Andrea is no stranger to crossing cultures for the sake of the gospel. Born and raised in Costa Rica, her journey has taken her from missionary training in Montana to ministry in Taiwan—and soon, to church planting in Italy. Through each new place, language, and community, God has deepened her desire to share his Word faithfully across diverse cultural perspectives.
Andrea was introduced to Christ at a young age, when a crisis drew her family closer to him. At 12, her faith became personal as she chose to follow Christ for herself. Looking back, she remembers those early years as the beginning of two passions that would continue to shape her life: a heart for the nations and a desire to minister to women.
After university, Andrea served with churches in Costa Rica before enrolling in a missionary training program in Montana. As her calling to cross-cultural ministry became clearer, she recognized the importance of being deeply rooted in Scripture herself. She returned to Costa Rica to pursue a Bachelor of Theology at Seminario ESEPA, where she was able to study with the support of a scholarship provided through Mesa Global.
Her seminary education has transformed the way Andrea approaches ministry. Courses such as Evangelism and Culture and Homiletics have taught her that faithfully communicating the gospel requires not only understanding the message, but also understanding the person receiving it.
That lesson became especially meaningful when Andrea had the opportunity through ESEPA to spend a year serving with the women’s ministry at Taichung International Church in Taiwan.
There, Andrea supports the ministry’s leader by helping guide theological content and group discussions for approximately 20 women. Her hope is to help each woman grow in her relationship with Christ in ways that extend beyond the individual—into families, churches, and communities.
But ministering within such a diverse group also presents a unique challenge.
The women Andrea serves come from Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, Latin America, and the United States. Each brings her own cultural traditions, experiences, and assumptions to the way she understands God and Scripture. Growing together requires humility: a willingness to listen to one another, examine long-held beliefs through the lens of Scripture, and remain united around their shared faith in Christ.
Andrea has seen the fruit of that commitment. As the women study Scripture, pray, and walk alongside one another, some have begun setting aside anxieties, old traditions, and past habits as they grow in their knowledge of God. In a group marked by cultural differences, Andrea has watched the gospel become a source of deeper unity.
Soon, Andrea will cross cultures once again.
At the end of her year in Taiwan, she plans to move to Italy, where she will help begin a new church-planting ministry. The country, language, and work will change, but the calling that has shaped her journey remains the same.
As she prepares to leave Taiwan, Andrea prays that God will continue growing the community of women she has served, drawing them closer to himself and to one another. And as she looks toward Italy, she hopes to carry with her what she has learned—both in the classroom and through the women who have allowed her to walk alongside them.
“I want the women’s ministry to be a place where we can grow in our spiritual disciplines and establish a Christian worldview amidst the beauty of diverse cultural perspectives,” Andrea says.
From Costa Rica to Taiwan and soon to Italy, Andrea’s journey reflects what can happen when a leader is equipped not simply with knowledge, but to carry that knowledge faithfully into new places. Across languages, borders, and traditions, she is learning again and again that the gospel does not erase cultural differences. It gives people from different cultures a shared foundation in Christ—and equips them to grow together in faith.
