Abner Perez

Abner’s Story – A Shepherd Born from Ashes

Where It All Began

On the eastern edge of Tijuana, past the busy streets and out toward the dusty hills, lies Maclovio Rojas. It’s a place where the houses are built slowly, piece by piece, from cinder blocks, scraps of wood, or whatever can be found. The roads are mostly dirt. The sun is hot. And every day, life here is a fight to make it to the next.

Abner Asaf Pérez was born here.
This is the only world he has ever known.

But right in the middle of this struggling neighborhood stands a small, simple building that has always been something more than walls and a roof. It is Iglesia Luterana San Pablo, a church planted years ago through Lutheran Border Concerns Ministries. For as long as Abner can remember, this place has been a light in a dark community—a refuge where people sing about hope even when everything around them seems hopeless.

And from the very beginning, Abner’s own family was at the heart of it.
His father was the pastor. His mother helped with everything. Abner and his sister grew up surrounded by the Gospel—Sunday school, church services, potlucks, and the kind of love that made the church feel like one big family.

As a boy, Abner saw things most children don’t. He saw friends lured away by gangs. He saw drug addiction and poverty stealing lives. And he also saw how much difference a small church could make when it stands faithfully in a hurting neighborhood. Even as a child, he understood that San Pablo wasn’t just a church; it was a lifeline.

 The Day Everything Fell Apart

Then came the day that changed everything.

Abner was still a teenager when a devastating scandal came to light: his father, the pastor everyone loved and respected, had been unfaithful. What followed was swift and public. His father was removed from the pastoral office and left the ministry—and left their lives.

The community that had once gathered so close around them suddenly scattered.
One by one, families walked away. The little church, once full of singing, became almost silent.

For Abner, his mother, and his sister, it was like living through an earthquake. They had every reason to give up—not just on the church, but on God Himself. The pain was deep, and the shame was heavy.

 Staying When Everyone Else Left

But they didn’t walk away.

“They could take our building,” Abner says, “but they couldn’t take away Jesus.”

So the three of them—mother, sister, and son—decided to stay. Even in their brokenness, they clung to Christ. With no pastor available and no one willing to step in, his older sister did something remarkable: she simply began to lead. Week after week, she gathered whoever would still come, read Scripture, prayed with them, and reminded them that God’s promises had not changed.

Slowly, against all odds, God began to rebuild.

The three of them worked side by side—organizing services, cleaning the church, visiting the few families who hadn’t left. Little by little, people began to return. Today, after years of patient faithfulness, there are twelve families back at San Pablo. And more than that, there is a breakfast center for children, so that the youngest in the community can start their day with a meal and a prayer.

 A Calling Takes Root

When his sister eventually moved away to study, the responsibility of shepherding fell directly into Abner’s hands.

By then, he was already beginning to sense it: God was calling him to be a shepherd.

He had grown up watching his friends disappear into violence and drugs. Too many never came back. “If they could have heard the Gospel when they were little,” he says, “maybe their lives could have been different. That’s why I want to be here for the children now. That’s why I want to tell them about Jesus before it’s too late.”

Though he had learned so much from being a pastor’s son, Abner knew he needed to be better prepared. So he enrolled in the Instituto Bíblico Sola Gracia Sola Fe, under the guidance of Pastor Ramón Contreras, to receive training as a lay leader. He wants to know the Word deeply so that he can teach it faithfully.

 Shepherding in Everyday Life

Today, Abner’s ministry touches the community in very personal ways.

He leads worship and Bible studies at Iglesia Luterana San Pablo.                     

He runs the breakfast center that feed children in the church and shares the gospel with them.

He baptizes children whose parents long to see them grow up knowing God.
He leads quinceañeras, helping young girls celebrate an important milestone not only with a party, but with a blessing.
He walks through the neighborhood, knocking on doors, sitting in people’s living rooms, listening to their struggles, and praying with them.

In a place where survival often takes all the energy people have, Abner’s presence is a gentle reminder: God sees you. God hasn’t forgotten you.

 More Than a Pastor

Abner’s life itself has become a testimony. He is the first person in his entire community to graduate from a university. He studied culinary arts and is now a chef, running a small food business.

His dream is as creative as it is bold: to bring food and the Gospel together. In a community where meals are scarce, he wants to feed bodies and souls at the same time.

He is also dating Zaida, who is herself training to be a lay leader. Together, they dream of serving side by side in Maclovio Rojas, bringing the light of Christ to their generation.

 Mentored for Mission

Recognizing Abner’s dedication and potential, Pastor Ramón invited the Lutheran Mission Society San Diego to come alongside him—to mentor him, equip him for ministry, and help provide the resources that Iglesia Luterana San Pablo needs to keep growing.

Abner is teachable, faithful, and available. He knows brokenness because he has lived it. And he knows that Christ can redeem even the deepest pain.

 Beauty From Ashes

In the same neighborhood where he was born—where he saw scandal nearly destroy everything—Abner now stands as a living testimony to God’s mercy.

He dreams of a different future for Maclovio Rojas:
A future where children grow up with hope before the streets claim them.
A future where families find refuge in the church.
A future where even the simplest shared meal can open the door for the Gospel.

Maclovio Rojas is still a hard place. But in that hard place, through the faithful heart of a 23-year-old shepherd, the light of Christ is shining.