Mission Field Now Stories | Yurihana

We have already introduced you to Pastor Job Jiménez, who serves faithfully in Tijuana at Iglesia Luterana Cristo Redentor. His ministry unfolds in a place shaped by movement—of people, of families, of stories marked by struggle and hope. Week after week, Pastor Job walks alongside those whom the Lord places in his care, trusting that mission is not something we manufacture, but something God accomplishes through His Word, His Sacraments, and His Spirit at work among His people.

This story is one of those fruits.

From an Invitation to a New Beginning

Pastor Job first met Yurihana Rivera, known to most simply as Yuri, through Pastor Ochoa—a dear friend, mentor, and the founder of Iglesia Luterana Cristo Redentor. Yuri came as part of a large extended family that expressed interest in confirmation and baptism. As often happens, not everyone remained actively involved. But from the beginning, Yuri stood out.

She was not initially there for herself. She came to accompany her thirteen-year-old daughter, Aylin, who was preparing for confirmation. Yuri herself had already been confirmed years earlier in the Roman Catholic Church and did not plan to participate beyond supporting her daughter. Still, she listened. And she asked questions—many of them.

Pastor Job remembers her attentiveness. She was curious, thoughtful, and unafraid to speak. While others listened quietly, Yuri leaned in. Her questions were not abstract; they were personal, honest, and searching.

After Aylin’s confirmation, something unexpected happened. Yuri kept coming back. Sunday after Sunday, she returned—not out of obligation, but because she felt at home. She was drawn to the preaching, to the clarity of the Gospel, and to the sense of trust she experienced in the congregation. Having grown up close to the Roman Catholic Church, she found comfort in the familiarity of the liturgy, and reassurance in knowing that Pastor Job was a husband and father—a detail that, in her own words, gave her confidence and peace.

The Catechism That Opened Her Eyes

Over time, Yuri began attending catechism classes more intentionally. What began as sitting alongside her daughter slowly became something deeper. She was no longer just accompanying—she was learning.

Pastor Job recalls one particular moment vividly. During a lesson on the Ten Commandments, he spoke plainly about the Law: that under God’s Law, all stand condemned, because all have sinned. Some in the group pushed back.

“But we’ve done good things,” they said.
“Would God really condemn us for a few mistakes?”

Pastor Job answered without softening the truth. Yes—because of sin, the judgment we deserve is death. Left there, God would seem cruel. But the Law was never meant to be the final word.

Then came the Gospel.

God requires one thing: faith in what Christ has done. Righteousness does not come from balancing good and bad deeds, but from trusting in Jesus Christ, who took our place, bore our sin, and gives full forgiveness freely.

Yuri’s eyes widened. She later told Pastor Job she had never heard it explained this way before. That moment stayed with him—not because of her reaction alone, but because it revealed how many people live their lives without ever hearing the Gospel clearly as promise rather than demand.

Pastor Job is quick to say that this was not his doing. He gives full credit to the work of the Holy Spirit, who was already preparing Yuri’s heart long before she ever entered a catechism class.

Faith Taking Root and Bearing Fruit

As Yuri continued in the life of the church, changes began to emerge—quietly, almost imperceptibly at first. She shared with Pastor Job that something in her life was shifting. A struggle with alcohol began to loosen its grip. Not through force or fear, but because she no longer felt comfortable returning to old habits. God was doing His work.

Yuri is a single mother, nearly forty years old, with two daughters—Alondra, the oldest, Aylin, the youngest—and a two-year-old granddaughter. She supports her household by working as a stylist from her home, cutting hair and coloring for clients in the neighborhood. She is calm but strong, gentle yet decisive. In the congregation, she became known as someone who steps forward without being asked—someone who takes responsibility and follows through.

Eventually, though she had not planned it, Yuri prepared for and was confirmed in the Lutheran Church. Today, Yurihana Rivera is a communicant member and an active participant in the life of Iglesia Luterana Cristo Redentor.

But the story does not stop there.

A Faith That Invites Others

Pastor Job sees in Yuri something that often marks genuine gratitude: a desire to share. She invites her brother, her sister-in-law, family members, and visitors. When guests come to her home, she looks for opportunities to bring them to church. Some listen. Some resist. Some even mock her. Still, she continues—not aggressively, but faithfully—speaking about the love of Jesus.

She attends church regularly with her daughter and encourages her son-in-law and others to join. For Yuri, being in church is no longer optional; it is central. She has come to trust that God’s Word truly does what it promises—bringing peace, consolation, forgiveness, and salvation.

Mission as God’s Work

Pastor Job reflects on Yuri’s story as a clear example of how God does mission. Not through pressure. Not through programs alone. But through the Spirit working where He has promised to work.

Through Word and Sacrament presence.
Through shepherding that teaches both Law and Gospel with clarity.
Through welcoming that allows people to belong before they fully understand.

Yuri did not arrive looking to become a leader or a model story. She came as a mother walking alongside her daughter. And yet, the Lord met her there.

Today, Yurihana Rivera, known lovingly as Yuri, continues to walk in faith—serving, inviting, listening, and trusting. Her story reminds us that the mission field is not only across borders, but across kitchen tables, catechism classes, and Sunday pews. And that when the Holy Spirit is at work, even the smallest beginnings can bear lasting fruit.