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FIELD
Rob was appointed to serve at State University of New York, Brockport, in September of 2010. Rob and Karin served with Missions Door missionary Cindy Capuano on a missions trip to Guatemala in 2008. It was on that trip that the Lord confirmed for Rob that they would devote their lives to reaching people with the love and acceptance of Christ.

As a return student to Brockport, Rob will major in physical education and sports management to fulfill his passion for combining sports with ministry. The Lord has used sports Rob’s entire life as a bridge to forming relationships. He has been a baseball and basketball coach with outreach ministries in Rochester.

The Peñas also have a passion for the Latino communities. Native to the Dominican Republic, the Lord has used their Spanish on many occasions, often serving as a bridge between cultures.

Rob has committed to making his college career an arena for sharing the hope and salvation of Christ with other students while he serves as a student intern with Campus Ambassadors. Confident that the Lord will put his passion and gifts to good use on campus, he’s excited to share what God has done to transform his own life and offer that same hope to others. 

FAITH
Rob’s family moved from the Dominican Republic to the Bronx when he was 16. He turned to the streets for recreation in a neighborhood infected with poverty, crime and drugs. Although most of his friends were caught up in a bad scene, Rob’s mother continued to push him into church programs that offered an alternative. He was introduced to the Gospel through their outreach youth groups. At these groups, Rob found a safe haven where he was able to enjoy all kinds of sports.

Karin was saved a few years earlier, but abandoned her faith while she was in college. Only married a year, Rob and Karin moved to Florida from New York to start a new life and struggled for seven years, relying on their own strength. Both became successful in sales jobs that had their lives revolving around pride and profit.

After those seven years, the Lord impressed on Rob the desire to leave Florida and return to New York. He had not yet accepted the Lord into his life, but Karin often cried out to the Lord to bring their family into submission. When Rob told Karin that he felt God was calling them to New York, she received the news as an answer to her prayer.

They set out to start over in a new city with no friends or family, just the hope that God would meet them there. Rob did not know at the time that the journey to Rochester would mean the beginning of his journey with Jesus. Through this relocation, the Lord did what He promises to do: He reconciled Rob and Karin’s family back into the family of God, transformed their lives, healed their marriage, and opened up the doors to ministry. It is this message of new life in Christ that they are so passionate about sharing with the lost.

FAMILY
When he was 19, Rob met and married his wife Karin. They have three girls: Robin, Kaila and Isabella.