Howdy! My name is Joel Ortega.

Who am I? Well, at FEAST, I am one of the Resource Specialists and the Facility Maintenance guy who plays outdoors all day long on the ride-on-mower (inside joke). Brief background of myself… Born in Vista Hermosa Michoacan, Mexico, our family migrated to the LA county, CA area in 1988, when I was 9yrs old. A year after I graduated high school, I met Norma, who would later become my beautiful bride. We moved to the great Republic of Texas
in 2017. We have been together since 1997. During our joyful marriage, we've borne five beautiful girls and one son; Nathaly, Theresa, Josephine, Evangelina, Lucia, and Joel. We have one 3-year-old grandson, Landyn, along with our niece, Raquel, whom we have welcomed into our home, adopted if you will. I worked for almost ten years at the Toyota plant, in South San Antonio, as a logistics and procurement manager. Since 2015, I have served as the Pastor at Calvary Chapel Jesus is the way. Before I was saved, I was a DJ in the world, which the Lord used when I began serving in the A/V ministry. We began homeschooling in 2010, and our eldest two daughters have now graduated. My wife continues to help and guide new homeschool families to start their adventure with minimal frustration.

MAINTENANCE

As the maintenance person, I get to (not have to), enjoy upkeeping the grounds throughout the FEAST and Rosemont grounds. Most mornings, I am greeted by the family of cats that roam in the bamboo, an eight-point deer, turtles, ducks, or sometimes by a skunk passing by. There is always something different to work on, such as: trimming tree branches, mowing, painting, or special projects. Currently, I am working on piecing together a barn door, using repurposed wood gathered throughout the FEAST grounds. In other words, I enjoy being outdoors and keeping myself busy, doing things with my hands, and keeping active.

RESOURCE SPECIALIST: ESPAÑOL

The start of the 2021-2022 school year brought with it a surge in curiosity about homeschooling, revealing the need to clarify the misunderstanding of what homeschooling really is. Along with this need, another need revealed itself: Spanish-speaking Resource Specialists. More and more Spanish-speaking families have begun searching for alternative education opportunities to the public school system. It began as a quick translation for a question a confused mom brought to us and birthed an idea of how to reach out to the Spanish-speaking community. Español is my 1st language, and I hope to maintain the souls, minds, and hearts of the Spanish-speaking community by assisting and guiding them in their homeschooling journey.