6 minute read
Unidos por Jesús Radio
by Galilea Rodriguez
It was the year of 2020 when I was invited on a radio station called “Unidos por Jesús Radio.'' In English it’s translated to “United by God Radio.'' My mother had been invited to preach on the topic Depression/Suicide on a youth podcast called “Conteta Fe.” She asked me to join her since she knew I had gone through depression and I would be able to help out many, but due to my fear of speaking in public I was not up for it. She told me just to say a few words and I agreed, but little did I know that it would be the start of the plan God had for me all along. The very first time I spoke on the radio, God took control of me and put the words in my mouth because speaking in public gave me anxiety. At that moment, all fear went away and like the verse says, “For my power was made perfect in weakness,” God perfected my weakness.
The sister in charge of the youth podcast on the radio invited me to preach consistently since she was inspired by my testimony. The youth radio podcast was every Friday from 7-8 pm. I started as a guest preacher getting invited once in a while to be the main preacher every Friday. We spoke on topics related to youth like anxiety, suicide, abortion, drug addictions, and many more related topics. We were also Facebook live streaming on a page dedicated specifically to all the podcasts from Unidos Por Jesús Radio, and as time went by it started to grow in views. We had many views from different countries, like Canada, Mexico, Chile, and India. By 2021, the sister in charge told me that she wanted me to take her place and she would be moving in another direction for her ministry. She told me to pick a new name and take over completely.
I was 21 years old when I took over and God gave me the name “Juventud Que Deja Huella,'' translated in English, “Youth that leaves a Mark.” I wanted to leave a mark to make an impact on many youths’ lives. I noticed how hurt and lost the youth from my generation were and I wanted to see them being restored, transformed, and liberated. In a prayer I asked God, “Why me? Why did he choose me and not anybody else?” And he told me, “Because you will be the one to bring back many who left my path, and bring many to my path.” From there I started speaking more on topics I believe would attract many young people, and I started promoting myself on Instagram and Facebook. I created a Facebook and Instagram page called “Gali Ministries” and I post everything I’m doing in the ministry and flyers on the next topic we will be preaching on the radio.
I also try engaging with the youth to get them to speak up about their views on different topics that were not talked about much in church. For example, church hurt, relationships, sex till marriage, sexual abuse, etc. I started doing surveys that I would upload to my Instagram page to ask youth their thoughts or experiences on a related topic before I preach about it. One survey I did really helped me understand the youths’ mentality on the topic “Church Hurt.” Many young people who used to go to church and left the church talked about how they got hurt and why they left. During that podcast, I preached with Pastor Timothy Welsh. We responded to their comments and we got a lot of engagement. I know in my heart someone was spoken to. My vision was coming true as many youth would respond and complete my surveys and posts with their responses and commentary. In the beginning I wasn’t getting much interaction and I would get discouraged. I would think, “Why aren’t the youth engaging in my podcast?” But little did I know, they did listen to my podcast, just because they weren’t liking or commenting didn’t mean they weren’t listening. An old friend from my high school got inspired from my preachings and he messaged me telling me he had been watching my podcast and he felt God was speaking to him through my preachings and that he needed prayer since he was going through a lot. I mentioned to him I would pray for him on Facebook during the live podcast, and after the prayer, he told me, “Words can’t explain how I felt. I felt spoken to. I want to devote myself to God and follow him. I am ready to break this chain that I’ve been dragging for so long.” When I saw that message I was filled with happiness because I knew all that hard work was worth it.
When I would go to different churches to visit, many sisters would come up to me saying they listened to my radio program and it touched their lives. It inspired me more to continue preaching those topics because I saw they were making an impact, not only on the youth, but on the adults as well. At first, we would preach only in Spanish, but I started preaching in English as well to reach out to more youth. I invited Pastor Timothy Welsh virtually on the live streams and we spoke on many different topics in English. Now it’s 2023 and Juventud Que Deja Huella has grown in number. In the beginning, when it was just me, my desire was to encourage other youth to preach as well. It was a challenge since many youth would have a fear of public speaking and would always say no. But little by little, I started encouraging them and got them to speak about their testimonies on the radio. Now, we have a group of nine youth from the ages of 14-27 who have a beautiful testimony from what God saved them from. They are so passionate about serving God and God is doing great things in their lives. This is the beginning of something big.
My vision is to encourage more young preachers on the podcast and reach out to many. My desire is to help out the youth who are far from God's path, who have strayed away, and bring them back to his feet. I want to bring the Word to those who don’t have happiness in their heart and tell them that in God they are complete. I would like my podcast to reach many different areas and countries. I know that all this is happening because God made it happen. I would have never imagined I would be where I am now.
