7 Questions with Nestor Amaya

Scoring goals for the Kingdom and out on the soccer field, Sequoia Association Director of Missions, Nestor Amaya takes every opportunity presented to serve his community and the Great Commission. He tends to his congregation at The Messengers Church, in Visalia that offers both a Spanish and English service. Since the start of November 2022, Nestor has been traveling to Porterville to also lead The Hills Community Church in afternoon services. Any free time he and wife Sara have from their ministry commitments revolve around enjoying their 4 grandchildren who live between Nevada and California.

I would choose Paul. Here is a man who is present in most of the New Testament, but he struggled with life. I feel his story is very familiar to people these days. People struggle with all sorts of life topics, and I feel people can connect to that. I’d shower him with questions.

Definitely Coke, but it has to be diet. Diet Coke all the way!

So, this happened when I first started working in ministry. I was about three months in to being ordained and I had my first baptism. The gentleman that I would be baptizing sought me out beforehand to just get some reassurance. I remember him saying, ‘I trust you are the expert.’ He had no idea he was the first person that I would baptize. He was a larger man; I would estimate 300-350 lbs. and he had some concerns about whether or not I would be able to bring him back up from the water. I did my best to reassure him that everything would be fine, and to just relax so that when a person is in the water, they weigh less. I was extremely nervous. The anxiety I had was tremendous, and it took me an extra push to bring him up after submerging him. I never told him that he had been my first. Praise God—after that I became an expert.

Over the years, and in my experience growing up in church, home bible studies have proven to be a successful evangelism tactic. They are becoming very popular here in Visalia. People like coming to houses for bible studies, even now, as Covid-19 has kind of passed. It has worked well for us.

I played soccer in junior high and college. I joined a team again a little after turning 50. I joined a team of 20–30-year-olds and I quickly learned that I really am 50. It keeps me active and exercising though!

I imagined I would become a police officer. My grandfather had been, and I had even taken the steps of joining the academy. However, I was told that I had to be a U.S. citizen to officially become a police officer, so they sent me away. When I had gotten my U.S. citizenship my wife was pregnant, and I needed to support my family, so it didn’t end up working out. Each time the idea came back to mind, it seemed as though we were expecting another child. Needless to say, God has different plans for me because it never came to be. I praise God for the plans He had for me.

I would say Redeemer. I’ve seen so many people throughout my life whose lives He has changed. Someone that we could see as not being worth much, God has redeemed them and made something wonderful with their life. I tell my own congregation that I would not be where I am if God had not redeemed me.