Hello everybody,

On my page, you should see a small synopsis of my background, but I will get a little more in-depth here. Born of a Dominican father and Ecuadorian mother, I can say I have had the best of both worlds (at least when it comes to food)! I have had mangu and I have had ceviche, if you haven’t had either or both, you need to do some deep reflecting and ask yourself what have you accomplished in this life lol jk!

I was born and raised in Queens, NY for 11 years of my life (which by default makes me a die hard Mets fan!), but at 12 moved to Jersey City. I have had an interesting background where it seems like I have always been pressured to indulge in an “acceptable” lifestyle of hedonism where “you only live once” and need to “just go where the wind takes you.”

Looking back, I have always been my own leader in the sense that I did what I believed was best for me even when others told me I should live “different” and by “different,” I don’t mean anything good. Eventually, during my teen years, I did start to give in to peer pressure. Although I never did drugs or abused alcohol, I did other things, primarily in the area of relationships.

Fast forward, at age 16, I was confronted by a friend at the time who challenged the way I was living my life. He proposed to me the idea of becoming a Christian (when I say proposed, I mean challenged). I was experiencing some difficulties during the time so I decided to give the “church thing” a try. I didn’t grow up in a Christian home, my family believed in God, but lived their lives as if He wasn’t real.

On June 26, 2009, I made the biggest decision of my life and committed my life to Jesus. Since then, God has done a tremendous work in my life, but not without me stumbling throughout. By the grace of the Lord, I was able to move past some of the most tumultuous times of my walk and am rooted with a deep conviction and faith. I graduated college last year with my B.S. in Criminal Justice at NJCU and am currently working on my MPA at NYU. I also work as a case manager at a halfway house, assisting individuals on parole and probation reintegrate back into society and of course, am the current youth pastor at my church.

God has truly blessed me with amazing opportunities and people and my hope is that in all of the postings that are made available, that you can all be encouraged and strengthened for the embetterment of yourself! #thisaintnocoincidence

@abstract_cabrera