WHO ARE WE

CALL TO SERVE

Margaret Alicea-Quintana was born in New York in May 1958 to Rev. Luis A. Alicea and his wife Lucy. Years later, her parents moved back to Puerto Rico where her father began to serve as pastor in a small town's Evangelical church. When she was 11 years old, Margaret accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior; at the age of 12 she was baptized in the waters, and when she was 15 she did her first mission trip to the Dominian Republic and Haiti.

At the age of 14, every Sunday after Bible School, her father would take her to rural areas to teach Bible stories to children in those neighborhoods. This was her introduction to local missions.

Margaret was introduced to prison ministry by her father who started visiting an all-men, minimum-security prison in Puerto Rico where he went every Wednesday night to teach the Word of God. These visits started when Margaret was about nine years old and continued until she left home for college. Years later, something happened to make her aware of the impact of those Wednesday nights.

Margaret was living in Chicago, IL due to a job transferred in 1997more than 20 years after her last visit to the prison with her father. She decided to visit a Hispanic church after seeing a sign while driving through a neighborhood in Aurora, IL. The pastor who greeted her at the door asked her where she was from and her name and when she answered the pastor said, "I know your father". It turned out this man had served time in a prison in Puerto Rico; the same prison Margaret’s father visited for years. His words, "I came to know the Lord through your father’s prison ministry." Once out of prison he went to Bible school and became a pastor. Two years later, Rev. Luis Alicea, - Margaret's father - preached at that church when he visited her in Chicago.

For about 4 years, Margaret has been working as a volunteer at the Dawson State Prison in Dallas, TX in association with the "Hope Literacy" program and also under "A Voice in the Desert" ministry. Along with other prison ministries, she teaches women inmates a Bible-based spiritual healing course, a "Boundaries" class, does book shares (book club), and provides one-on-one counseling to inmates. In partnership with Grapevine Fellowship, she also did a Bible study every Thursday night attended by 50 + women prisoners. It was on a Saturday morning while praying for these women that God told her to open a house to women coming out of prison who are homeless. After talking to her husband and her mentor, and visiting some of the transitional houses in the Dallas area, A Voice in the Desert was formed so that under this ministry funding could be raised to build a house for this purpose. The Journey's Rest is now housing to 4 women.

Margaret is part of the counseling team from New Life Ministries in TX. Margaret has participated in various mission trips to Guatemala, Argentina, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic as well as visited China four times on a more personal level but always sharing the Good News. God has given Margaret a heart for local missions and abroad. She believes each Christian is a missionary in his/her own territory whether that is work, family, school, prison, hospital, or abroad.

Margaret is an ordained Minister and has completed Bible studies at the Vision School of Ministry in Dallas, TX. In addition, she has completed studies in Psychology from the InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico and in Graphics Design from Virginia Northern Community College in Alexandria, VA. She worked in this field for over 17 years. She was working as an Account Executive when God called her to quit her job and work full-time in prison ministry. Margaret is a Certified Counselor and helps families and individuals through Bible-based counseling. She is married to Samuel Quintana who supports her in the ministry and has a daughter, Amarilys Henderson, serving as a missionary along with her husband and their baby boy in Asia.

God is good!! Let HIS name be praised!!

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

SAMUEL QUINTANA

CO-DIRECTOR

Samuel came to know the Lord as HIS savior in March 1984. Along with his wife Margaret, he visited male prisoners at Dawson State Jail during 2009 under Fellowship Grapevine Prison ministry.

Together with his wife, Samuel administers the transitional house while still keeping his full-time job as a construction supervisor for a commercial construction company in Dallas. He is a member of The McKinney First Baptist Church. He teaches Sunday School for grades 4th - 6th at his church.

CHRISTOPHER BURT

BOARD DIRECTOR

Chris Burt is a member of Kessler Community Church. He has also served in the Prison Ministry at the following facilities in Texas: Coffield Unit, Tarrant County Jail, Cold Springs Facility, Dawson State Jail, Cornell Corrections and Federal Correctional Institution Fort Worth.

Chris has been an IT manager with Cambium Learning group for 7 years and has worked in the IT industry for more than 12 years. Before the IT field, Chris worked as an Automotive Technician with Chevrolet and Oldsmobile dealerships achieving Chevrolet Master Technician status.

With his experience in prison ministry and personal experience in HIS walk with Christ, Chris’ input helps us in understanding the thinking of some inmates better.

BENJAMÍN ALICEA

TREASURER

Benjamin Alicea is a member of "Su Presencia Church" a bilingual Hispanic church in Garland, TX.

He is a Certified counselor of the Life Ministries in Dallas, TX and a member of "The Gideons International", a business men ministry that distributes Bibles all over the World.

He served as Assistant Treasurer of The Gideons' Camp in Plano, TX.

Benjamin Alicea has a degree in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico and is a Microsoft Certified network engineer, but his spare time is used to serve others something he learned from his pastor father, who left a legacy of serving others for the benefit of the Kingdom of God. While a student at the University of Puerto Rico, he mentored young people who were in drug rehabilitation programs. He is a regular volunteer at "Meals on Wheels" in Dallas, TX.

ROSAHISELA SANTIAGO

BOARD MEMBER/

PSB DIRECTOR

Rosahisela Santiago has been with VID since it was founded. She is actively participating with the mission in Mexico, and has in the past, assisted as secretary and with the duties while guests were present at 'Journey's Rest', the shelter.

Rosahisela is a mother of two, and a Spanish teacher at Kingdon Country Academy in Van Alstyne, TX. She is also a coordinator for the children's Sunday program at Su Presencia Church in Garland, TX.

After the passing of their daughter, Rosahisela and Benji started Project Sweet Butterfly, which, in memory of Andrea Victoria delivers care packages to the parents and caregivers of Pedriatric ICU patients in Medical City Dallas. PSB is dedicated fund and project under VID. The goal is to share a little of God's love with parents and caregivers in PICU.

DEBORAH BURT

BOARD SECRETARY

Deborah ‘Debbie’ Burt is the founder and President of DMB Keystone Corporation, an IT/IS Project Management Services Company. Prior to creating DMB Keystone Corp in 2006, Debbie worked for over 20 years in the information technology and software industry holding various roles, from Programmer to Project Manager to Senior Manager. As a Board Director, Debbie assists in reviewing applications for residence in the transitional home, meeting regularly with residents to review goals, and coordinating fundraisers. Debbie has served in prison ministry as a mentor, a teacher of Bible classes, and facilitator of the Bridges Out of Poverty workshop 'Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin-by-World' to women inmates. Debbie is also a Freedom Partner with local and global nonprofits in their fight against modern day slavery, sex trafficking, and other forms of violent oppression.

Debbie and her husband Chris live in Oak Cliff, Dallas, Texas and attend Kessler Community Church.

Debbie can describe her experience serving in prisons, and with those newly released from prison, like looking into a pit of hopelessness. But despite the darkness and difficulty involved, it is Christ in her that will not accept this hopelessness and drives her to continue sharing the glorious freedom she received when turning her life over to Him.

Debbie occupies the position of Board Member in the "A Voice in the Desert" family and prison ministry. This is a volunteer position - meaning no payment or compensation is expected and she will serve as many hours as needed.

Her duties include:

Recording all meeting notes and sending the notes in writing to the meeting participants
Storing all meeting notes and communications of significance to the company for historical record keeping