Meet my Pappa

What is your name?

Miguel Angel Solórzano Fernandez

What is your relationship to Justin?

I am his temporary Dad.

Where are you from?

From El Salvador

How did you get to Mexico City?

I arrived in Mexico City as a refugee because of the civil war in El Salvador in the year 1990.

Why did you feel like you needed to leave El Salvador?

When I left El Salvador, I was 11 years old, it was because of my mom. She had to leave because she was persecuted in the Lutheran Church. In 1984, I had an uncle, who was a pastor of the church, who was assassinated. In 1989 my mom received a threat call for her life and in November of 1989, the military told everyone to return to their house because of danger. The church had opinions against what the government was doing.

What do you love most about living in Mexico City?

I don’t like Mexico City much. I like the zones outside of the city. I enjoy rural sights. There is something that I like a lot of Mexico City, the museums that display the culture in Mexico.

What do you do in Mexico?

I returned to Mexico because I believe, as a pastor, the church doesn’t have a voice regarding context. There are feminist, homosexual and justice groups, but the church does not have much of a voice in the city. I like to be an ecumenical pastor. For example, two of the kids having their first communion this Sunday, their parents have always been Catholic. Their sons have learned that sports are important, through soccer. They always go to games and plays in the week, but they haven’t learned that music and spiritual faith is important. This is one of the ministries that our church preforms. It teaches things that people don’t normally learn in the city.

What is your favorite part of your job?

First, I have a problem, I can’t see ministry as a job. My job is to have small groups, and worships on Sunday, but the responsibility to visit members is not my job. My job is theological, to read the bible and to find the message for the current time. I like to read works and find the message to convey. This is what I love to do. When I arrived to the church someone asked me, “how many hours do you work a day?” A pastor does not have hours in the church. If you feel bad at three in the morning, and you need to call me at three in the morning. I need to respond. My job is to prepare communion, provide a worship, teach kids for first communion. But responsibilities to counsel, provide support and talk to people is not my job. It is my way of life. I don’t like it when people ask me what are the jobs I do because it doesn’t feel like a job, it feels more like a ministry. This is the first time I received a good salary as a pastor. In El Salvador, I did not receive a wage, it was more of a side job. Before I received a stipend to help me, I had to find another job.

Where did you go to Seminary?

I studied at the Lutheran Salvadorian University and the other is named The Latin University of Theology in El Salvador and I had various academic conferences in the Lutheran World Federation and in the Diaconal Ecumenical Institution of Esteban.

Where did you learn English?

I haven’t learned English; I listen and understand a little English but I have never lived in a place where I need to speak English.

Who is in your family?

My family is my wife Antonia, my son Saul of thirteen year, my son Diego of nine years and my daughter of nine months, and my adoptive son Justin of twenty-four years and now my four dogs, Yucca, Lila, Gibson and Luther.

How do you show God in your daily life to others around you?

I believe that there is always something that is happy. In times of difficulty, I receive a greeting from my neighbor when I bring her daughter to school. It is a place where I can give thanks to God. We have food on the table, I can talk to my children; these are things where I can give thanks to God. I don’t know. God is always here in every moment. I don’t just see God in certain moments, he is always here.

Is there anything else you would like to say to my family and friends supporting me in the US?

I think the world needs to transform, we need to change things that we are doing. And every one of us can be an instrument of transformation. There are a lot of things we can do with our hands to change these things. So, the message is not to have fear of change. The small things that we can do, can help change the reality that we don’t like. Doing a program like YAGM is a risk, the way you think afterword’s changes everything. When you return, and see a change in your life, you will find marvelous opportunities. Opportunities to change what you want. The message to all of you is to break your routine and find a change. Einstein defined insanity as “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”.