Patrick Perez — Side by Side

Calling & Mission

I am called to make Jesus known through a life that reflects God’s love—freely given and faithfully shared—so others may encounter the same grace I have received. With this calling, I seek to awaken hope in every child, helping them see their worth anchored in a loving Father in heaven, and inspiring them to dream with confidence, purpose, and faith.

Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

I KNEW I WAS CALLED FOR MISSIONS

I remember sitting in the front pew as a child, my feet barely touching the floor, listening more closely than anyone expected a kid my age to. While others fidgeted or waited for the service to end, I leaned in—drawn to every word, every song, every quiet moment of prayer. It wasn’t something I had to be told to do. No one had to remind me to pay attention, to participate, or to care. I just did.

Even then, I knew something about me was different.

Church didn’t feel like an obligation. It felt like home. While other kids needed encouragement to attend or join activities, I found myself doing the opposite—I was the one asking, insisting, even pushing to be more involved. I wanted to be there, to serve, to understand. There was something deep inside me that felt connected to it all, like I wasn’t just attending, but belonging to something bigger.

I didn’t have the language for it back then, but I carried a quiet certainty: I was called. Not in a loud or dramatic way, but in a steady, undeniable pull that never left me. It showed up in my eagerness, in my curiosity, in the way I felt most like myself when I was serving.

Although there were struggles along the way, I see that it wasn’t something that suddenly appeared later in life. It was always there—woven into who I was from the very beginning. Even as a child, I wasn’t just different for the sake of being different. I was being shaped, guided, and gently led toward a purpose I somehow already recognized.

And that knowing, that quiet connection, has never really gone away.

Why This Place & People

If I had to decide, I would honestly choose to stay here at Kids International Ministries forever—but I trust that God’s plans are always greater, so I’ll wait and see where He leads me next.

One thing I know for sure is that being here has changed me. Every single day, I wake up and find purpose just by looking into the eyes of the kids. There’s something so powerful about knowing that simply showing up matters—that love, care, and presence can make a difference.

Looking back, I know it wasn’t by chance that I ended up here four years ago. God orchestrated every step, even the ones I didn’t understand at the time, to bring me exactly where I needed to be.

And beyond the work itself, I’ve been given something just as special—a community. A family that prays for me, walks with me, and points me back to Christ. Being surrounded by people who genuinely love Him brings a kind of comfort and strength that carries me through even the hardest days.

It’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it. And for that, I’m endlessly grateful.

A Turning Point

There was never really a time when the idea of ministry felt foreign to me. Even as a child, I carried a quiet awareness that my life was meant to be lived in service to something greater than myself. But knowing a calling and walking in it are two very different things. Life has a way of complicating what once felt simple.

For years, I tried to build a version of myself that looked strong, capable, and unshaken. I became an achiever, an athlete—someone others could admire. I thought that if I could just become “enough” in the eyes of the world, I could outrun the quiet struggles within me. But instead of silencing the battle, it only made it louder. Beneath the accomplishments was a growing emptiness, a sense that I was drifting further away from who I was truly meant to be.

In 2018, everything became undeniable. I was clinically diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and depression. For a long time, I had suspected something was wrong, but hearing it confirmed was different. It made everything real in a way I could no longer ignore. Admitting that I needed help took years, and even then, I wrestled with what it meant for my identity. I had spent so long trying to appear strong that accepting my weakness felt like failure.

There came a point when I could no longer see any light ahead. The strength I had relied on was gone, and I didn’t know how to move forward. For most of my life, I had been used to figuring things out on my own. Even though I believed God was with me, I rarely invited Him into my struggles. I thought I had to carry everything by myself.

But in that moment of complete exhaustion, I finally let go.

I cried out to God—not with polished prayers or composed words, but with desperation. I begged Him to help me because I truly did not know what else to do. And in that surrender, I encountered Him in a way I never had before. He met me in my brokenness and lifted me out of it. He rescued me—not by instantly fixing everything, but by reminding me that I was never alone and never meant to carry life on my own.

That moment became my turning point.

It was also the moment that clarified the direction of my life. In 2019, I made the decision to enter the seminary—not because I had everything figured out, but because I wanted to know God more deeply and allow Him to shape me for the ministry I had long felt called to. It was a step of obedience, a response to the grace I had personally encountered.

I began to understand that my life is not mine to control or perfect—it is His. The calling I had sensed as a child was no longer something distant or abstract. It became a response to love—His love for me. A love that found me at my lowest and refused to leave me there.

I am still a work in progress. I am not perfect, and I still have days where the struggle feels real. But I no longer define myself by my achievements or my strength. Instead, I hold onto a deeper truth: I am loved by a perfect God.

And because of that, I choose to live differently.

I choose to surrender daily. I choose to walk in the calling I once resisted. And I choose to share that same love with the people I encounter—hoping that, just as God met me in my darkest moment, others may come to know that they are seen, held, and deeply loved too.

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Community Feeding

After-school program Volleyball Training

CCS Kids Devotion

YMC Teams

Australian Team

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Azusa Pacific University