When Elena Chavez was a world away from some broken Nashville dreams, God found her and established relationships that propelled the New Mexico-born singer-songwriter into her current era of passionate ministry, as well as her latest EP, Shelter.

From America's hub of extraterrestrial interests to Southeast Asia to Nashville and everywhere in between, Elena Chavez has seen the world, and comes away with one simple response: worship. I talked with Elena about how her story--and the stories of so many others--looms large in the way she approaches her art, ministry and life. 

You were born and raised in the infamous city of Roswell, New Mexico, which begs the obvious question: Are you an alien? 

I can neither confirm nor deny. :)

But really, though, what was it like growing up in that city, which is so hyper-fixed on the supernatural/extraterrestrial? 

In middle school, my first job was as a cashier at a coffee shop called Not of This World. Our McDonalds is shaped like a UFO, and I remember sitting in my dad's lap with the hordes of people that lined the sidewalks of Main Street to watch the UFO Festival parade year after year. 

I have seen many a jaw drop when I have shown people pictures of where I grew up. When I lived in Malaysia a music college professor asked me to speak on Roswell for the first 15 minutes of the lecture I was to give to his class. It wasn't until I moved away from Roswell that I finally realized how unique my hometown was. A majority of our locals have let the UFO propaganda fade into background noise, and most don't even have an opinion on the infamous crash. 

However, there is a tool for God's glory in every situation if you are looking for it. People who come to me with questions about my thoughts towards aliens--I'm assuming I am dubbed wise on the subject due to affiliation?--allow me a platform to talk about the unknown with them. You can't talk about the unknown of the universe without mentioning the Creator of it all. 

How'd you get your start musically? When did you know this is something you were called to do?

My mom always said she felt the Lord put a pressure on her heart to put me in voice lessons. I didn't give my life over to the Lord until right before college. It wasn't until I was attending the University of New Mexico when God revealed that the singing and writing I loved to do would always have a role in my calling. 

A friend had asked my to help her play some songs at a hookah bar and I played the Jeff Buckley version of "Hallelujah." I was a diehard lover of the Lord at that point and changed around some of the lyrics to honor Him in the words that came out of my mouth. The bar was packed and fell completely silent as I sang the last chorus of "Hallelujah, Hallelujah" into the bridge of Hosanna: "Heal my heart and make it clean / Open up my eyes to the things unseen / Show me how to love like you have loved me." 

I played the last chord and the silence remained in the room. I felt the Lord pull at me heart. He said music sometimes communicates what words can not and can prepare the soil of hearts for the seeds and he could use me this way if I was willing. I nodded quietly to myself and asked that his will be done as the applause trickled into a roar out of the silence.    

You moved to Nashville at 19. What led up to this? Seems like a huge leap of faith at such a young age! It didn't go quite the way you'd hoped.

I was placed as the lead singer in a band by Otto Price and signed on with an artist development group with the hopes of making a long term career in a Christian rock band. My family was nervous about my decision to drop out of college and move across the country but recognized that I have always been someone who wasn't easily swayed once my heart was set on something. It didn't turn out as we had planned, the Lord chipped away at that plan to form a better path for myself and the other band members involved. 

You've spent time in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. What brought you there, and how did it deeply impact you as a person, a Christian, an artist?

I originally moved to Kuala Lumpur to be an intern under the music department of an international church. The goal was to learn about music, Jesus and how the Great Commission was unfolding in other cultures. I ended up becoming head of the music and media department, leading worship in Singapore and West and East Malaysia as well as working with third culture kids and an underground church. 

Many of the people I rubbed shoulders with daily had a faith in the Lord that was sharpened by deep persecution and drenched in grace. I realized my calling went beyond music. If I am only an artist and not a disciple maker, I am not fully living to my calling. 

When you returned to Nashville after Malaysia, you had no intention of doing music again after your first attempt fell apart. Talk about how God brought you into a powerful calling of music ministry with the second chance. 

I had met a songwriter named Jayne Luye while I was in Singapore to help at a sister church and lead worship. She had written a handful of songs and was looking for a singer. I agreed to help her and got her in contact with some of my of friends from Nashville to record. This project turned out to be Shelter, the latest EP I have released. God opened obvious doors and Jayne and myself have done our best to walk forward through those doors with discernment. 

What did you learn in serving with a breast cancer ministry team? 

I have worked for Pretty in Pink Boutique since I was 19. I was the youngest on the team but Pam, the owner of the ministry, said she saw something in me. I am a mastectomy fitter and work directly with women and their surgical sites during all stages of their cancer journey. My patients and I wrestle through the pain together. Many times I have been with my ladies when they and their husbands first saw their sites after surgery. Some appointments we simply sat in our fitting room and cried, laughed and talked. Many times we joined hands and prayed for God's peace and strength.  

I first heard my most surprising life lesson from the mouth of one of my patients who returned to the office after a year. She had been pregnant and diagnosed with breast cancer at the same time. Her journey had been long and heavy. "I am so grateful that I had breast cancer," she said. I couldn't hide the surprise from my face. She continued to tell me that it took that journey she had to realize the how much she was loved, how many things she used to worry about were unimportant and how truly loving and merciful God is. I was inspired to record my first song as a solo artist called "Not Afraid" about an experience I had of great pain as a comfort and call to endurance for these women.      

You mention "the wait after the storm" as an important driving force in your songwriting as of late. Talk about what that means, and what the Lord does in such seasons. 

I was 19 and had only been living in Nashville for six weeks when my friend collapsed and I did CPR on him as his wife yelled for him to wake up. After 20 minutes of CPR the ambulance arrived and he was pronounced dead at the hospital. I lived with his wife for a few months after this and watched her wrestle with God through the pain and strive to attain His joy and peace. I saw similar seasons in my patients after they heard the words "cancer", "surgery", "chemo." 

This makes me think of the day between Good Friday and Easter through the eyes of the disciples. They had just experienced great pain and were unaware of the incredible comfort and glory to come, they locked themselves in a room out of fear. But when Jesus appeared the  These seasons till up the soil of our hearts and we reach for God and beg him to come near. To have a deep relationship with Jesus is the ultimate comfort and blessing, James one says he can use our perseverance through these waits after the storm to help us be "lacking nothing".  

How are you a different artist/Christian having gone through what you have? 

I hope that Jesus continues to shape my heart so that the music I write is the out pour response to walking with God through the storms and joys of the day and not something I write to bring glory to myself. That is an easy trap to fall into in the music industry. 

Your focus these days is on leading and writing worship. When did that shift for you? 

Writing worship music has always been intimidating to me. I never felt like my words were "good enough" to be used as an outcry from the body of Christ to its maker. However, as my heart has matured, worship has just spilled out. Doors keep opening to share this worship with other believers and so I walk through those doors in obedience.

Who are some of your favorite worship artists, and what do you hope to add to the conversation? 

I have always loved Crowder, Kings Kaleidoscope and Beautiful Eulogy to name a few recorded artists I can't get enough of. I hope to continue to understand the lessons I have learned from my walk, draw closer to the Word and the Lord so that I can articulate those truths to the in the words my mouth will add to the conversation.    

How does the Shelter EP differ from everything else you've done before? 

Shelter was my first time recording songs that I had not written. Jayne showed me her songs and the stories behind them. I wanted to be a part of letting those words be heard. It was interesting recording and working with someone on a completely opposite time zone once I returned to the states. 

What's driving you these days? What's your calling as best you can perceive? 

I just returned from Southern India where we met local Christians and trained them in church planting and doctrine. I also lead worship alongside some locals for most of our travels through villages of Southern India. A pastor there pulled me aside and told me that the Lord used my voice and song to prepare the soil of the hearts present. He confirmed that it was a gift and not stop using the tools of communication that God has given. I am just another Christ follower with the call of the Great Commission and a hope to use my voice and my actions in a way that honors my God.    

What's next for you? How can people pray for you?

I plan to write and, if God permits, record a worship album with some songs my own writing from these experiences. The first single "Draw Near to the Water" will be the first of these songs to be released very soon. Keep an eye out! Pray for continuous opportunities to grow.