Lisa Alfonsi and Clever Sobrino
Clever, Lisa and their son, Kaleb, live and serve in Lima, Peru under the leadership of Camino de Vida church.
Lisa grew up in Kinsman, Ohio; and lived in Ohio for a few years after college working as an occupational therapist in various locations. She moved to the Chicago area in 2003 and spent 10 years working in a pediatric therapy clinic. In May of 2010 she decided to go on a mission trip to Peru to give wheelchairs to those in need with Free Wheelchair Mission and Camino de Vida. Lisa learned that many families cannot afford the cost of therapy for their children due to their extreme lack of financial resources. She also learned that occupational therapy is very limited with only one college providing graduates for all of Peru. It was then that she felt God calling her back to Peru and in 2013 she returned to Peru to live and serve under the leadership of the church Camino de Vida.
Clever was born and raised in Huancayo, Peru (mountain region of Peru). After high school, Clever moved to Lima to study and work in international business. After 10 years in his career, he felt a call on his life to give up his full-time job and do free-lance work so that he could serve full time with the church Camino de Vida. In 2013, Clever became involved in serving in the transport team that moved all the equipment from the mobile church locations every Saturday and Sunday as well as serving during the week with the outreach area of the church that gives wheelchairs to those in need who cannot afford them.
Clever and Lisa met while serving in the same outreach ministry giving wheelchairs to those in need, and soon found that they both had a heart and passion to serve those with special needs. From that moment on, Clever and Lisa have dedicated their service to children and adults with special needs and their families in various ways.
Clever helps lead small distributions of the Free Wheelchair Mission wheelchairs outreach at Camino de Vida church. On a weekly basis, Clever helps find people in need of wheelchairs and then is part of the team of volunteers from the church to give free wheelchairs to those in need. Along with the free wheelchair, the message of Christ is shared with each recipient and their family. Clever and Lisa are also part of a teaching team that gives training to volunteers in the church who want to help distribute the wheelchairs as part of Camino de Vida.
Lisa leads the special needs area on Sundays (which she created and initiated at Camino de Vida) for children ages 1-13 with special needs and their families who attend Camino de Vida. This program continues to grow each year as more people are hearing there is a place for their child in the Sunday school program while the parents attend the service. Lisa and Clever currently have a team of volunteers both on the virtual Sunday School small groups and in person at 2 of the church locations across Lima.
Lisa and Clever have also created and helped guide volunteers in the youth, young adult, and young professionals ministries who serve in the area of special needs for their prospective age group. They also have been a part of developing a small group curriculum for parents with special needs.
Clever and Lisa married December 2, 2017 after their 3-year friendship developed into the relationship it is today. They began fostering their now adopted son Kaleb in May of 2018 and finalized his adoption in Dec 2021. They are excited about this new season of serving as a family in both virtual and in person as they continue to share the love of Christ with those with special needs and beyond.
TO DONATE BY CHECK
TO LISA AND CLEVER’S SUPPORT:
Make checks payable to The Antioch Partners, write “Preference for Alfonsi Sobrino Support” on memo line and mail to:
7132 Portland Ave, Suite 136
Richfield, MN, 55423
