Victoria’s Journey to Faith

Victoria’s story is one of hardship, endurance, and redemption. It is the story of a woman who endured homelessness, abuse, and despair, yet continued searching for hope until she found a home in Christ at Baptist Temple.

Her connection to the church began when her children Dominic and Isabel were attending the BT Early Learning Center. One day, they noticed a sign advertising Vacation Bible School. The construction theme was colorful and caught the children’s attention. Curious, they decided to come. That small moment became the doorway into a new spiritual life.

Victoria had lived through years of instability. In 2017, shortly after the birth of her daughter Isabel, she became homeless amid family turmoil and personal betrayal. She lost her apartment, moved into the home of a friend, and endured an increasingly dangerous environment marked by alcohol abuse. One night, she was chased through the house by her intoxicated friend. The following morning, she went into labor.

She had nowhere safe to go after her daughter was born. With two small children and no support system, she reached out to the Salvation Army. A single room was available, and that opening became her refuge. She later transitioned into Haven for Hope, where she remained for an extended period while attempting to rebuild her life.

One biblical passage became especially meaningful to her during that season. While searching television channels one morning, she heard a sermon on Genesis 8:22, on “seedtime and harvest” after the flood. She believed God was telling her to continue planting seeds of prayer and faith, trusting that a harvest would eventually come. 

Her spiritual search, however, had begun years earlier. As a teenager, Victoria endured abuse at home. She recalled nights of violence and hopelessness so overwhelming that she thought about ending her life. During one of those moments of despair, her appendix ruptured. Doctors later told her that she nearly died during emergency surgery. That experience haunted her. She awoke wondering why she had not seen heaven, light, or God. Questions about death and eternity began consuming her thoughts.

For years she searched in many directions. Raised loosely within Catholicism, she experimented with different spiritual ideas, searching for truth. It was not until her time at the Salvation Army, where church volunteers regularly ministered to residents, that she began hearing a clearer presentation of the gospel. 

Victoria’s search led to Baptist Temple, where, she was baptized. Baptism, for her, symbolized far more than joining a church. She described it as accepting the Holy Spirit fully into her life and leaving behind the guilt, fear, and brokenness that had defined so much of her past. Though she understood that she would continue struggling with sin and hardship, baptism marked her public declaration that she belonged to Christ.

Now the faith journey has begun extending into the lives of her children, Isabel and Dominic. One of the most moving moments in Victoria’s testimony came when she described her son unexpectedly expressing a desire to be baptized. No pressure had been placed upon him. After learning about John the Baptist in church, he simply announced that he loved Jesus and wanted to follow Him. Isabel, though younger, expressed a similar desire. Victoria spoke emotionally about watching her children grow from restless toddlers unable to sit through worship into children eager to attend church, participate in Sunday school, and talk about Bible stories at home.

Throughout her testimony, the theme of redemption emerged repeatedly. Victoria frequently found herself in situations where survival seemed uncertain. Yet each time, another door opened—a room at a shelter, a church invitation, a new spiritual family, a renewed sense of purpose. Her story is not tidy or triumphant. The wounds remain visible. But her testimony reflects the conviction that God never abandoned her.

Victoria’s journey is a testimony to human endurance and God’s grace. From homelessness, fear, and despair, to worship and faith. She has come to believe that God was guiding her long before she understood His presence. Now, as she watches her children take their own first steps of faith, she sees survival behind her and hope ahead.

Dominic and Isabel were baptized on May 24, 2026.

Diego and Destiny Arredondo Answer a Call to Serve

Diego Arredondo was recently commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry of the Texas Army National Guard during a ceremony at St. Mary’s University. The following day, he received a bachelor of arts in criminology from the university. A pre-law student, he plans to attend law school in preparation for a career in federal law enforcement or as a prosecutor.

Arredondo graduated alongside his wife, Destiny, who received a bachelor of arts in criminology with honors. She is a member of the First-Generation College Honor Society and completed an internship with the San Antonio Police Department. She will attend the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Texas State Trooper Academy.

Both are products of the Baptist Temple youth program. While still in high school, Diego wrote the following essay:

Congregating has been a staple in many cultures since the beginning of time. Is congregating part of your cultural identity? The picture I took tells a narrative story about a place of worship and its many years of service to the people, the presence of a spiritual leader and an environment of learning that has taught and exposed many people the Word of God. 

This picture takes place in Baptist Temple Church of San Antonio, which is my place of worship. I have been attending Baptist Temple Church since 2019 when my father was hired as the Minister of Outreach. I have learned the history of the church and have been involved in its thorough and complicated projects to enhance its community's resources. This beautiful church has a deep-rooted history in the east side of San Antonio and has been serving its community since 1911 and has recently celebrated its 111-year anniversary. With a deep history like that it's safe to say that this place has become a cultural site for many of those who attend and congregate here. 

 

There have been thousands upon thousands of messages given at this cultural place. This picture sadly was only able to capture one of these moments. This first paragraph would not be complete without explaining the Baptist culture. Baptist believers trust and believe that Jesus is the son of God and believe that followers should make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The center of the Baptist faith and belief is servitude and this picture represents a service of hope given to the community.

Another beautiful story told in this picture is the presence of a spiritual leader, in this case my pastor Jorge Zayasbazan. This narrative photo displays our Church Senior Pastor Jorge Zayasbazan giving a sermon this morning. The presence and leadership of a spiritual leader has also been around since the beginning of time. Another staple of culture is having a spiritual leader and Baptist Temple has many to grace its community. Every Sunday a message is given and this picture depicts the weekly services and congregation that gathers together to hear the Word of our God. 

Culture can also be a habit or consistent activity but culture is also who you are as a person and as a group and spiritual leaders ensure that a group of people can be given the tools to pursue and help others pursue and trust in God, this is why they are so important to religious culture. This picture captures the story of a man who has dedicated his entire life to spreading the word of God, making disciples and church planting to the masses. The picture is taken from the perspective of someone who has been widely influenced by him as a spiritual leader and is mentored by one as well, spiritual leaders have always been rooted into my culture since birth. 

Although this photo can tell a thousand stories, my final one is that the photo captures a moment of culture in the way of the environment. The main culture idea that this picture captures is the religious environment that is common in the Baptist faith. It displays the colored stained glass windows that has been around for ages, the stained woodwork that flows throughout the church and the pool with the river painting over it where many have chosen to be baptized and give their life to Christ Jesus located right behind the stage area, all these beautiful features are a commonplace in Baptist churches, the instruments used to play music, the colored flags/banners with inspirational quotes and finally the warm colors and warm loving environment you can feel through the screen.

This culture is a big part of my life. Every Sunday and even more through the week I look forward to feeling the beautiful environment which is therapeutic to the eyes, soul and heart. This cultural environment is used to teach and preach the word of God to the mass community, share its overwhelming resources, make disciples and share God’s love. It is a beautiful, warm and inviting site. 

Overall, this narrative photograph tells a story of culture. It displays culture in three ways, one is the history of a place of worship, the importance of a spiritual leader and the environment of worship and its effect.
 

A Legacy of Faithful Ministry

For more than one hundred years Baptist Temple has witnessed the examples of people living according to the teachings of Jesus Christ; wonderful examples of lives that bring honor and glory to Him. Two of those faithful servants were recently added to the honored roll of Deacons Emeriti: JoAnn White and Muriel Persky.

White, a deacon’s wife for many years was ordained a deacon in her own right in 2017. Her emeritus status is granted in honor of many years of service prior to her ordination. Today, she is best known through our ceramics ministry, where with her husband Boyd and her son Robbie, she provides a weekly recreational outlet with a healthy dose of Jesus. But her service record is deep and wide. 

Since coming to Baptist Temple in 1970, her positions include WMU president, Sunday school teacher and department director, Cub Scout den mother and scoutmaster in our Troop 22’s Cub Scout program, and kindergarten teacher in our early learning center. She used her CNA nursing skills in BT’s TOUCH methadone program, working alongside Rose Flynn and Dr. E. J. Gregory. “I took them into the room, settled them down, took their blood pressure and temperature and all that. Dr. Gregory told Rose what to do and she did the medication,” she said.

She served the community as well, serving as PTA president at Kate Schenck Elementary, Rogers Middle School, and Highlands High School, following her children as they grew up.

Like White, Persky had been a deacon’s wife for many years prior to her ordination in 2017. She has taught Sunday school, Mission Friends, and Vacation Bible School. She has cooked at youth camps for as many as one hundred hungry teenagers — and few people are hungrier than teenagers. She worked behind the scenes on our legendary dinner theaters and children’s musicals. She worked with adults, too, teaching Bible study for the Christian Women’s Job Corps—helping women gain a fresh start in life. She even developed and wrote Bible study curriculum for the program.

One of Muriel’s fondest memories was serving with the planning team for the Billy Graham Crusade during the four months of preparation leading up to the San Antonio crusade.

While serving so faithfully in church ministry, she worked many years at Buckner Baptist Benevolences. She began as a cook, advanced to receptionist, then bookkeeper, and eventually administrative assistant before retiring.

Following retirement, she would accompany her husband, Robert, on short-term missions to the border and on Young in Heart excursions. Locally, Robert and Muriel worked on two Habitat for Humanity houses.

In 2020, Persky completed fifty hours of training to become certified as Stephen Minister, enhancing her skills to walk alongside people in need of extra grace.