Maria Cristina Monson

A Journey from Survival to Service: The Story of Deaconess María Cristina Monson

When María Cristina Monson graduated as a deaconess at the age of 72, the milestone was celebrated widely—but for her, this formal recognition was only the latest chapter in a story that had begun decades earlier, shaped by hardship, resilience, and a steadfast faith in God’s providence.

Growing Up Between Borders

In the 1950s, María Cristina’s family moved from Mexico City to Tijuana. Life in Tijuana then was raw and vivid: the streets dusty, the markets bustling with vendors shouting their wares, children playing amid unfinished sidewalks and open drains. Across the border, San Diego thrived with modernity, but Tijuana was still carving out its identity, a city of migrants, dreamers, and survival.

Her grandmother, born in Arizona, carried a quiet dream in her heart—to return to the United States, or at least to open that door for her children and grandchildren. Cristina’s mother, however, had little interest in such ambitions. She preferred to stay rooted, focused on what was concrete, close, and familiar. When Cristina was still a baby, the family settled in Tijuana, where her grandmother’s longing to cross north remained unfulfilled—a dream hemmed in by uncertainty, scarce information, and the daunting complexities of immigration.

A Childhood of Abandonment

At the age of nine, Cristina’s mother abandoned her and her three siblings. The streets became their home in a metaphorical sense—neighbors offered food, churches gave small aid, and survival depended on wits and courage. By twelve, she ran away, seeking freedom, only to be brought back by an uncle. At fourteen, she ran again, this time encountering the harsh realities of adolescence in Tijuana: working in bars and cafeterias, facing abuse, and learning to fend for herself.

By twenty, she was already the mother of four children. In moments of exhaustion and despair, she cried out: “¡Ayúdame, oh Dios! Help me, oh God. I don’t want this kind of life anymore. I need to give my children a better future.”

Rising Against the Odds

God answered her prayer. Working tirelessly in a Tijuana restaurant for nearly two decades, Cristina raised her children on her own, giving them food, education, and a sense of stability. At times she pauses and wonders, How did I manage it all? Then she remembers—the Lord was by her side. Along the way, she sought therapy to heal old wounds. At 42, she opened her heart to love again and married an American man she met in Tijuana.

In 1998, she enrolled in the Adult School program at Montgomery High School in San Diego. There she studied U.S. citizenship and nursing assistance, specializing in the care of patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Her early experiences caring for her grandmother had sparked a lifelong vocation for compassion, and she now formalized her skills.

Encountering the Lutheran Church

It was also at Montgomery that she met Pastor Gabriel Ochoa, planting a Hispanic ministry not too far from there, at St. James Lutheran Church in Imperial Beach. Initially, Cristina resisted. Her heart carried the wounds of her childhood, especially the painful memory of being denied First Communion at age eleven because her mother hadn’t participated in church.

Pastor Ochoa’s patience was unwavering. “Take my card,” he said. “Come when you feel alone, sad, or unseen. Come as you are, just listen to God’s Word. No one will judge you.”

Cristina asked the question that weighed heavily on her heart:
“If I come… who is going to save me from my sins?”

Expecting the answer to be “the Church”, she was surprised when he said:
“Jesus. Jesus Christ is the one who saves you.”

Those words pierced through years of disappointment. Slowly, she began attending St. James Lutheran, drawn to a community that centered on Christ rather than rules. She embraced Lutheran teaching: Law and Gospel, the sacraments, the liturgy, and the rich heritage of faith in God’s promises. She absorbed each lesson, often studying late into the night, reflecting on Scripture, and practicing what she learned with patience and humility.

After discovering St. James Lutheran and embracing Lutheran teaching, María Cristina felt a fire in her heart to serve. She poured herself into the church’s activities—helping to organize events, cooking, teaching children. She grew deeply in faith, gaining confidence in God’s calling on her life.

But Cristina soon realized her gifts were not meant to remain confined to Imperial Beach. Her roots, her family, and her heart were still in Tijuana. When she discovered a Lutheran church south of the border, she transferred her membership to Iglesia Luterana Cristo Redentor—a smaller, humbler congregation that welcomed her and needed willing hands and hearts to serve the community.

At Cristo Redentor, Cristina worked alongside pastors and volunteers to serve the community, teaching children, coordinating events, and supporting families. She helped in Sunday schools, food programs, and outreach activities, learning to adapt her gifts to meet the real needs of her neighbors. Each encounter—whether comforting a grieving mother or helping a child learn a Bible story—strengthened her resolve and deepened her understanding of Lutheran ministry in practice.

Her time at St. James had taught her doctrine, discipline, and devotion; her service at Cristo Redentor taught her how to live it out in the gritty, everyday realities of Tijuana. This was the foundation for everything that would later flourish at Misión San Lucas.

The invitation to become a deaconess

Out of her faithful service at Iglesia Cristo Redentor in Tijuana, María Cristina’s commitment and heart for ministry began to catch the attention of her pastor and other leaders. They saw not just her tireless work, but also her hunger to understand the Word of God more deeply and serve with greater wisdom and skill. In time, she received an invitation that would mark a turning point in her life: to enroll in the Deaconess program at the Lutheran Seminary El Reformador in the Dominican Republic.

The invitation was both exciting and daunting. María Cristina knew it would require time, effort, and study—things that often felt impossible for someone balancing a full life of ministry, family responsibilities, and daily challenges in Tijuana. But her heart had been trained by years of perseverance: she had survived abandonment, raised four children alone, and overcome countless obstacles.

At the seminary, she dove into classes. Every lecture, every assignment, and every discussion became a lens through which she could see her ministry with new depth and clarity.  Some days, the material felt overwhelming; some nights, she wrestled with discouragement, questioning whether she could keep up with the demands. But she pressed on, fueled by a sense of calling and by the knowledge that her learning would directly impact the lives of those she already served in Tijuana.

Founding Misión San Lucas

Not too long before she graduated, as María Cristina was already contemplating the end of the course and praying about how she should serve Jesus in the future, tragedy struck: the painful death of one of her sons left her his home in El Florido IV, Tijuana. He had a heart for children, often using his birthday to bless local kids through church-organized events. Cristina and her pastor, Rev. Job Jiménez, prayed about how to honor his legacy. Together, they transformed the home into a new mission station, dedicated to children’s ministry.

Misión San Lucas was born—a vibrant, bustling place where children come to hear God’s Word, learn, play, and receive meals. María Cristina’s days are full: preparing food, teaching stories from the Bible, coordinating volunteers, and visiting families. She celebrates each small victory—the smile of a child, a parent expressing gratitude, a young person coming to faith.

A Ministry Supported by Many

The work at Misión San Lucas soon grew beyond what Cristina could carry alone. Recognizing both the need and the opportunity, Pastor Job Jiménez—already serving in partnership with the Lutheran Mission Society San Diego—extended an invitation for us to come alongside Cristina’s ministry. Through encouragement, training, and connections to resources, we are working to become a vital partner in helping this ministry flourish. What began as one mother’s response to grief has become a community effort, rooted in the Gospel and strengthened by partnership across the border.

Her life is a testament to God’s faithfulness. From abandonment and poverty to leadership and deaconess ministry, María Cristina Monson embodies the Gospel in action. At 72, she formally stepped into the role of deaconess, but she has been living it all along: serving Jesus by loving the least of these.