Early Life
Jorge was born to his loving parents, Jorge and Elisa Oregon, in Santiago, Chile, on July 31, 1950. He grew up with his four siblings, Ruth, Dalia, Luis, and Sara, who considered him to be a wonderful and loving brother. He was invited to the United States in 1976 to play guitar and sing gospel music with two of his best friend, Jose and Juan (Record, 2021).
School years
Jorge attended Southwestern Adventist University where he studied theology and the English language. This is where he met the love of his life, Christeni McAnally. He knew from the moment he saw her that he was going to marry her. Christeni tutored him in the English language and every time he learned a new word, he would give her a kiss on the cheek and tell her he loved her. She would giggle and say, “You don’t love me, you don’t even know me!” Because of the friendship that started through the tutoring, they fell in love and were married on July 16, 1978 (Record, 2021).
Years of Ministry
Together, Jorge and Christeni “Tina” raised five children, four girls – Pam, Jasmina, Tamara, and Erica, and one boy, Nathaniel – who were their pride and joy. The family moved from Texas to Arkansas where not only was Jorge a talented guitar player and singer, he also served his community. Jorge served as an EMT for 13 years in Harrison, Arkansas. He also worked as a skilled painter and carpenter for many years, but his truest calling was to share the love of Jesus with everyone he met. Jorge planted three churches in Arkansas, the Glenwood Spanish SDA Church, the Little Rock Spanish SDA Church and the North Little Rock Spanish SDA Company (Newsletter, 2009). He also organized the first Spanish Seventh-day Adventist camp meeting in the Arkansas-Louisiana Conference, which was held in Bonnerdale, Arkansas, in 1996. About 200 attended, representing about ten different countries. Tina ordered a flag from every country to display and Jorge’s dad painted the backdrop for the camp meeting. The backdrop still hangs in the Glenwood church (Oregon, 2022). Over the years, Jorge worked in ministry in Washington, California, and Arkansas, where he gave many Bible studies, counseled, and led many of them to have a closer walk with Jesus (Record, 2021).
Along with his other accomplishments, Jorge was best known for his character. He showed great dedication, hard work, and love for others. Anyone who knew him knew that he would help family, friends, and anyone who crossed his path. At times he worked three jobs or more to provide for his family. He never complained about hard work. He found joy in serving those around him and always wore a smiling face. He had a true servant’s heart. Jorge also taught his family the importance of prayer and he was in constant communication with his Savior. It was his greatest desire for each and every one to be ready for the soon return of Jesus and to meet him at the tree of life (Record, 2021).
Jorge passed away on January 11, 2021, at the age of 70 and is buried at the Mount Comfort Cemetery in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where he is awaiting his Savior’s return (Ancestry, 2021).
Citations
(1997, Mar. 1). Southwestern Union Record, pp. 10, 11.
(2009, Jun. 1). Newsletter, Arkansas-Louisiana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, p. 3.
(2011, Nov 20). Nathaniel Oregon. Retrieved from facebook.com.
(2014, Oct 5). Ibid.
(2021, Mar/Apr). Southwestern Union Record, p. 49.
(2021, May 27). Nathaniel Oregon. Retrieved from facebook.com.
(2021, Jul 31). Ibid.
Ancestry Family Trees. (2021). Jorge Isaias Oregon. Retrieved from ancestry.com.
Oregon, Nathaniel. (2022, Jun. 2). Instant message to Rebecca Burton.
How it all Began 