Jose Cruz Rivera spoke with Pastor Walton this week about growing up in Puerto Rico, coming to know Christ as Savior, and becoming a Spanish teacher at Harvest.
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Episode Transcript:
Chris Harper: Welcome to Harvest Time. My name is Chris Harper, and our host on this program is Pastor Gary Walton, the lead pastor of Harvest Baptist Church. Every week, we spend these twenty five minutes together telling you the stories of our church by interviewing our members and other friends of the ministry. We’d like to invite you to join us at Harvest Baptist Church this week. There are two services, the first at 08:45AM, the second at 10:45AM.
We have Japanese and Korean translation during that second service at 10:45, and that’s also when we livestream at hbcGuam.org. hbcguam.org. This week, we’re in part nine of our love is series from first Corinthians 13:4-8. Let’s begin today’s Harvest Time by welcoming Pastor Gary Walton. Hi, Pastor.
Gary Walton: Hey, hafa adai, Chris. I’m a little bit sad because part nine is bringing us to the last of the 16 characteristics that we’ve been studying in first Corinthians 13. And it has been such a fulfilling, series, I think, for us as a church. It has been for me personally. I’ve been thankful for the things that God is teaching me and I think that’s the best kind of messages.
But I sense and hear that God’s using our study in the lives of many other people across our church and shaping us and actually helping us to go back and maybe reconsider some of the ways that we viewed love from our past, perhaps even some of the ways that we were taught what love means from our families and from other relationships, and then put it out in light of the Scriptures and find out what the Bible says about it. I think it’s just been so fantastic. So in some ways, I’m very excited about this last Sunday and a little bit sad that this will be the last piece of it. We will continue on in our overall study of these chapters after this because we’re going to do a little bit of talking about the context. I know it sounds funny to come at the end of the teaching, but I’ve been saying that all along, that one Corinthians 12, 13, and 14 provide a larger context about the gifts, and this love section is right in the middle of it and it’s the fulcrum on which everything rests.
And so we’ve been working through that, and then we’ll a couple, messages, we’ll branch out and really find out for sure what Paul has to say and what God’s Word has to say about spiritual gifts in their larger context. So we’d love to have you come and join us. We’ll have a great time this Sunday, and we’d love to have you be part of the family as we gather together and worship and study together. Well, I’m really glad to be able to have Jose Cruz Rivera with us in studio. Jose, thank you for joining me today.
Jose Cruz Rivera: Thank you for the invitation, Pastor.
Gary Walton: And I found out something right here that I didn’t know before. I thought it was Jose Cruz, middle name, Rivera, last name, and I found out that that is not true. It’s Cruz Rivera.
Jose Cruz Rivera: That’s correct.
Gary Walton: Okay. So I learned that today. In fact, I’m gonna out you right here on, radio. I also found out there is a middle name too, which is Alberto. And I’m gonna start calling you that from now on.
Jose Alberto Cruz Rivera. So I like all of that together. It’s a good fit. Yes. Welcome, Jose.
I’m glad that, you’re here with us. Looking forward to talking, a little bit about just your testimony, God’s work in your life, the things that he’s been doing. Jose teaches Spanish at Harvest Christian Academy and have been on Guam. This is your second year.
Jose Cruz Rivera: That’s correct.
Gary Walton: Is that right? Jose, tell me a little bit about your background, your family, growing up.
Jose Cruz Rivera: Yeah. So I am native Puerto Rican, so the other side of the territories of The United States. Born and raised there. I born to a great family. Very interesting family dynamics overall.
Half of my family, my dad’s side, some of them are Christian, some of them are Catholic. And my mom’s side, all of them are believers. So pastors, evangelists came out of there. But grew up in a home with Christian values throughout it, but not a real relationship between my mom and my dad. They were both apart from the Lord.
Gary Walton: I want to ask you about that. Let me back up a little bit because it will be harder to go back. I knew that you had Puerto Rican background, but I didn’t know you grew up in Puerto Rico.
Jose Cruz Rivera: Yes, I did.
Gary Walton: Okay. So that’s super interesting for us, you know, obviously, and you mentioned this. Guam is a territory. Puerto Rico is the other one. There’s only two territories of The US and we share so many similarities.
What are so you grew up there till when? What?
Jose Cruz Rivera: Yeah. It was until age 12. It was starting the start of my teen years. So 12, 13 is when the Lord made the way for my family to relocate to The States.
Gary Walton: Where did you where did you move to?
Jose Cruz Rivera: I first moved to Pennsylvania, Philadelphia area, and then I moved down to South Carolina.
Gary Walton: Okay. And then, I mean, you’re only 12. I know about I’m sure you’ve talked about some of this with your parents. What are the similarities? What are the differences?
I mean, we’re on the opposite sides of The US country, but the territory is connected. What what do you relate to from your growing up years?
Jose Cruz Rivera: Yes. Definitely the weather, number one. When I first arrived on Guam last year, I walked out of I remember clearly walking out of the airport doors and feeling the hot breeze hitting my body. I’m like
Gary Walton: Which would have been in July, August, right?
Jose Cruz Rivera: Yes. And the first thing I said is I am back home.
Gary Walton: Yeah. It’s alright.
Jose Cruz Rivera: So yeah. So definitely weather wise, definitely that. The only thing I would say is definitely a lot of different culture backgrounds. Yeah. Definitely Puerto Rico has a lot of influence to the American side of things from, stores to mobile carriers.
A lot of the things are similar. When I first got here, it’s like a whole it’s like I said, it’s a US territory, but it’s its own thing because of everything so unique. Very very few American stores here.
Gary Walton: Right.
Jose Cruz Rivera: A lot of local businesses run over the years.
Gary Walton: Yeah. And I’m sure, of course, Guam has so much Asian influence. You would have had probably almost none of that. But you would have had more, South American influence. Is that how you’d say it?
Yes. Puerto Rico?
Jose Cruz Rivera: Yeah. Definitely a lot of Latino, South American influence over there.
Gary Walton: Yeah. Wow. That’s interesting. And Puerto Rico, if I remember, is significantly larger population.
Jose Cruz Rivera: Yes.
Gary Walton: Do you have any idea?
Jose Cruz Rivera: I don’t know right now. I know that we are one of our slogans is our island is a hundred times 35.
Gary Walton: Okay.
Jose Cruz Rivera: So a hundred, a hundred, a hundred
Gary Walton: 350,000? Something like that? Am I math right?
Jose Cruz Rivera: It’s bigger than Guam for sure.
Gary Walton: How about on just, land area? Is it larger than Guam?
Jose Cruz Rivera: Yes, absolutely. Yes. There’s a lot of yeah. There’s a lot more different villages, I would say
Gary Walton: Okay.
Jose Cruz Rivera: To relate it back to Guam. So, yeah.
Gary Walton: Yeah. I’ll have to take a look at the map. I never really have. Of course, we have there’s another a number of people that have come through Harvest, military, and others that have, Puerto Rican family too. I I just haven’t looked on the map.
I’ll this will trigger me to go back. I didn’t know you were actually from there, so that’s cool.
Jose Cruz Rivera: Yes.
Gary Walton: Okay. So I love the similarities. Alright, back to your story. You talked a little bit about your family, some of the differences.
Jose Cruz Rivera: Yeah. So like I was mentioning, my dad grew up with a lot of Catholic background. My mom, Christian, pastors preaching. And so I grew up with that. And so it was actually my aunt who was the one who who was very insistent to get me in a church.
Definitely relating back to the verse when Jesus was talking to them and to the disciples and just saying, let the children come to me. And so definitely saw that prime example within my aunt just saying, hey, let me take him to church from the beginning. And so I remember from being a kid, just going to church every single Sunday consistently. And so growing up in church, hearing sound doctrine, being in children’s church, trying to be involved everywhere I could. And then throughout the years, then the Lord a lot of situations happened to where my dad had a force to relocate to The States due to a lot of job issues.
And so we relocated back to The States without even knowing. Was it’s a funny story. My dad just said, hey, I’m going to an interview and it’s in the capital in San Juan. And then the next at nighttime, we get a call just saying, I’m actually in The States. Wow.
Yeah. My mom was like, what? Why did you do that? And it was, yeah, it was a it was a rough time a little bit
Gary Walton: Yeah.
Jose Cruz Rivera: I’m sure. Without having my dad there. But then the Lord just made it so clear to be in Philadelphia. And theirs were actually my mom and my dad asked for forgiveness of the Lord and re re restarted their walk with the Lord and saw a lot of growth, and a lot of peace within the family.
Gary Walton: Wow. It’s fantastic. Do you have brothers and sisters?
Jose Cruz Rivera: Yes. I have an older brother.
Gary Walton: Okay. So, you were 12. That’s a lot of turmoil, you know, going on. Then you end up, in The States, which is a whole transition. Right?
How long were you in Pennsylvania?
Jose Cruz Rivera: We were about, let’s see, 2013 to about 2016. So maybe, what, five, six years around that time. Okay. So then, in 2016, my aunt and uncle who live in South Carolina, they came to visit us. And so then they realized just the climate and they just told my parents, hey.
We don’t think that’s a great fit for Jose. We we see we see growth and we see leadership in him. And so we’d like to invite you down to South Carolina and see what’s all about. And so we just took one week trip. My dad loved it.
And the next week, we went back packed and that’s very same, very last week. It was the August 31. We drove twelve hours from Pennsylvania to South Carolina. Got there September first of twenty sixteen.
Gary Walton: Wow. Yeah. And sort of a new start in life again. So you probably were 12, 16, 15, 16 years old then?
Jose Cruz Rivera: Yes. At that point, I was 15, 16 years.
Gary Walton: Okay. Yeah. Jose, let’s back up a little bit. You talked about the some of the influences in your life as far as spiritual, some of the family connections. What about your relationship with Jesus?
When did that start? How did that come about?
Jose Cruz Rivera: Yeah. I I remember clearly I would go to church and I would accept Jesus as my savior, but I wasn’t really looking for a relationship. I wasn’t having a relationship. It wasn’t until my middle school years and specifically that it’s where the hitting point hit. I remember I was walking home, and I was just in bad steps.
I was hanging out with the wrong crowd. And so I just remember a nudge from the holy spirit just telling me, you’ve got to change. It’s time to change. It’s time to put your life for Jesus. And I remember just praying and saying, Lord, I need forgiveness.
I forgive you. And from here on out, I give my life to you. And that’s where I believe that’s where the real growth started in my life.
Gary Walton: Yeah. How old were you?
Jose Cruz Rivera: I was probably middle school, so probably 12, 13. So I was back in Pennsylvania when this happened. Yeah.
Gary Walton: Yeah. That’s awesome. And then how about the church? I mean, you talked about the church when you were younger. Mhmm.
But even through that years, were you involved, youth group? What what what role did the church have in your formation and
Jose Cruz Rivera: your Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. I was involved in the youth group. I was involved in the worship team.
I was involved, mainly those two areas, I would I would say. I was also involved I’ve been involved also in the AV department a little bit. I helped a little bit with livestream, got a little bit out of it, but I was able to help the church in that way. Children’s ministry. So I’ve been a little bit in all areas Okay.
Of the church.
Gary Walton: So what does it mean for you if, to to say that to have your faith grow? What does that mean to you? And I’ll give you a follow-up question.
Jose Cruz Rivera: Yeah. For me, I think I believe growing in faith, it just equals asking God for a revelation in His Word, one. And two, just learning about His different attributes and learning and his word. Also being encouraged by others, is growing in your faith, being encouraged by other believers and being able to talk through what that means.
Gary Walton: That’s really good. That’s interesting. So what do you think are the biggest tools that God has used to help you grow? I mean, you mentioned people, which is usually part of it.
Jose Cruz Rivera: Yeah, definitely the church. Number one, the church. Again, the church and the people within the church. The leadership of the church is vitally important, to a believer. I believe that that that church is the prime center of where, of where that growth happens.
And yeah.
Gary Walton: Okay. So, you’re in middle school, graduated from high school, kind of a public school, Christian school?
Jose Cruz Rivera: Yeah. Public school. Yeah.
Gary Walton: Okay. And then, tell me after that.
Jose Cruz Rivera: Yes. After graduating high school, I then went on to pursue Bob Jones University. I was there for four years where I earned my bachelor’s degree in Spanish education.
Gary Walton: Okay. Yes. And then how did you end up coming to Harvest?
Jose Cruz Rivera: It was it’s a very interesting story, actually. I a lot of people ask me this question. So I remember, the former high school principal, mister Nagengast, came on a freshman class. I was just beginning my path to becoming a teacher and he came to talk about Guam and Harvest. And I actually had my mindset that I was gonna go to public school.
I said, I’m not going to Guam. And so just the over the years, though, harvest came coming back and back and back. And it was my senior year that my adviser reached out to a couple of us. There was three graduates. And they reached out and said, hey, there’s a potential Spanish teacher opening.
And I talked to my adviser about it and said, I don’t know about this. Said, I believe the Lord is calling you there. I believe that you will be doing great things out there. And so I prayed about it and after some consulting and some thoughts and some prayer again, I decided to come to Guam and it’s been the best decision I’ve taken, to be honest. I’ve seen a lot of growth in my life.
I’ve seen a lot of people come alongside of me and push me like I’ve never been pushed before. I’ve been pushed, but here I’ve been pushed way more to grow in my faith and what it really means to be a believer in everyday life.
Gary Walton: Yeah. I remember that very well, Jose. I’d I probably was around that that freshman year when when mister Nags was there. But I do remember as a senior, you know, we were we knew we had a Spanish teacher leaving, so we reached out very specifically. And I remember the message coming back, Hey, there’s a couple of grads in our Spanish department, this guy Jose, this guy would be a great fit for you.
Yes. And, pretty cool to see how God led in that. And, it’s an amazing thing to put, the burden from something that I mean, of course, growing up, you’d have never known about. I mean, you grew in grew up in Puerto Rico. Yeah.
Now you come all the way on the opposite side. But it to be, you know, such a good fit and to see you it is true, Jose. I can see you growing, for sure. I mean, I’m not in the day to day, but you’re growing as a teacher and in your roles there. But then just I can see, you know, your spiritual growth and and all that taking place.
It’s pretty, yeah. It’s it’s pretty cool to see. As God, you know, God puts us in the right places and allows the people around us to be part of that process of his will in our lives. You mentioned loving Guam. What what do you love about being in Guam?
Jose Cruz Rivera: Love the people. Love just overall the people, the community, the the term familia, family, just that fact of, you know, everybody embraces each other. As I go out in the neighborhoods, as I go out in the streets, just people just love and just love the slow pace as well. Lot we work hard, but there’s a lot of slow pace and a lot of time to be able to share with others.
Gary Walton: Well, I’ll tell you this, Jose. I I don’t know if I’ve told you this before. A few years ago, in our recruiting efforts, God kind of pushed us to begin a real clear, I don’t know, of an emphasis, a very clear emphasis as we were recruiting, both prayer and in our searching to to ask God specifically, God, would you send us not only excellent teachers academically and full of character that love Jesus for sure, but then also asking God to send us teachers that would be impactors, that would be influencers. And, you know, the desire not only, you know, here at Harvest, is not only just to impart wisdom, to impart academics, intellect, for sure, trying to develop character, but we really desire that our teachers would be influential in the spiritual areas, in the mentorship, in the life mentorship, it’s one of the key parts of the Academy. And I could say that over those last few years, I’ve watched, I see you growing in it, but I see something that you’re passionate about.
And the kids connect with you because of your passion, love for Jesus, your care for, you know, your love for kids, which is really an awesome thing. So I’m thankful for that, that God knew all along, even as we’re starting to really ramp up and our burden to ask God to send us influencers, that you’re part of that answer to prayer. And, you know, we’re all influenced by people. If you look back on your life, whatever season of life, it doesn’t matter to me. Mhmm.
You already mentioned your aunt your aunt. Could you name you wouldn’t even have to give me the names. Can you tell me one or two others that were the primary influencers in your new in, in your life, currently, in the past? And then tell me what it is about them, if you if you think about it, that actually causes them to be, you know, most influential.
Jose Cruz Rivera: Well, number one is my dad. Okay. Number one is my dad. My dad, just had a humble spirit, always loving others regardless. Mean, that’s where a lot of my wisdom and a lot of my view with people comes from.
My dad didn’t matter what was happening or what situation might have happened. He come he came along and just helped, and just loved people and just gave wherever it needed. Definitely, that my dad is my number one role model that I look to in life.
Gary Walton: And, Jose, you, you lost your dad not too long ago. How did that go for you? Tell me about what it meant. How did you process all that? You were here.
Right? So a long ways away.
Jose Cruz Rivera: Yes. Yeah. It it’s been a hard battle.
Gary Walton: I know it has.
Jose Cruz Rivera: Losing losing the one that encouraged you to be here where you are today, it’s hard. Mhmm. And so navigating these last eight months without him has been hard. Taking roles that I didn’t expect that I was having to take from being having to take care of my mom long ways, to taking decisions that I didn’t expect that I would have to take. It’s been hard, but I know that God has been working through it.
Amen. I know that God has been in the midst of it because let me tell you, I wouldn’t have done it with my strength. Mhmm. I would have given up. And so I know that God’s strength has been throughout all all of it all.
And so, again, losing my role model and the one that I look up to, definitely has been hard, but I know that he left me with, the wisdom and he left me with the tools that I needed in order to be a man a man of God.
Gary Walton: Thanks for sharing that. I Yeah. I was a little hesitant to bring it before you because I know that that’s been hard. Yeah. But thank you for being gracious and being willing to answer it.
I think that’ll be a help and blessing Yeah. To others. We prayed along with you through that and but watched you watched you see that and view that through a spiritual lens of, you know, God’s goodness. And your mom, you know, your dad took care of your mom for a long time. She’s a long ways away.
Right?
Jose Cruz Rivera: Yes. She is. Yes.
Gary Walton: Yeah. So you’ve had to take on that role. Your brother, of course, is closer too.
Jose Cruz Rivera: But Yeah.
Gary Walton: Yeah. Thank you for caring for her in that way.
Jose Cruz Rivera: Yes.
Gary Walton: Last thing, harvest. I guess we’ve kind of been talking about this, but just tell me a little bit about what harvest has meant for you.
Jose Cruz Rivera: Harvest is just a it’s not just a place of growth. It’s just a place of healing as well.
Gary Walton: Yeah.
Jose Cruz Rivera: It’s a place where people come alongside of you no matter what your background is. They come alongside of you and are there ready to help you. Harvest to me is a home away from home. Being able to work alongside others who have the same beliefs and the same thoughts as I and I do, and just being able to do ministry together. It’s not just like a lot of the times you’ve mentioned in a lot of our meetings, it’s not just a job.
It’s a ministry. And so being able to do that, it’s just been amazing. And that’s to me what Harvest is.
Gary Walton: You have a lot of, you’re connected with a lot of groups. Most of us here are. Of course, you have, the the staff, teachers, and other staff that you’re connected with. You’re part of a community group, which, almost all of us are. So we have small groups across our church family that we meet with almost weekly, connection in home sharing, around.
You’re active in our Young Pros, right?
Jose Cruz Rivera: Yes.
Gary Walton: Yeah. And Young Pros is, tell us a little bit about that.
Jose Cruz Rivera: Yeah. Young Pros is just a group of, professionals, that meet together, on Thursday nights and as well as throughout the week, just to, create a group. It’s a group of not just, active teachers and staff, but also military members that are there. And even from the from the community who’ve heard and are looking for a a a group to be able to grow in that it’s that fits their category, their place in life right now.
Gary Walton: Season in life. Yeah. Okay. That’s awesome. Yeah.
Well, Jose, thank you for sharing your testimony. I’m really glad that God brought you here. Praying that God would bless your ministry here for years to come and to really use you in an impacting way. I love it that you moved from an island to an island. God gave you a new island home and thankful for God’s direction.
Chris Harper: And thank you for listening to harvest time. Of course, at this point in the program, we always wanna personally invite you again to services at Harvest Baptist Church. We have two services, Sunday, August and 10:45AM. We have Japanese and Korean translation during that 10:45AM service, and we also broadcast that service live here on eighty eight point one FM and khmg.org. We hope to see you this Sunday.
Thanks again for listening to Harvest Time.