Williams Rodriguez was just 13 when he committed his life to Christ and began to live a life of incredible desire and devotion. As the years progressed, his passion grew until he realized that God had a specific calling on his life.
As a result, Williams enrolled in the Bible Institute in Santa Ana. During those years he became an associate pastor at Cristo Vive Church where he learned about ENLACE. His church began to partner with ENLACE and every time a church coach came to visit his community, he loved learning from them but often found himself wanting to join them as they went out to other communities and churches in the Abelines region. His desire to explore other places and minister to people far and near was a passion he could not deny.
His time came in 2012 when Williams had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Nicaragua. It was there after ministering to people and then taking some time out to see the rainforest that he felt God’s presence. In the silence, surrounded by God’s creation, it became clear to him that the strong missionary call could be combined with the kind of work he experienced with ENLACE’s training. For Williams this moment was “the step God used, the last link in the chain,” that combined his “desire to serve others” with his missionary calling. “ENLACE is the place where I can apply this [passion]” said Williams.
Williams finished his studies at the Bible Institute and began studying Theology at Assemblies of God Christian University with a specialization in Missions. In April 2013, he began to serve as a church coach for ENLACE and could finally travel with other coaches throughout the Abelines and San Miguel region. After a few months of being a church coach, Williams stated, "I’m astonished at the poor conditions in which people can live...but their simplicity, their dedication, their loyalty to God and their passion to help others is incredible; to see all that in the midst of difficulties they face, in the midst of what we call poverty, they give and give from what they have."
