7 Questions with Gil and Eva De La Rosa

For our special Valentine’s Day edition of 7 questions, we bring you one of CSBC’s power couples, Gil and Eva De La Rosa. For those not familiar with this match made in heaven, Gil De La Rosa serves as the Director of Missions for the Gold Coast Association and the CSBC Committee on Resolutions and Credentials while Eva De La Rosa serves as the Executive Director for the California Women’s Missionary Union (WMU), and Gold Coast Association Assistant. She also helps with Christian counseling provided through their church. The De La Rosas’s have been married for 47 years. When they don’t have their hands full with ministry work, they enjoy spending time with their precious children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren!

GIl: I would choose Mathew because he was an outsider. He was bullied and picked on for being a tax collector. He didn’t really fit in. I can relate to each of those things.

Eva: I think I would choose Paul. I’d like to meet him because he went out on missionary journeys to difficult places full of conflict, physically, economically, and spiritually. Missions is my heart and I admire his boldness. I’d like to talk with him about how he approached and related to the communities he visited and his relationships to the people.

Gil: In & Out

Eva: In & Out

Gil: I was doing a funeral and I pronounced the last name of the deceased person wrong. The family and friends in attendance all corrected me in unison. My takeaway and recommendation for anyone doing funerals… always ask for help with the pronunciation.

Eva: This would have to be my first international mission trip to Croatia. The people that were organizing this trip had asked me to give the opening message at the first church we would be visiting. They neglected to tell me it was a male only audience and at the culture was very strict. This was a time when women were not really allowed to speak out in front of older male church leaders. I would have tried to email or text Gil for some help and pointers, but this was before the time of technology and convenience… I ended up using a message that I had prepared earlier with a few updates. At the beginning, many of the men had their arms crossed and some had unwelcoming faces, but afterward as I began my closing comments many of the men in the audience smiled. When I had finished, they thanked me for the message I gave. This experience opened a lot of doors for me. It was a blessing for both me and the congregation.

Gil: When I wake up, I ask the Lord to give me an opportunity to share God with someone new. Which leaves me with having a new friend every day, no person is a stranger. Friendship evangelism is a go-to tactic for me.

Eva: I really try to practice friendship evangelism also. I develop a relationship and then I get the opportunity to share my faith and encourage others. When my son was much younger and part of little league, the relationships I developed with other parents grew over the years and I was able to share the gospel with them when they encountered difficulties.

Gil: I have several fun details I could share… I’ll give you two. First, I have made three holes in one while playing golf. Two were official and one unofficial. For those that don’t know the rules of golf, you’re supposed to have a witness. God was my only witness on that one. As for the second, I do puppetry. When I serve at children’s camp, I do a puppet show and have been doing these shows for the last four years.

Eva: I love to make quiches. I never make the same one (flavor) twice. It all depends on what I have in the fridge. When I make them, I will give them to neighbors, or somebody new. I have a neighbor who is always looking for my next quiche. It’s really relaxing for me.

Gil: When I became a Christian, I didn’t think I’d go into ministry. I really enjoyed being outdoors and in nature. I thought for sure I’d work in forestry or the conservation corps. But as soon as I had the calling to go into ministry that all went straight out the window.

Eva: This question really stumps me because I really love what I do. I never dreamed I would be doing what I’m currently doing. I really thought I would become a special education teacher. I helped my brother with special needs for a number of years. I thought by now I would be a retired schoolteacher. I think when I step down from my current role, I would like to start a Christian women’s job corps and help women see who they are in God’s eyes; help them to begin again and lead.

Gil: Emmanuel. God is with us through it all, no matter what. It gives me a lot of reassurance. I’m reminded that God has forgiven me and hasn’t ditched me or left me.

Eva: Redeemer. I came from a very hard background. I grew up feeling like I didn’t have a lot of value. All of the generations in my family since have been redeemed. My parents came to faith before their passing. It doesn’t matter what we’ve done, or what our families have done, because in Christ we are redeemed.