Andres Nunez

I was born in Juarez, Mexico.  The city is well-known due to its violence, drug cartels, and other things, but when I was growing up, Juarez was a peaceful place.  It used to be a city of about 500,000 but it currently stands at 2 million. 

When I was 12 I moved to El Paso, Texas which is just across the border from Juarez.  It is a desert at 4000 feet, so summers are very very hot (the equivalent of Minnesota winters), and winters are cold enough for snow but not humid enough to have it accumulate.  It is surrounded by mountains which begin the chain of the Rockies.  El Paso is a mixture of the Mexican and American cultures.  Almost everyone speaks both languages, but when they speak to each other they speak "Spanglish".  A big contrast from Juarez, El Paso is one of the safest cities over 500,000 in America.  Growing up there as a teenager was a good introduction to the States because of the blending cultures.

My parents became Christians when I was a year of age, so I grew up in a Christian home.  I never really liked going to church although I knew God was important. When I turned 15 I joined the worship team so that I would have to force myself to go to church.  During that time I was learning about metaphysics and out of body experiences.  As I read the Bible more I learned that these practices were wrong.  As I read more and more I fell more in love with the Lord and decided to dedicate my life to Him.  As a Christian I've had some stumbles and falls, but the Lord has always been faithful even though I haven't, which now makes me more in love with Him. 

I went on a missions trip to the Middle East.  At the time I lived in El Paso, Texas and Jess (my future wife) lived in Puebla, Mexico (a couple of hours from Mexico City).  I had a 12 hour layover in Mexico City's airport so a friend of mine who was also going to the trip asked Jess to come and visit her at the airport.  We were looking for a blonde, missionary girl at the airport.  When my friend asked me if I had seen her I said, "No, but that girl is really pretty!" Surprisingly, she answered, "Oh that's my friend!" It was love at first sight... at least for me.

After that I pursued (stalked) the girl I knew I was going to marry for 6 years until she said "yes."  During the trip to the Middle East,  I bought a ring box made of camel bone and thought, "If I do marry her, I will give her the ring in this box."  Years later, I did!  We got married March 12, 2011.

Once we got married, I moved to Minnesota because Jessica was still attending college.  She told me that she went to a church called Substance, and asked if I wanted to go.  We came and just loved it.  That same month we went to SHIFT to learn more about the church's vision, and we felt blessed being part of this vision and this church. I began to get involved more and more in media, and the rest is history!

I love working at Substance because I get to work serving the Lord doing what I like doing. It’s so exciting to get to see my "baby" on the screens.

I enjoy spending time with my wife and together going down to her parents' orphanage and help out with the kids. I draw a lot, every now and then I paint.  I love cooking and making up new things out of old recipes.  I love Hiking and rock climbing.  As a good Mexican I love soccer but I also enjoy other sports like football, hockey, and baseball.  I play the bass guitar, trumpet and percussion instruments.

My wife and I are called to the nations, we dream on someday opening an orphanage in Africa.

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