The Mota family home, located in Punta de Piedras, capital of the Tubores Municipality (Margarita Island, Venezuela), was filled with joy when, 46 years ago, Alexys Rafael was born. Although he grew up in a suburban area, where material and economic resources were scarce and the level of poverty was very high, when he speaks of his childhood he does so with a smile: "I had a very quiet, humble childhood, but in a family where affection reigned". Raised in a Catholic environment, it was his grandmother who taught him to pray, thus establishing the instructions of his relationship with God and his future vocation.

At the age of 21, when he was part of the youth group of his parish, St. Simon the Apostle, he felt that he had to serve God through priestly life: "It was a very special moment. God's call makes you reflect a lot and it is something you have to understand little by little but, although doubts always assail you because of the great magnitude of the call, I overcame my fears along the way". His joining seminar was a decision understood, supported and celebrated by his family and friends. Nine years later, on December 7, 2002, he was ordained a priest: "I felt a great joy. It is something indescribable, not from the feelings, but from the spiritual perspective. To know that you acquire a special grace to serve the Church and others is a very great moment, because the priesthood is a gift through which much good is done in the world".

He was 30 years old and since then he exercised his ministry in Margarita Island, as pastor in the parishes of Nuestra Señora del Carmen, San Francisco de Asís and Santa Rosa de Lima, and as parish administrator in the parish of La Resurrección del Señor. He was also Chancellor of the Diocese of Margarita for 10 years. He explains that during that time, the relationship with his faithful was "very close, affable and respectful. Besides focusing on the spiritual and pastoral work, I insisted a lot on the parish formative life, which is so necessary".

In August 2016, at the initiative of his bishop, Bishop Fernando Castro, he arrived in Pamplona to study. Canon Law"He encouraged me to continue studying and to prepare myself well to give a better service to the Church." He assures that being formed at the University of Navarra has meant for him "a very valuable opportunity to share my training with other priests, establish intercultural and pastoral relationships and grow academically and spiritually".

Alexys Rafael lives in the high school Mayor Echalar where, he says, he is having an excellent experience: "I have learned to have a greater willingness to serve, to be more methodical and to know how to use my time well. All thanks to my companions, whom I admire for their submission, their charity and their humility, and thanks to the example and teachings of my teachers". Although he is happy, from a distance he lives the status of Venezuela, his homeland, with great concern: "there are thousands of people who are living in precarious conditions, but I do not lose faith and hope that this status will be reversed for the good of all".

In addition to serving his community and putting everything he has learned in Spain on internship , when he returns to the Diocese of Margarita he would like to continue his studies in the field of Canon Law, a field of study in which he has been able to train thanks to the generosity of his benefactors: "I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the work you do and all the good you do for us. Those of us who come from countries afflicted by many ills would not be able to attend these programs of study without your financial aid. I hope that God will continue to bless you for such a commendable effort and work in favor of the priests who are being prepared in this prestigious University of Navarra".