"In my family there are four of us: my father, my mother, my younger sister and me. My parents are people with deep Christian values and have always instilled in us a love for Christ, Our Lady and the Church. Thanks to God and the hard work of my parents, we have been able to live with what we need. We have remained very close to the rest of the family (grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins).

Thanks to a scholarship I was able to study at the Catholic University Redemptoris Mater (UNICA), the degree in International Relations and International Trade and I graduated in 2019. A local newspaper interviewed me because of my good academic results.

I believe that the vocation to the priestly ministry has always been like a small seed that little by little grew. As a child I attended Mass every Sunday and on Thursdays I would accompany my paternal grandmother - who was an extraordinary minister of Communion - to Holy Hour with the Blessed Sacrament.

Then I began to be an altar boy, and I left when I was 17 years old. At the age of 12 I made my evangelization retreat (according to the method of the Integral System of New Evangelization of CELAM) and at the age of 13 I joined youth ministry, where I was able to mature my vocation.

I became very committed to the mission of youth ministry in my parish, diocese and in my country without leaving aside my studies. In this ministry I was able to discern well and I came to understand that God was calling me to something more.

The turning point, where I consider that God confirmed the call to me, was in 2019 during the XI International Youth Forum-organized by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life.

The participants in this meeting had the opportunity to listen to the Holy Father, and in his words the Pope asked us to be courageous and fearlessly give ourselves to the service of the Lord. Those words were the final impulse that motivated me to take the definitive step to enter the seminary.

Since I was graduating from college that year, I decided that I would quit my job (I had been working for an insurance company for over a year), and leave my responsibilities with the youth ministry in the Episcopal Conference.

I spoke to my bishop, who at that time was the president of the youth department of the CEN, and I presented my resignation; I explained that I was resigning because I felt called to enter the seminary and he accepted it willingly. The following year I entered the seminary and my bishop decided to send me to study in Pamplona.

It is a wonderful experience in Bidasoa. Being able to share with seminarians from different countries has filled me with enriching experiences for my spiritual, intellectual and cultural formation.

The formation offered to us in the seminary is phenomenal; thanks to this formation I have been able to understand the great importance of spiritual direction in the life of a seminarian and a priest.

It is a great help for us to have people who are committed to your vocation and who help you to overcome the difficulties that may arise along the way. Spiritual direction, confession and Mass well lived make Bidasoa a place where the encounter with Jesus Christ is the most important thing.

Of course, in addition to all this, there are other means of formation, such as gatherings, sports, etc. In Bidasoa the freedom of the seminarians is taken care of and this helps to consolidate the vocation.

In Nicaragua we need priests who are firmly committed to the evangelizing mission of the Church. Pastors who, with courage and love, defend the sheep from the wolves; pastors who proclaim Christ's message of salvation and who, attached to the truth, defend what is just in the face of injustice.

Following the example given to us by the bishops, the entire Nicaraguan Church must place itself at the service of the needs of the people, knowing how to suffer with the people and accompanying them in important and difficult moments.

Poverty, inequality and the lack of individual and collective freedoms are some of the country's major social challenges.

I would like to thank the benefactors for the great support they give us. Rest assured that you are always in our prayers, and that everything you do will be put to good use in favor of the evangelizing mission of the Church.

Bidasoa is like a small treasure where we can be formed in the good and sound doctrine of the Church (with this I am only repeating the words that my bishop said to me before I left for here. During these two years I have been able to confirm these words of my bishop) Thank you for your commitment to this cause.