Bloomington High School
Class Of 1971
Jose Rivera
Residing In: | MCDONOUGH, GA USA |
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Spouse/Partner: | Carrie Rivera (Hugg) |
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Homepage: |
View Website https://lavozmisionera.com |
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Occupation: | Part-Time Spanish teacher (10th and 11th) at Bible Baptist Christian School. & Ambassador of Christ and His Kingdom. |
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Children: | Dan, born 1979, Bloomington, IL; Tim, born 1980, Bloomington, IL. Two granddaughters: Ryleigh (2008) More…and Raelin (2010) - both born in Baltimore, MD but now residing in Georgia with their father, Dan. |
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Military Service: | US Navy (active), USAF and Army (National Guard) |
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Schools in Puerto Rico until 1970.
Puerto Rico, Illinois, Texas, Maryland, Ohio and Georgia.
Presently I lead the Spanish worldwide outreach (Amaras a Israel) of the worldwide ministry, LoveIsrael.org.
I was saved from being a sinner and going to hell at Calvary Baptist (Dr. Arno Q. Weniger, Jr.) in Normal, IL on 14 March 1976. The Lord has not abandon me since that day and He has blessed me more than I deserve. I am now his servant working as ana Ambassador for His Kingdom, the future home of all saved believers.
In November of 2022 I completed the coursework and obtained a Master of Theology (Pastoral Theology) to be better prepared to continue in His work.
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
I transferred from Puerto Rico in 1970 and enrolled at BHS as a senior. I could not speak English and I was placed in the Freshman class in order to take some required courses that I needed (like Speech) in order to graduate from BHS. Amazingly, I did well and was inducted into the National Honor Society. I also competed in a Spanish class contest at ISU and won a special price since I could not compete (higher score) with the other students who learned it as a second language. I had a hard time at BHS (due to the language barrier) but it was a fun year and I have great memories.
I am sorry that I did not meet many of my 1971 Classmates. Therefore, in a class reunion I would be s stranger to almost everyone. Lord willing, there will a 50th anniversary reunion and I will be able, Lord willing, to attend it and meet some that I may only knew casually (like PE or Homeroom).
Terry Bennett (RIP) was a classmate that befriended me even though I could not speak much English. He found me in FB around 2010 and we were friends in FB until his death. He had a great heart. I know that we will meet again in the Kingdom one of these days!
Jose's Latest Interactions
It would have been nice if I had met Deborah in school. I just found out, after reading her obituary that she lived within 20 miles from where I live now. The church that she attended is about 14 miles from my house.
Praying for her family and friends. May her memory be a blessing!
José
Posted on: Sep 14, 2021 at 11:36 AM
Dear BHS Class of 1971,
I am sorry that I will not be attending the class reunion. There are several reasons for it. One of them is that I have ministry obligations. Another is that I do not know my classmates and I am sure that they do not know or remember me (I did not speak English then). If I lived closer to Bloomington, I would go to the reunion and could finally meet some of the members of the BHS 1971 graduates and, hopefully, make new friendships.
Therefore, I wish all of you a wonderful reunion and may you make beautiful and long-lasting memories. May you also enjoy all the activities and recalling the fun you had during school days.
Blessings to each one of you!
José
Posted on: Jan 04, 2021 at 2:48 PM
Jose, Thankful and blessed that you too know our Lord Jesus Christ.
While I was attending BHS, I noticed you, but never got to know you. I was very awkward and 'different' in High School. But coming to know JESUS made all the difference for me in living life on this earth.
Being so young, I did not realize that you and your precious family had been immigrants to USA from Cuba. As you being so young, that must have been hard and scary for you.
I am proud of you for what you have walked through in life, and serving in the USA in the military for protecting us in USA. Thank you.
My God given son in life, he immigrated legally at the age of 18 years old to America. He immigrated out of Egypt. He is a Coptic Christian, which is 8% of Egypt population and they are killed daily for being Christian. We met our God given son, his main understanding of language arabic. We opened our home for him. He then studied hard, learned english, and became a USA citizen March 2013. Currently he is studying for his BA degree in Computer at ISU. We are proud of him. And GOD blessed us with a true son in life that we had prayed. In Egypt culture, it is custom and a standard for the children to continue living with their parents even after marriage. To support one another and have a safe community. I love this part of their culture. So Mark and I have also embraced this culture within our own home. (In America, we live too isolated and separate from one another.)
I would love to get to know you and your precious wife more.
Blessings to you. So thankful for you and wish I had known you in High School.
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