In order for you to get to know your Pastoral Intern (Jon Rocha) a little bit better, and in anticipation of his May 3rd vote (we will be voting on whether or not he should be extended the call to be our full-time Associate Pastor), we have decided to have a little fun and ask Jon Rocha the following questions:

Question#1: How did you meet your wife? Was the first date romantic, awkward, or just plain fun?

• The first time we hung out was unforgettable! Faith Baptist Bible College (FBBC) puts on a banquet every spring called “Spring Banquet” (real original…). I am not one for dressing up, so my friends and I asked girls NOT to go to Spring Banquet with us. Instead, we took our dates out to the beach at Saylorville Lake. We had a fire, cooked out, played games, talked, and even setup a movie on the tailgate of my Jeep. It was one of the most fun nights of my life and the rest is history… 🙂

Question #2: In your down time, what type of music do you enjoy?

• Well, I really enjoy anything from CCM that is upbeat and has a good sound to it. I listen to the “Top 100 of CCM” playlist on Spotify a lot. When I am not on contract with FBBC, I listen to oldies every once and while…stuff like the Beatles and Monkees. I’m not just saying this, but I really enjoy listening to a song and trying to figure out what the artist is trying to convey. Even in secular songs, there is always a message!

Question #3: What’s your favorite movie and why?

• One of my favorite movies of all time is “We Were Soldiers”. It is extremely accurate and it portrays the camaraderie and hardships of those men that served before me. It really puts my time overseas in perspective. Along with that one, I really like “Saving Private Ryan” and “Blackhawk Down”. I also grew up on “The Three Stooges”…I know it’s a TV show, but I love it!

Question #4: What book (besides the Bible) has impacted your life the most?

• I really haven’t done much recreational reading, but I really liked “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn”. When I was young, I related with those two characters a lot. My parents made me read the books over one summer. I always thought it was ironic that I was reading a book about boys who hated reading and loved being adventurous (I knew how they felt). In my adult life, I have read “Spectacular Sins” by John Piper. That was such an amazing book. It portrays the sovereignty of God so well. It really exemplified the fact that God can even use our sins for His glory!

Question #5: If you were trapped on a deserted island, what three things must you have with you?

• HAHA! Well…my wife (because I love her), a waterproof Bible (I truly do love it that much), and a hatchet!

Question #6: You love basketball. Why? How does the game of basketball help you understand the Christian life?

• I love basketball because I love competing alongside of people…and it’s a great team sport. You need all five guys to play on the court and to play together in order to be successful. Every time you step on the court, God reveals to you who you really are as a person. You then have an opportunity to work on your weaknesses and grow spiritually.

Question #7: What’s your favorite food?

• Hands down my favorite food is pizza! I could eat pizza everyday for the rest of my life and have no problem with it. My father is Mexican, so I have to give his tacos a shout out too!

Question #8: Dream vacation…where is it?

• I would love to go to Australia for sure! From what I have heard it has every possible terrain or scenery a person could want and it’s all packed into one convenient location. Julia and I are saving for a sweet vacation before we start having kids, and Australia is definitely on our radar!

Question #9: In one sentence describe Prairie Flower Baptist Church.

• A church in the middle of a cornfield that is thriving because the people love the Lord and are actively seeking Him.

Question #10: What excites you the most about the possibility of serving here as an Associate Pastor?

• The opportunity to keep building relationships. It has been harder than I thought to meet people because we are only there on the weekends, but the people we have stayed with and spent time with have been unforgettable! The people at this church have truly been a blessing to us! We are looking forward to continuing the growth of the great friendships we have started and building new ones.