Today we’d like to introduce you to Yalessa Oro And Nayelly Ortiz
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Our names are Nayelly and Yalessa. We are both 22 years old, we are cousins and we were born and raised in the South Houston area. We spent a majority of our late childhood and teen years serving in the local church and doing worship ministry together.
Shortly after high school graduation, in 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nayelly moved to Dallas for college and Yalessa started community college online. This was the first time since birth that we were away from each other. Almost everyday, we would Facetime to sing and play our instruments together. In the time that Nayelly was in Dallas she learned how to play the acoustic guitar.
In late 2020, God called Nayelly back home. One night, shortly after Nayelly moved back, we were sitting at the dinner table and Nayelly expressed that she had a desire to create a gathering, event or a group of some sort where we could worship and safely gather with other young people. Yalessa had this same exact vision. With so many closed churches, many youth and young adults during and post pandemic were craving some sort of unity and community. We wanted to create a space where people could gather to worship outside of the four walls of the church.
We leaned into God’s will, and within 30 days, the first Salt and Light Worship Night was cultivated, in January 2021. We had no ministry name, and did not know where God would take us. We began to pray on what we wanted to be called and God revealed himself to us in a passage in the book of Matthew.
Matthew 5:13-16
“13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
We then started hosting events under the name Salt and Light Worship Ministry. We started as a two person band. Now, there is 10 of us, and we are celebrating our 4 year anniversary this coming January. God has opened countless doors to reach people of all different backgrounds. We have gotten to play at coffee shops, parks, farmers markets and most recently, in the Bayou Theater at The University of Houston – Clear Lake.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the main struggles we faced at the start was the pandemic. When we started, we had to social distance, and it was sometimes hard to feel connected to people in times where we were forced to isolate. We would have people bring their lawn chairs, and ours events were outside with social distancing and masks. Obviously with time, that issue went away. More recently, we sometimes experience discouragement. We have had events where no one shows up, or 10 people show up. So when that happens, we start to question our purpose. But we are so thankful that this discouragement never lasts and we always persevere. We have gotten to see the fruits of our labor and dedication. It was crazy to see how at our first event in January 2021 we had 12 people in the crowd, and our most recent worship night was in a full theater with more than 200 people. Not only have we seen the number of attendees grow, we have gotten to cultivate a community of believers and worshippers in our area in Houston. We love when we see the same familiar faces at our events because it means are behind the movement of Salt and Light.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We specialize in worship nights, youth and young adult ministry and evangelism. Salt and Light Worship Ministry’s mission statement is this: Salt and Light Worship Ministry aims to spark a light in believers; reject the walls of “religion”, save lost souls, cultivate spaces of authentic worship and worship a creator who deserves all the praise and honor.
Music is a big part of our lives and our ministry. We love music and we have seen first hand how God can use music to transform peoples lives. Music is another language that we use to speak into peoples hearts. Not only is it fun, it allows all of us to live out our passion. Everyone who plays an instrument or sings, does it with so much passion and dedication. We all have our home church’s where we serve at, and for us, Salt and Light is a completely separate outlet for our passion of music, evangelism and ministry. What we have is special because it is like a family, and we all have different backgrounds. We come together so perfectly to do what we love.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
Our biggest supporters would have to be our family. Specifically, my mom Elly, Nayelly’s mom Marielly and Nayelly and I’s grandmother Maria. They have been the ones to push us to take leaps of faith, step out of our comfort zone and most importantly, they do so much work behind the scenes. From cooking meals, to selling t-shirts, to carrying sound equipment, to serving coffee at events, they help fill in all the gaps and do it with so much love and dedication. And I also have to say that everyone in the band also has their families support. If we travel, they come with us, and they are always in the crowd at our events. Our pastors Livan and Zoila Quintana from our home church Iglesia Bautista Vida En Cristo, in Nassau Bay are also such huge advocates for what we do as a ministry. And last but not least, we have the young adults at our home church who always help in whatever way we need.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://saltlight513.mypixieset.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saltandlightworshipministry/?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Salt-and-Light-Worship-Ministry-100085876690093/
