International President: Black Sheep HDFC
I was born in Los Angeles, CA. on September 29th, 1972, to Antonio and Alida Alba. My parents, my maternal grandparents, and my older brother Luis fled the island of Cuba from the communist regime of Fidel Castro in the 1960s. Upon arrival in the USA, my parents decided to make California their home. They had the choice to go to Florida or New Jersey. (I’m sure glad they picked Southern California!)
I grew up in the city of Bell, CA. Looking back now, I had a truly blessed childhood. My parents were loving, caring, and worked very hard to always provide for me what I needed and very often, what I wanted. However, since my parents both worked, I was cared for by my grandparents – Luis and Alejandrina. My grandfather Luis was a serious – no nonsense kind of man and so wise. Nevertheless, he loved me unconditionally, sometimes to a fault. He taught me so many life lessons that I still apply to this day. I fondly remember our weekly trips to McDonalds where I would order a Big Mac combo and a hot apple pie (those darn pies were always so hot!). As a child I loved listening to music, playing outside with my friends, watching tv/movies, and playing baseball. Baseball was my favorite sport, and I was pretty good at it too! In fact, after high school, I had the opportunity to play minor league baseball, but I chose not to. That, however, is a story for another time.
My parents were also devoted Catholics and were very involved in our local parish. I attended St. Rose of Lima elementary school in Maywood, CA. and then graduated from Pius X High School in Downey, CA in 1990. I wasn’t much of a scholar in High School. I even flunked Spanish! That means that after graduation I had to find employment. During a four-year period, I worked for many companies like Security Pacific Bank, La Abejita Mexican Candy Company, Frito Lay Inc., and Bank of America …just to name a few. In 1993 I was in between jobs when I found myself at the local welfare office applying for medical benefits. I was waiting in the lobby when I ran into a family friend who worked in that office. My friend told me that the County of Los Angeles was hiring Eligibility Workers and that I should apply. So, I did! On March 23, 1994, I was hired by the County of Los Angeles as an Eligibility Worker assigned to the East LA office, the same office where I went in to apply for benefits months earlier. I’ve now have been working for LA County for 28 years and I’m currently an HR manager with the Dept. of Health Services.
I met my wife Laura at the workplace in the mid-1990s. Laura was an office unit clerk, and she was (and still is!) a total knockout beauty. I used to take every opportunity to walk by her desk just to say “hi” and engage in some small talk and hopefully make her laugh. Some occasional flirting led to our first date, which then lead to the beginning of our deeper relationship. In the beginning, it was blissful! In time, however, problems began to surface. By early 2001 our relationship was in a bad place, and we were in desperate need of help. God intervened in April of 2001 when Marty and Iliana Mendez, coworkers, and good friends of ours, invited Laura and I to attend a Wednesday night service at Calvary Chapel Golden Springs. On that Wednesday evening, we heard the message of the Gospel and Laura, and I gave our lives to Jesus and our new life in Christ began.
Laura and I have now been together for twenty-six years; married for seventeen. We are a blended family with four adult daughters, one adult son and three grandchildren. Before moving to Hesperia, CA earlier this year, we attended and served at Calvary Chapel Chino Valley for more than fourteen years. We’ve been involved in many church ministries, including greeters, Sure Foundation, children’s ministry, and couples’ ministries. In 2020, I graduated from Calvary Chapel Bible College with a degree in theology and had the blessing to teach at the Bible college for a few semesters. Today, we attend Calvary Chapel High Desert.
In 2007, Laura and I decided to buy a motorcycle to enjoy on the weekends and to use as a tool for ministry. We purchased a 2007 H-D Softail Deluxe and immediately we began to research all the local Christian motorcycle ministries and clubs. We met with several M/Ms and MCs but didn’t feel called to join any of them. It was a few months later that we were invited by a friend of ours, Pastor Jorge Del Toro, to attend a Black Sheep regional breakfast in Temecula, CA. I recall asking Pastor Jorge “Who and what were the Black Sheep?” On a Saturday morning we rode about 60 miles to Temecula and walked into Rosa’s Tortilla Factory. What a sight it was! 200 plus bikers in fellowship, just having a good time! We felt so welcomed by all the Black Sheep in attendance. The breakfast emcee was Marty Edwards, and he was a real hoot – so energetic and so darn funny. I also remember seeing national vice president Jim Birmingham (with his long, shoulder-length brown hair) for the first time and thinking “If Jesus is a Black Sheep, then Black Sheep is the ministry for me.” By the end of the regional breakfast Laura and I knew that Black Sheep HDFC was the ministry we wanted to be a part of. After a few months, we became official members of the Pomona Valley Chapter of Black Sheep Harley-Davidsons For Christ.
It’s now been fifteen years since Laura, and I joined the Sheep. How time flies! I must say that being members of BSHDFC has been one of the biggest blessings in our lives! We’ve ridden to and done ministry in places that we would’ve never dreamed of. We’ve met so many beautiful people and have made lifelong friendships. Most important, we have witnessed people transformed by the love and grace of Jesus Christ through our ministry. I thank God that He called us to this wonderful ministry and that we’ve been able to serve together within BSHDFC for all these years. I also want to thank my lovely wife Laura who has been my constant rock, supporter, and co-laborer. During the last 15 years in BSHDFC, I’ve had the opportunity to serve our ministry in leadership at the local, regional, and international levels. I’ve represented our ministry within the US and abroad and I’ve been a member of the BSHDFC board since 2020. In May of this year at The Gathering in Dallas TX, I had the extreme honor of becoming Black Sheep HDFC’s second International President. I’m so humbled by this privilege and I vow to do my very best to lead and represent the ministry in a worthy manner, always putting Jesus first in everything that I/we do as we continue to introduce the world of motorcycle riders to Jesus Christ.
I’m reminded of Ephesians 3:20 – “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us”. I’m so blown away by what Jesus has done in and through my life! Jesus has simply exceeded all expectations that I had for my life in Him. I’m filled with so much gratitude and awe of what Jesus has done and continues to do in my life. Thank you, Lord Jesus! All for Your Glory!