Birthplace: My name is Juan Carlos Pineda Mencia, my parents are Antonio Pineda Arce and Catalina Mencia de Pineda. There are 6 siblings: Elizabeth Karina (31), Carmen (29), Sonia (27), Maria (25), Me (23), and Marco Antonio (16). I was born on the 15 th of August, 1982, in the district of Hunter, in the Province of Arequipa , in the Department of Arequipa, Peru. 

How I came to Know Christ: I was born in a nominally Catholic family, we weren't devoted at all. I was only baptized and took the first communion. At home, we had problems because my father drank, and I from the time I was little I remember some of this but not much. My father is a taxi driver, so, he did not stay at home; and my mother as she loved the home raised us and did what she could for us. As I began my adolescent years, I was very confused with the things of this world, and so, I dedicated myself to things like parties, and spent my money in shallow things that stop up young people like me. I owed what I had and enjoyed a lot of liberty; I drank for the first time when I was 16 years old. When I was 22 years old, I met again a friend of mine from years before named Henry Alvarado, who invited me to church, showing me with his life how God had changed him from the person I knew him to be before he was saved. One night at a youth meeting, God showed me that how miserable a life I was leading; because of this, I made the decision to receive Christ into my heart. 

How God has changed my Life: I remember the moment that I realized that all that I had been doing was completely wrong and that I should change my life. I stopped going to parties, drinking, persecuting young ladies, and from doing the things that God showed me I should not be doing. My mother, seeing the change in my life, was full of joy because for once in a long time I was not giving her anything more than a headache. Later, I was baptized and joined the choir; then, later I joined the youth ministry helping in different things in order to become a captain of one of the teams. Then, I became involved in the visitation routes, and now I am working in the children's ministry with Miguel Mego. Up to now, the only people of my family who are saved are my niece, who attends church, and I. My mother also is saved, I believe, but still has not made a profession of faith. I am praying for the rest that they will be saved as I am. 

My Calling into the Ministry: As I was serving in the things of God, I prayed that God would show me what I should do with my life for Him. God touched my heart when I saw many people dying without ever having met God. Because of this, I decided to prepare myself in order to help many people avoid dying without the Lord. In August of this year, I enrolled to prepare myself as a dorm student; last semester, I was a drive-in student, and now a dorm student. Up to now, the Seminary is good; I feel accomplished and training myself, it is as if I were with my family. The classes in the Seminary have been edifying and I have been able to become better and apply them. Economically, I am depending on God for my necessities; I know that God is faithful with me and my classmates. 

My Plans for the Future: When I leave the Seminary, I want to start a new work, a church, even though right now, I don't know where God will lead me. Starting a church, I would teach the Bible, and I would do all that would be necessary in order to cause it to grow spiritually and numerically and would probably send more workers to the field of the Lord. Everything is according to the will of God in my life, and according to how He wants to use me.