CYIA 2026 - Camp Staff

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Julie, originally came to New Mexico in 2020 from Los Angeles, California where she served with an international mission’s organization called Youth With A Mission
(YWAM). For a combined 20 years in YWAM serving in various locations, Julie worked in administration, creative arts and training programs that raised up and sent out
hundreds of young people for the mission field worldwide. Outside of missions, Julie experienced a career in various areas such as administration, human resources and accounting services. She has been serving as CEF of New Mexico’s statewide bookkeeper since May 2024. Having been called to missions at a young age, working with CEF is a joy to be reaching children for Christ as a missionary every day. Being used to bring forth the next generation of God’s warriors for His Kingdom is the greatest privilege of her life.

  I am Dr. Ernesto Benito Cordova also known as Sweet Daddy BC which is my musical artist name and I am an Evangelist, Christian Contemporary Artist, and I attend Victory Faith Church in Espanola, New Mexico.  I am a Christian Contemporary Artist used by God to reach a lost and dying world. All I want to do is touch people through the Holy Spirit that is my comforter and guide in making this music. May God receive all the glory and honor in every song I’ve recorded in my six albums. 

     I am happily married to my best friend and beautiful wife Gloria Cordova who is involved with me in ministry and loves God with all her heart. We have three children my oldest son Diego who is 22, my daughter Kalani who is 14, and son Elija who is 10.  We enjoy as a family in going to church, listening and singing praise and worship music, and having family time.  We also enjoy reading the bible as a family on a weekly basis.  We are a family who love God and enjoy spending time with each other as a family. I devote my time daily to prayer, bible devotionals, and worship on a daily basis because we love to commune and have a deep relationship with Jesus Christ.

Hi! My name is Lyla Lo and this will be my second year as a summer missionary. Being part of CYIA has been such a great experience. Not only did I get to meet youth my age who wanted to serve Christ, I also learned how to be more confident and how to share the gospel. Being a summer missionary means that I can have a positive impact on young children’s lives, building on their faith or opening their eyes to the love of God. Being part of this community has strengthened my own faith and I can not wait to see how God uses this summer to help me live my life for him.

 In the summer of 2023, I attended a camp in Taiwan called SHINE, where I made the decision to fully surrender my life to the Lord. That November, I was baptized as a public declaration of my faith. My salvation is rooted in the truth that Jesus Christ died for my sins and rose again—saved not by anything I have done, but by God's grace alone. As Ephesians 2:8–9 reminds us: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

Throughout my life, God has shown Himself faithful. My faith is not built on fleeting feelings, but on the unchanging, living truth of Scripture—including the promise of John 3:16, that "whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Growing up, I was shaped by Vacation Bible School (VBS) and AWANA, which laid a strong foundation for my faith. Today, I remain actively involved in my Chinese fellowship youth group, where I help lead Bible studies and participate in various ministry activities. I've had the privilege of leading worship for both young children and the adult fellowship.

Last summer, I had the privilege of serving as a CEF missionary through the Christian Youth in Action (CYIA) program, where I shared the Gospel with children through VBS and 5-Day Clubs. Since then, I completed CEF's TCE1 (Teaching Children Effectively) course, which further equipped me to share God's Word clearly and effectively with children. I am excited to return to CYIA this summer, building on what God has taught me and continuing to grow in my calling to children's ministry.

Hi, I'm Alice, and I'm so excited to be a CYIA summer missionary! I can't wait to learn more about God and teach younger children about his Word! I wanted to join because it seems like such a fun and exciting experience where I can help spread the love of Jesus to others. When I was little, I went to one of the summer camps, and it was so supportive and welcoming. I learned so much! I want to help other kids feel the same way. I believe it is important to introduce stories from the Bible to children from a young age. Overall, I can't wait to be a part of CYIA!

 Hello, my name is Cindy. This year I will be a 3rd year missionary and want to keep doing CYIA until I graduate. I first joined CYIA two years ago when it was first opened up to 6th graders. I was inspired to join because the teachers were the best. I made friends with all of them and I wanted to teach little kids more about Christ. The teachers who taught me were my fellow classmates at school and they showed me that even with pressure from peers in their school or sports, they were still willingly to share the Gospel in the summer. I wanted to be able to follow in the same direction as them, so when I was invited to join the camp I happily joined with one of my closest friends.  My friend told me “If you tried 60 percent that day, but 60 percent was all you had, then you did 100 percent”. I felt like this was God telling me that there will be days of hardship, but once I trust Him, He will be able to help me make it through and will be compassionate with me when I give it my all. During that whole camp, I experienced God’s faithfulness and patience with me whenever I was stressed or tired from that day. The camp also taught me to be bold in my faith in God. I’m excited to share the Gospel with the upcoming new missionaries and children and also make friends along the way. 

Hi! My name is Abi, and this is my second year as a missionary. I joined last year because my sister and friend would not stop talking about what a good time they had the year before. I also enjoy teaching and spreading the gospel, so I just had to go! I had the best time last year, with a supportive community and amazing kids to engage with. The CYIA camp was great, I had so much fun and learned a lot (also, the food was 10/10). It was a great experience for me, and I became closer to God. When we went to the camps to teach, it was awesome. Sharing God’s word and changing lives made me excited to be a missionary again!

I’m Evan, I first heard about CYIA from my older sister. Even before learning about CYIA, I attended VBS at the Ashley pond where the CYIAs taught. Every day I went was so fun, and the people were really nice to me. It changed how I felt about Christ and brought joy to my face all 5 days. Being able to join CYIA and bring joy to younger kids and teach them about Christ at the same time would be amazing. At first I was really nervous and didn’t want to join CYIA, for I wasn’t sure I was ready to talk to kids about Christ. I told my family I probably wasn’t going to do it. When my sister told me how fun it was at the camp, I was still a little nervous but I said that I would do it. I also saw how much joy all of the CYIAs had, a\]nd it gave me more courage. This summer I’m so excited to go to the training camp with my friends and siblings for my first year.

I am excited to attend the CYIA camp and training to serve as a dormitory supervisor. I have been blessed to see my eldest daughter, over the past three years, return home so full of experiences and knowledge—and with great joy and motivation—to share the message of salvation with both children and adults. I look forward to experiencing that same joy I have seen in my eldest daughter, now also through my second daughter as she participates in this training. It is my hope that God will call and use us to be part of His work in the lives of others.

I grew up in church and attended Sunday school every week. Over many years, I learned about the gospel and came to understand that Jesus died for my sins and rose again. As I continued to grow in my faith, I decided to be baptized on April 20, 2025, as a public declaration that I trust in Christ as my Savior.

As I began praying more, I saw how God was working in my life. Even in small things — like when I lost something that seemed impossible to find — I would pray, and God would help me. Those moments reminded me that God is always watching over me and caring for me.

I know I am saved not because of anything I have done, but because of God’s grace. The Bible teaches that salvation is a gift from God, received through faith. Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV) says:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Through Sunday school, I have learned that the Bible is God’s Word, and I trust His promise that salvation comes by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

I believe the experiences I had growing up have really shaped my heart for serving this year. When I attended VBS as a child, I remember how exciting and meaningful it felt, and I can still picture the teachers I looked up to. They made such a strong impression on me, and now I hope to be that kind of role model for other children. Being part of AWANA also helped me grow in my faith at a young age and gave me a strong foundation in God’s Word.

When I lived in Taiwan, I joined a group that shared the gospel with children. That experience helped me step out of my comfort zone and care more deeply about reaching kids with the love of Christ. I also had older leaders there whom I respected and learned from. All of these experiences have shaped who I am and have given me both the passion and the confidence to serve children this summer.