Hello, my name is Hector Ortiz, and I am an undergraduate student at Nelson University (formerly Southwestern Assemblies of God University) in Waxahachie, Texas. I am confidently pursuing a degree in Intercultural Studies, also known as 'ICS,' to fulfill my calling as a career missionary with the Assemblies of God. I am deeply passionate about youth ministry and reaching out to Muslims around the world, as well as the unreached. I plan to use the skills I have gained from experience, as well as the word of my testimony, to reach others that others may not be able to. Throughout my academic journey, I have funded my education independently, and while it has its challenges, it has also fueled my determination to succeed in my future ministry endeavors. A pivotal moment in my life occurred during my first year when I had the incredible opportunity to lead a mission trip to South Asia. Just days before my departure, I faced the heartbreaking loss of my grandfather Bill. This moment forced me to make a tough choice: should I follow the calling I felt from God or stay back out of fear of letting my team down? Not making this any easier shortly after was the loss of two other grandparents, both the father of my dad and the father of my stepmother. which impacted my mental health greatly, making it hard for me to determine if I was fit to even be on the mission field. However, through prayer and deep reflection, I found clarity. My grandfather's last words to me were, “Your family will be fine. Please go on that trip.” This moment solidified my understanding that mission work was about honoring God and my grandfather's memory, and it was the sign from God I had been seeking. Since that experience, I have embraced every opportunity that God has placed before me. Trusting in Him doesn’t eliminate financial challenges, but it has inspired me to seize opportunities for growth and learning, knowing they may lead to more. When considering why I should be selected for this scholarship, my answer is simple: I have transformed personal hardships and self-reliance into a resilient faith in God. My time at Nelson University included leading a Missions Trip to South Asia, serving in ministry in Turkey, serving on the World Outreach Committee, and becoming a campus prayer leader specifically to pray for Muslim populations worldwide with SMA, my university's missions organization. Each of these experiences has equipped me with valuable leadership skills and a deeper understanding of fellowship, preparing me for my global and missional work wherever God may call me to in the future. Additionally, my internships at the with the Arkansas Assemblies of God Youth Alive program which has the sole purpose of reaching youth kids by going to middle schools high schools as well as run summer camps to reach students for the gospel, Hope Dallas, an all-Latino Micro church this meaning its a small congregation that focuses and enphasizes the missional aspect most churches in the United states miss in Dallas, and the Panama International Church in Panama City have further ignited my passion for missions, allowing me to work with over 50 different ethnicities and cultures from countries around the world. I am inspired daily by the dedication of pastors, missionaries, and locals who live out biblical values like the Great Commission. I have discovered my life’s purpose: to go and make disciples just as we are taught to with the great commission in Matthew 28:16-20, which reads, "Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."(NIV.) showing us biblically that the purpose is to plant seeds of faith, and to serve, even if I may not always witness the immediate impact. All this to say, thank you for considering my application for this scholarship. I trust that your decision will be guided by wisdom and discernment, as well as by the Holy Spirit, and I pray blessings over any family and ministry endeavors. Thank you!

Hello, my name is Hector Ortiz. As I continue my studies, I keep being asked, "How do you plan to pay off your student debt?" I keep having to say, " Trust in the Lord. I strive to help others find the Love of Jesus in everything I do—my plan after University is to be a Missionary to people who do not know Christ. I am a 1st-generation student attending Nelson University. I will be a senior in the fall, studying intercultural studies. My future Goals include a calling to pursue missions here in the States and abroad. I have fought my whole time in college to make ends meet. I am a student paying for college on my own, which poses potential risks, especially as I continue on a path of ministry. Sometimes in these situations, it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Still, I constantly assure myself that the Lord has my best interest at heart as I follow everything he has for my life, and from this, I have learned to take every opportunity available to pursue a stable financial future. So, when being asked how higher education can facilitate what I hope to achieve in the future and how I plan to create a positive impact, that's just it. In the last three years, during my time in university, I have seen myself grow physically, relationally, and mentally. Most importantly Spiritually and my education at a Assembly of God school will help me practically gain the skills to become a missionary and a pastor from that I have been able to serve at churches and internationally in places like India, Turkey, and Panama, even in dowtown dallas reaching those others might be scared to reach and thats just it all of which are steps God put in my path to achieve my future goals of missions work in which he has called me to using my stories and my testemony as an instrament as I begin to reach individuals who do not know the Gospel. Many times seasons of life with high finnancial need are difficult to handle but I believe that these are just stories in future seasons we can use to reach people that others can't so as I continue my educational journey I believe God has my back in everything I do. I appreciate your consideration of this scholarship and pray for financial favor for every applicant as they all begin there journey through higher education. Thank You!

Greetings! My name is Hector Ortiz, I am a second semester Junior at Nelson University studying Intercultural Studies. Ambition to help others is a very vague topic. I find that helping others is something I do but it’s not my main goal. My future aspirations are to become a missionary and youth pastor serving youth and kids all around the world. My purpose is of course to help them in their immediate needs but it’s more than that it’s to show the love of Jesus everywhere I go. To show them how to live out their lives serving God and the people around them. I feel compassion for these students who are lost and have no one to get them there. I have served in many capacities since college and before hand. I have served at many churches Interning with Hope Dallas, a ministry that focuses on building up Latino children for the future, I have served as a kids leader at University Church as well as served as a summer intern at Arkansas Youth Alive cultivating a relationship with kids and helping them find Joy in the Lord. I have also worked with many ministries serving along side convoy of Hope doing food distributions for local communities. As well as served with the downtown Springdale alliance to help cultivate a safer downtown community for our local people. As well as a member of our Student Missions Association here at Nelson university prepping college students on being able to lead and harness their callings in missions and learning how to live missionally in all capacities. All these ventures have the same goal to make a difference in other people as well as spreading the love of Jesus in everything that I do. Although not a field directly listed in the description it absolutely has to do with service and volunteering as being a missionary is making sacrifices to help other live better lives and be more like Jesus in every aspect of their day to day. As well as absolutely has to do with making local communities better. From service projects to school clubs we are saving peoples lives one church at a time. Am I perfect? No. But my future aspirations are to serve the Lord with all that I have and plant seeds to further the kingdom of Heaven and spend a life of servitude wherever he may lead me.

Imagine a young kid at Church Camp wanting to feel something. That was me when I was saved and called into ministry back in 2020. When writing about faith it can sometimes be uncomfortable because not everyone has a strong relationship with God or people get weird about sharing their testimonies. It’s important to share about faith but it’s not always easy to get there. My name is Hector Ortiz, and I am an Undergraduate student at Nelson University, studying Missions and Youth Ministries with aspirations of becoming a future missionary and Youth Pastor with the Assemblies of God. This oppurtunity is meaningful to me because I am greatful for any oppurtunity the Lord has given me to share my story with others. I have always gone to church but not always lived for God. Today I have the spiritual availability to share about my story I have struggled with many things in the past and I’ve always blamed myself for things others have done to me but from this I know now that none of that is my fault and I can help youth and teens in similar situations all around the world with the same set of adversity as I have experienced. With that I see this as an opportunity I can share my financial need. I am a student pursuing a Ministry degree with no support from my family as many people don’t understand the importance of ministry in peoples lives and that I am being faithful to what the Lord has called me too. Semester after semester I feel like it gets harder to pay for school and entering a season of my college carrer were I can’t seem to afford it hasn’t stopped me from striving to be successful in what I feel called to do. Being a Latino student called into full time vocational ministry isn’t always easy especially with family roots of Catholicism who don’t always get the purpose of missions work and when you don’t feel the same way as other about your faith I'm automatically deemed as wrong in their eyes. In college I have had the opportunity to serve on multiple missions trips and missional internships going all over the world including India and Turkey what these opportunities have taught me is no matter where I end up the lord provision is on my life. No matter what adversity we face I know the Lord is with me and I can get through it. I want to thank you for your consideration for this scholarship and can’t wait to share what the Lord will do in my life for the future! Thank You!

We all face obstacles in our lives they can seem so small when we look at back at them but they help to shape who we are. My name is Hector Ortiz and I have faced so much adversity perusing my Intercultural Studies degree at Nelson university struggling to continue because of financial need. My future aspirations of becoming a Pastor and Missionary with the Assemblies of God but it’s not an easy road to get there. I am a Latino student who is striving to do the Lords work and followed his calling on my life to get here but it’s not easy. Coming from a low income family with split parents I have found it difficult to get to where I am today. I am supporting myself through university beginning to not have funds or qualify for loans making it difficult to continue in my career aspirations. Making it hard to trust the Lords timing. Although I know that he will get it taken care of I am striving to take all avenues to get there. My calling consists of becoming a missionary to a Latin American country helping the Youth of that country to grow closer to the Lord in everything they do. Cultivating a community of people that are strong in faith and not afraid to speak out in adversity. Although most people even Christian’s don’t always understand my career path I know it will help many people as I begin to minister and Shepard them towards the Lord. I am passionate about being able to spread the word of God to the world and fulfilling the great commission. I may not have what people will consider a normal career path but I want to thank you for your consideration for this scholarship and can’t wait to see what the next season holds for me as I see the Lord work in my life. Thank You!

When we think of faith, we tend to think about denomination and how religion tends to affect our lives. When I think about faith, I think about my calling and my testimony, I think about how God has shaped me to be the person that he wants me to be. My name is Hector Ortiz and I am currently an undergraduate student at Nelson University formerly Southwestern Assembly of God university and I am studying missions. Growing up in an Assembly of God church in Springdale Arkansas, I am no stranger to ministry. We talk about missions a lot but many people don’t pursue it coming from a church that talks about missions a lot. I see the great impact missionaries have on society not just internationally but nationally as well. The Lord has used my story my testimony as a way to get me to where I’m at right now, although I grew up Assemblies of God, I wasn’t always living a life of Christ living in life where faith was at the center of it. Let’s be real being Christian means messing up being Christian means sin because their is no way to be perfect because the only one who is perfect is God and we are all wonderful creations of God. The question was how has faith impacted my life. Faith has impacted my life by giving me the opportunity to trust the Lord and faith faith has impacted in my life because instead of pursuing a degree at the university of Arkansas with almost a full ride scholarship, I decided to go move to Texas a school that many people don’t even know of to pursue a degree that seems useless to everybody else but my degree isn’t useless I’m learning practical skills on how to minister the gospel to other people and what better way to use the things that God has gifted me with than the fulfill, the great commission to fulfill that one thing that the Lord has called us all to do yes in the past, I’ve struggled with sin from drinking and smoking, but God has renewed me and From that I’m able to see his light to see his reward and everything that I do and I’m able to use those things that I’ve struggled with in the past as my testimony to help those who don’t know the Lord to those who are following false religion to those who are following things that are very secular and planting those seeds in those People’s lives and I can’t plant those seeds without the help of the Holy Spirit so the question is how has faith impacted my life. It’s simple. My faith in Christ has helped me live a fulfill life even as a junior in college because since my freshman year of high school, I knew that I needed to go to Nelson and that I was going to study ministry because that was the calling the Lord had on my life and that’s faith trust trusting that the Lord will provide for you when you take leaps that may seem weird or uncomfortable even if they’re just to stretch you, the purpose of faith is obedience and that’s how my obedience to the Lord with faith has led me to where I’m not now. I appreciate your consideration for this scholarship as my financial need is great being self supporting my whole college career but if the Lord has taught me anything its that he will always provide. Thank You!

Ministry can be subjective sometimes, as people don't always see it as an important passion, but let me spend some time telling you about someone I spent my whole life looking up to. This person served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War era and was a man I could go to for advice in any situation. This was my grandfather William, or as we called him, Grandpa Bill. He was a man who, even though he wasn't a church leader, led me to my future ambitions of serving others in the church community. This man just recently passed away, and I know I will make him a happy grandparent in my future endeavors because of how much of a great person he was and how much of a God-fearing man he was and spread that love of Jesus to his family. He always said, "Don't let others dim your light as you serve the lord, and let them see the love of Christ through you." This has been inspirational to me, especially since I am attending an Assembly of God College to earn a degree in ministry. My dear Grandfather passed away in June of 2024, just over a month ago, and I was supposed to go on a mission trip to South Asia three days after his passing. He told me before passing once more, "Don't let others dim your light as you serve the lord, and let them see the love of Christ through you." his last request before passing was for me to go on that trip and anytime where I was feeling distraught in my travels across the world I would just think what grandpa would say to me? Which helped me make it through my travels. So you see, it doesn't matter if someone has never served in the same position that you are working towards advice, and the Lord's voice can come from anyone or anything because the Lord can work in mysterious ways. I have seen that in my life, and I plan to have my grandfather's legacy live on through my works to glorify the lord because it will ultimately make him a proud grandparent from where he sits in heaven. So, as I live my college life and as a pastor and missionary after that, I will always think about what Grandpa would do and always know that I am doing what he would want me to. Thank you!

STEM: the foundation for current education. Art showing how skilled a person is with their talents. These two very important variables can make the world a better place by solving real-world problems getting more and more of America's youth involved in school activities, expanding there horizons and creating more job opertunities in the future. More about who I am, I am a Christian high schooler who wishes to earn money for further education as I plan to go to college to learn about technology and explore my faith a little more. In the future I wish to use my talents to help teach students the importance of technology and their faith.