Joey Moralez

Ministry Apprentice –
Park University

My Story

Growing up as a son of immigrants from El Salvador, I believed my life was about living the dream of si se puede, which is Spanish for “yes, it is possible”. I was not raised in a Christian household. I was raised in a household that taught me the value of hard work, perseverance, and accomplishments. However, I found myself discontent after experiencing hardship during my childhood and teenage years. My parents occasionally took my siblings and me to Mass, but I could not articulate what it meant to have a personal relationship with God, nor did I have the desire to know God.

Upon graduating high school in 2009, I enrolled at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas. Like many young people who pursue a post-secondary education, I aimed to find my purpose, identity, and worth in education and career. But I had no idea that the Lord had other plans for me. One day in the dorms at Wichita State, I met a man who graciously invested in me, built a relationship with me, and invited me into his life. As I built a relationship with this person, I could not help but ponder what made him different from the other people I had known in my life. He had a profound sense of joy that enabled him to have hope, despite the circumstances that life brought him. I was intrigued. He invited me to partake in a Bible study through the book of Romans. It was through this Bible study that I began to learn who God truly is. He took time one evening to articulate the Gospel to me. Through this articulation, I made the conscious decision to repent of my sin and declare my allegiance to Jesus Christ by placing my faith and trust in Him alone in the spring of 2010.

The Lord saved me. He got a hold of my heart. From this point forward, my life began to change. As I look back at my life, I am so grateful to the people who invested in me, helped me treasure Jesus, took time to disciple me, instilled in me a love for the local church, taught me the importance of taking the Gospel to ends of the earth, and showed me how to cultivate a deeper love and joy for Jesus. I want to continue sharing His message of redemption through Collegiate Impact because of my personal redemption experience. I believe that si se puede (“yes, it is possible”) for students to have a redemptive relationship with God, and I am glad God chooses to use His saints to accomplish this!

My Role

As a Collegiate Impact apprentice, my role is to provide organizational leadership and direction to the Park University ministry to advance the mission of bringing the hope and peace of Jesus to Kansas City students. Also, I will provide support to the ministry as a whole regarding social media, content creation, and information technology.