemán
Luz began working with Faith Ministry in 1999 and is one of our foreman in Miguel Alemán, where he supervises all construction activities.
BENITO CHAVEZ
Pastor, Miguel Alemán
Benito has been the pastor of our church in Miguel Alemán since 2010, though he was a volunteer for several years before that. He leads our Sunday and weekday services, in addition to leading a mission to an area of the town called Guardados de Arriba.
AGUEDA LOPEZ CASTAÑEDA
Secretary, Miguel Alemán
Agueda started working with us in 2007 and organizes many of our activities in Miguel Alemán, including the children’s nutrition program.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Our Board of Directors is made up of twelve members from across the U.S. who are dedicated to guiding and leading the ministry and its staff. They conduct monthly conference calls and meet twice a year in person in McAllen, Reynosa and Miguel Alemán.
DAVE STOLTZFUS
President, Board of Directors
Dave is retired and living in Malvern, Pennsylvania, where he used to work in management consulting and owned his own music school. He has been involved with Faith Ministry since 2012 through his home church Covenant Presbyterian Church and joined the Board of Directors in 2019; he was elected president by his fellow Board members in 2023. Dave was instrumental in starting Faith Ministry’s children’s music program and is passionate about teaching music to children, youth, and adults.
LEANNE STIPP
Vice President, Board of Directors
LeAnne is retired from her job in training design and delivery consultancy in Charlotte, North Carolina, and has been coming to work in Mexico with Faith Ministry since 2010 with her home church Covenant Presbyterian Church. She joined the Faith Ministry Board in 2021 and was elected vice president in 2023. She is skilled in communication and is passionate about relationships with others and equality for all, and in her spare time, she enjoys being a grandmother!
BRUCE DRUETZLER
Secretary, Board of Directors
Bruce is a retired sales director in Gainesville, Virginia, and has been coming to Mexico with Faith Ministry since around 2004. He has previously served six years on the ministry’s Board and rejoined in 2021. He attends Manassas Presbyterian Church and likes to go sailing and help others fix things in his spare time.
KATHY STARKEY
Treasurer, Board of Directors
KEN MACDONALD
Ken is a publisher of a weekly newspaper in Raeford, North Carolina, and has been involved with Faith Ministry since 2003. He has eight years of experience serving on the Board, including two years as president, in addition to his experience on other boards and community organizations. He has a wide variety of passions, ranging from guitar and piano to stained glass and kayaking, and he loves working with the youth at his church.
DAVID BASS
David is a retired technical writer in Raleigh, North Carolina, and has been involved with Faith Ministry since 2012 through his home church North Raleigh United Methodist Church. He joined the ministry’s Board in 2021 and is passionate about Faith Ministry and the work we do. He also loves photography, history, and traveling, especially when it involves mission work.
DR. DAVID BAKER
David joined the Board in 2022, but he has been involved with Faith Ministry since 2003 when he came on his first mission trip with the youth from Myers Park United Methodist Church, and he spent summers in college as an intern with the ministry in Reynosa. He is now a doctor working in Charlotte, NC, and is passionate about caring for Spanish-speaking patients.
BILL BALDWIN
Bill has been involved with Faith Ministry since 2001 and now leads groups through Trinity Lutheran Church in Indianapolis, IN. He is a mechanical engineer who owned his own business for over 20 years and has a passion for woodworking.
ANNETTE GUERRA-RENAUD
PHIL KOONCE
BRITT YETT
WILL SLACK
ALWAYS IN OUR HEARTS
DEANTIN O. GUERRA, JR.
Founder/Emeritus Director
Deantin founded Faith Ministry in 1994 and was Executive Director until 2008. On October 25, 2018, Deantin was called home to the Lord. Up until his passing, he remained passionately involved in the ministry, visiting Reynosa when his health allowed and checking in regularly with the staff. He lived in Brownsville with his wife Lidia, their dog Lucky and their cat Mr. Do; they were active members of their church, Central Christian Church, where Deantin sang in the choir and served as an elder. Deantin left behind an incredible legacy, an example of how to love and serve others well, in His name and for His glory.
ANGEL MARTINEZ GUILLEN
Construction Supervisor, Reynosa
Angel was a pillar of the Faith Ministry family and a leader among the staff; he worked for the ministry from 2006 until his passing on July 12, 2020. He dedicated over 15 years to the ministry, and he was deeply respected and loved by his fellow staff, the local volunteers, and the hundreds and hundreds of U.S. volunteers who worked with him over the years. Not only did he supervise the construction of countless homes for families in need, he was instrumental in the day-to-day operations in Reynosa, helping with everything from logistics to security to maintenance and more. If we needed something, Angel was always there to help. He valued the friendships he built at Faith Ministry, and he looked out for the staff, volunteers, and groups as if they were his own family.