For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? – Esther 4:14
These weeks have been unique for all of us around the world – a once in a lifetime event. The blessing is that God truly is in control and I believe He has a plan for all of us during this time as he did for Esther in her time.
I want to say that you and I are here for “such a time as this.” We are the ones that God has chosen to have the privilege of serving Him in these unique days. It is not Paul’s time. It is not Peter’s time, It is not Roger Williams’ time. It is not Whitefield’s time. It is not Spurgeon’s time. It is not Bob Jones’ time. It is not Lester Roloff’s time. It is not Lee Roberson’s time. It not Richard Riley’s time. IT IS OUR TIME. It is for us to serve our God and do his will TODAY. For tomorrow belongs to the Lord and our children.
We as God’s servants need to look forward to the opportunities that God is presenting us in our unique time, not looking back in nostalgia but looking forward in expectation as to how God will use us today.
What exciting times to be a Christian and see God work!!!
Ministry News
As you know, like many other missionaries around the world, we are in a state of emergency quarantine. For us here in Peru, it is akin to martial law. Our movement are very restricted under penalty of arrest and massive fines. Only one person in a family can go out during certain hours of the day to go to the store to buy food. As an example, my son and missionary Joseph went to the store to buy food and a pair of shoes for his son JJ’s as his shoes were torn and worn. They would not let him buy the shoes.
They have extended the quarantine to at least May 10th and they will probably extend it further. There are some days were no one can go out at all.
There are some special permissions for those who are involved in providing food supplies for the elderly or others. We have two of our pastors who have this special permission and thus they are allowed to go out in our vehicles to the food bank program and get donations which we then add to what we purchase for our church people and others who are needy and once or twice a week we are able to provide food for over 75 families on a weekly basis. When we hear of a special case, we put together care bags of food and take it to families in need. We are thankful for the sacrifices of some in the States who, in the midst of their own needs, like the Philippians, have abounded to ours by providing funds for us to purchase needed food for others.
Our school is shut down and we are doing virtual teaching to those who we can reach. We are preaching online which is posted to our church’s Facebook page (Iglesia Bautista Efata). We are also hosting weeklong virtual Bible Conferences for both the Deaf and hearing in the month of May. We went virtual for our Bible College and also our Bible Institute, as well as a children’s program.
We have had as of now seven Deaf people saved through the virtual out reaches and some hearing. One hearing lady was saved at our front door when Lisa was distributing food.
Several of the families of our deaf children have been greatly affected with family members struck with the virus. One deaf young man, Eddie, lost his mother last year and recently lost his father to a medical condition. Because of the lockdown, he is all alone. One of our Deaf pastors, Frank while talking with him via WhatsApp, was able to comfort him and inquire about his salvation as he was a student contemporary with Frank when they were younger here at Efata. Eddie said he was not sure, and Pastor Frank was able to guide him to the Lord in Salvation. We rejoice that not only are we able to meet his physical needs by way of food, but we are able to meet his spiritual and emotional needs through the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Family News
Our family is safe and doing well. We are thankful to the Lord for the safe birth of our eighth grandchild, James Raymond Kotvas who was born to James and Ann after a difficult pregnancy. They are doing well. Please pray for our Daughter-in-law, Joseph’s wife Zulema. She is having an exceedingly difficult time with her pregnancy health wise. This will be their third child. Julianne is also expecting number five, so please continue to pray for her also. When these two are born, that will make 10 grandkids – What a blessed heritage!
At Efata, we have added a donkey and two goats to the Efata family here from a petting zoo that was closed due to the virus. They add some spice to the complex. John is enjoying his new “charges”. It is a great addition to all the birds, rabbits, dogs, ducks, chickens and fish that add some beauty and life to our complex. The Deaf and staff children who live here LOVE to feed and watch them. How many kids in America living in a big city can say they have all those animals to enjoy and learn about? We are blessed.
Our Thanks
Thank you once again for everything you do for us in your prayers and support. We do not take for granted that many of you are making sacrifices during these days to be able to maintain your support for the work of the Lord here in Peru. We also are assured that those who have not been able, due to the financial hardships, are still lifting us up in prayer. We love all of you!
Greetings from Lima, Peru, South America. I’m Joe Kotvas. My wife Lisa and I are your missionaries here in Lima, Peru, South America.
I want to give you an update on what’s going on with the coronavirus situation and how it is impacting our ministry. As you know we have a large ministry to the Deaf and the hearing here in Lima Peru and beyond. This country is in a shutdown, like many other countries. The shutdown here has been pretty abrupt and pretty strong. It’s been a martial law type of shutdown. There have been at the time of this recording 480 confirmed cases of the coronavirus with 9 fatalities, and the president is looking at extending the martial law, this quarantine, until possibly the 12th of April; he will make that decision later on this afternoon.
The fact of the matter is, during this time nobody can go out and we cannot have church services; obviously we cannot go out on visitation or visit anybody. Only one person in the family can go out during the day to the stores or to the bank. If anyone goes beyond that they will be arrested. and thousands of people have been arrested. After 8 o’clock at night it’s a full curfew and you can’t go out. Nobody can go out. There is no public transportation and private vehicle are prohibited from being on the roadways during the entire time. Only select taxis can drive, and that’s going to a market and back or to a hospital and back.
We are obeying the laws and obeying what the mandates of the president are. And what we’re doing in response to that is, I’m not much of a social media person, but we’ve learned how to put our media live streaming on Facebook, so on Sunday morning we have a service for the Deaf and a service for the hearing and then on Wednesday for the Deaf and the hearing as well. The Deaf service is in Peruvian Sign Language, and of course the hearing service is in Spanish.
So, nobody in Efata Ministries has been affected directly with the coronavirus. We’re doing our best, even on the complex where multiple families live, maintaining social distancing and being careful so that nobody can contract the virus here in our complex.
Pray for us, and pray for this ministry and all the ministries of our Macedonia missionaries all around the world and other missionaries who are serving God and preaching the Gospel. There are many others who are in situations very similar to ours and some are even in more critical situations because they can’t even get to the bank to get their support out so that they can buy the needed supplies that they need.
We’re just asking churches, my supporting churches especially and the churches that support our missionaries: Please be faithful as best you can to continue supporting your missionaries. Though we cannot go out and knock on doors, we still have to live and we still have to provide novel means of getting the Gospel out. Not only are we doing that in a spiritual context of Facebooking and social media contacts, but we are also doing the social aspect of the ministry by providing much-needed food supplies to the Venezuelan refugees and others in our church who have no jobs or no way to generate any income to go out and buy those products. We’re providing flour, sugar, vegetables, rice, and various other things that we can to try to help our people in our churches and those who are without in this time of crisis.
We pray that you will continue partnering with us; we thank you for all that you have done. We’re thankful for our mission board, Macedonia, and I’m very thankful for our home church, Emmanuel Baptist Church in Fort Myers, Florida, for all the support and prayers that you’ve been sending our way, and for the financial support that you guys continue to send so that we can continue to be busy about the Master’s business. He’s in control. He’s got it all in hand. All we need to do is rest in him and fret not. So take Psalm 37 to heart, and know that God is in control as we move forward and serve him.
Alzaré mis ojos a
los montes; ¿De dónde vendrá mi socorro?
Mi socorro viene de Jehová, Que hizo los cielos y la tierra. -Salmo 121:1-2
Ha
sido un verano increíblemente ocupado para nosotros aquí en Efata. Tuvimos varios
campamentos y conferencias, así como mucha labor para prepararnos para el nuevo
año escolar. Como nos enseña el versículo anterior, nuestra ayuda proviene de
Dios y dependemos en gran medida de su dirección y cuidado para seguir
avanzando en su ministerio.
Noticias del ministerio
En mi
visita anual al médico, pude visitar algunas de mis iglesias de apoyo y
presentar un informe del ministerio. Además, pude conocer a mi nuevo Pastor, el
Pastor Bob Ossewaarde, de mi iglesia enviadora, la Iglesia Bautista Emmanuel en
Fort Myers, FL. Fue una bendición conocerlo.
En
febrero tuvimos campamentos para los oyentes y los sordos. Ambos campamentos
fueron maravillosos con muchos salvados y dedicados al Señor. Hasta ahora
seguimos viendo el fruto de estos campamentos.
Fuegos de Evangelismo
Después tuvimos una
conferencia de Fuegos de Evangelismo y una de Jóvenes al mismo tiempo aquí en
Efata. Fue de mucha bendición. Más de 150 personas profesaron ser salvos
durante la visitación y en las conferencias. 19 adultos y 59 jóvenes se
rindieron para el servicio cristiano a tiempo completo. La conferencia de
jóvenes fue organizada por los misioneros del Equipo Perú de la Primera Iglesia
Bautista de Hammond. Es muy agradable tener fuerte amistad y compañerismo en el
ministerio con misioneros de la misma fe. Promediamos 600 personas en los
servicios nocturnos, con 636 en el servicio más grande. Más de 300 personas
participaron en las sesiones diurnas y 45 pastores asistieron.
El día
siguiente, prediqué un retiro para cristianos profesionales durante dos días.
Fue una bendición ayudar a estos negociantes y profesionales con la Palabra de
Dios y con principios bíblicos para sus carreras.
En
cuanto a la situación fiscal con el municipio, al fin pudimos reunirnos con el teniente
alcalde y el personal fiscal con respecto a nuestra situación. Parecen querer
ayudarnos, pero problemas interdepartamentales dificulta una solución. Seguimos
trabajando en esto y los mantendremos informado. Sigan orando.
Nuestra
misión en Tablada acaba de celebrar su séptimo aniversario. El lugar estaba
lleno. Disfruté predicando para ellos. Oren mientras buscan un lugar más grande
para reunirse. Están a plena capacidad.
La misión en Tablada
Instalando el techo
Tenemos
mucho por venir en los próximos meses, con el aniversario de la Iglesia
Bautista de Efata, el 50 aniversario de la escuela y mucho más.
Tenemos
muchos proyectos y reparaciones por hacer. Oren por la provisión continua de
Dios. Un proyecto importante que logramos realizar fue la instalación de un
techo sobre nuestra cancha de fútbol. Este ha sido un deseo y objetivo mío
durante más de 10 años. Así podremos
seguir organizando conferencias y eventualmente construir un auditorio más
grande, con la ayuda del Señor. Llenamos nuestro auditorio actual todos los
domingos, donde acomodamos a unos 300.
Está
programado que nuestro instituto bíblico y seminario aperturen a fines de
marzo. Tendremos algunos estudiantes más en el seminario y casi lo mismo en el
instituto de los oyentes. Esperamos tener nuestro Instituto Bíblico para Sordos
funcionando también.
A
partir del domingo por la noche, se declaró que el Perú se encuentra en estado
de emergencia con toque de queda y cuarentena. Solo se nos permite salir de la
casa para acudir al mercado, al banco, a la farmacia o al hospital. Casi todo
lo demás está cerrado. Las fronteras están cerradas, así como los aeropuertos y
los terminales terrestres. Todos debemos quedar en casa durante 15 días. Oren
por nuestras familias sordas y oyentes quienes se enfrentan a estos desafíos física,
emocional y espiritualmente. En este momento, 145 personas han sido
diagnosticadas con el nuevo coronavirus, sin muerte alguna. Intentan reducir la
propagación de la infección. Todos los servicios y todas las clases han sido
suspendidas.
Noticias de la familia
Mientras
estaba en los Estados Unidos visité a James y Ann en Wisconsin. Ann estuvo en
el hospital durante varias semanas debido al labor de parto prematuro a las 25
semanas. Gracias al Señor, ella y el bebé están bien. Ahora a las 34 semanas,
los médicos que la atendieron prácticamente dijeron que era un milagro que
todavía no haya dado a luz prematuramente. Esperan continuar la diputación
después de que nazca su bebé. Mientras se enfoca en su ministerio primario (su
familia), James está sirviendo en cuanto puede en su iglesia local y predicando
en reuniones cercanas. Por favor oren por ellos por salud y provisión.
Los
tres de nuestros hijos casados están esperando a bebés: Joseph y Zulema (#3),
Julianne y Frank (#5), y James y Ann (#2).
Jared
y Judson están sirviendo a su país en sus respectivos servicios. Son fieles al
Señor. Joy se graduará pronto y se preparará para el seminario. John, Joel,
Jessica y Jennifer (y Lisa!) están volviendo a su rutina escolar.
Agradecemos
su fiel apoyo. Necesitamos de sus oraciones por nuestra familia y nuestro ministerio.
Estamos orando por ustedes también.
A Song of degrees. 1I will
lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2My
help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. — Psalm 121:1-2
It has been an unbelievably busy summer
for us here at Efata. We have had several camps and conferences as well as a
great deal of work to get ready for the new school year. As the verse above
teaches us, our help comes from God and we greatly depend on His guidance and
care to keep moving forward in His ministry.
During my annual visit to the VA doctor,
I was able to visit a few of my supporting churches and give a report on the
ministry. In addition, I was able to meet in person my new Pastor—Pastor Bob
Ossewaarde—of my home church—Emmanuel Baptist Church in Fort Myers, FL. It was
such a blessing to get to know him.
In February we had camps for the hearing
and the Deaf. Both camps were outstanding with many saved and rededicated to
the Lord. We are still seeing fruit from these camps.
Fires of Evangelism
We also hosted a Fires of Evangelism conference and a
Youth Conference at the same time here at Efata. What a blessing that was. Over
150 people made professions out on visitation and in the conferences itself. At
least 19 adults and 59 young people surrendered for full time Christian
service. The youth conference was administered by the missionaries of Team Peru
from First Baptist Church of Hammond. It is so nice to have a strong friendship
and ministry environment with other missionaries of like faith. We averaged 600
people in the evening services with the largest service being 636 people. There
were over 300 during the daytime sessions and at least 45 pastors came to the
conference.
The day after the conferences I went to
preach a Professional Christian Men’s retreat at camp for two days. It was a
blessing to help these business and career minded servants with the Word of God
and Biblical principles for their professional and career lives.
Regarding the tax situation with the
municipality, we were able to finally get a meeting with the Asst. Mayor and
the Fiscal staff regarding our tax situation. They seem to want to help us but
there is an interdepartmental problem that is hindering a solution. We continue
to work on this and will keep you informed. Thus, please continue to pray for
this situation.
Our mission church in Tablada just
celebrated its seventh anniversary. The place was full. I enjoyed preaching for
them. Pray as they continue to look for a new larger place to meet. They are at
full capacity.
The Tablada Mission Church
Work on the Roof
We have so much coming up in the next few
months, with Efata Baptist Church’s anniversary, the school’s 50th anniversary,
and much more.
We have a great deal of work and
infrastructure repairs to do. Please pray for God’s continued provision. One
major project we were able to see done was the installation of a roof over our
soccer court which you can see in the picture. This has been a desire and goal
of mine for over 10 years. It will now allow us to continue to have conferences
and eventually build a larger auditorium for services as the Lord provides. We
fill up our current auditorium every Sunday which can hold about 300.
Our Bible institute and Bible College is
scheduled to start up again at the end of March. We will have a few more
students in the college and about the same in the hearing institute. We hope to
have our Deaf Bible Institute going on as well.
As of Sunday night, Peru was declared to be in a state of emergency with curfew and quarantine. We are only allowed to leave the house to visit the grocery store, bank, pharmacy or hospital. Almost everything else is shut down. The borders are closed, as well as all airports and bus terminals. People have been ordered to stay inside for 15 days. Please pray for our deaf and hearing families as they seek to cope physically, emotionally and spiritually. Currently, 145 people have been diagnosed with the new coronavirus, with no deaths. They are trying to reduce the spread of infection. All church services and all classes have been suspended.
Family News
While in the States I was able to visit
James and Ann in Wisconsin. Ann was in the hospital for several weeks due to early
labor at 25 weeks. Thank the Lord she and the baby are doing fine. Now at 34
weeks, the doctors attending her have all but said that it was a miracle that
she has not prematurely delivered yet. They look forward to continuing
deputation after the baby is born. As he focuses on his primary ministry, his
family, he is helping as he can at his home church and preaching in meetings
close by. Please continue to pray for them for health and provision.
All three of our married children are
expecting, Joseph and Zulema (#3), Julianne and Frank (#5), and James and Ann
(#2).
Jared and Judson are serving their
country in their respective services. They are faithful to the Lord. Joy will
be graduating soon and preparing for college. John, Joel, Jessica and Jennifer
are getting back into their school routine. (As is Lisa!)
We are thankful for your faithful
support. We covet your prayers for our family and ministry. We are praying for
you as well.
Alaben la misericordia de Jehová, Y sus maravillas para con los hijos de los hombres; – Salmos 107:21
Al final del año, tenemos muchísimos motivos de
agradecimiento y regocijo. Ha sido un año excepcional en el ministerio. A
menudo me sorprende como obra Dios en las vidas y su maravilloso cuidado por
nosotros como sus hijos. Cuánto me alegra que Él tiene el control.
En octubre, nos visitó un grupo de la Iglesia Bautista
Liberty en Holly Ridge, Carolina del Norte, y fueron de mucha bendición. Entre
ellos llegaron algunos electricistas quienes realizaron un proyecto muy
importante para nuestra infraestructura, el cual ha estado pendiente por varios
años. También ayudaron con una nueva área de estacionamiento y fueron de mucho
ánimo para todos nosotros.
En noviembre tuvimos nuestra conferencia bíblica
anual. Jon Barr, Presidente de Ministerios Palabra Silenciosa, y Allen Snare,
uno de sus misioneros, fueron nuestros predicadores invitados. La conferencia
fue de gran bendición especialmente para nuestros sordos e intérpretes a través
de la Palabra de Dios y los talleres. Varias personas fueron salvadas, tanto
sordas como oyentes, y hubo gran ánimo en nuestra iglesia.
Una semana después, celebramos el día de acción de
gracias con las familias de nuestro equipo aquí en Efata. Este no es un feriado
peruano, pero para nosotros en Efata es uno de los momentos más importantes del
año; un tiempo donde podemos dar gracias a Dios por sus múltiples bendiciones
sobre nosotros y este ministerio.
Esa misma noche después de nuestra cena de acción de
gracias, nuestro equipo pastoral y líderes principales viajamos a la ciudad de Arequipa
donde escapamos por unos días de planificación y descanso. Pude predicar en dos
iglesias y también en un seminario familiar. Varios de nuestros pastores fueron
utilizados en otras iglesias en Arequipa.
Casi todos los domingos en estos meses hemos tenido
personas salvadas y bautizadas. Hemos tenido varios funerales para sordos y
oyentes parientes y amigos de miembros de nuestra iglesia, y celebramos algunas
bodas también. Esta semana guiamos al Señor al esposo de una nueva hermana de
la iglesia, y luego, en la víspera de Navidad, una dama aceptó a Cristo. La
casa de su familia fue derrumbada, y pudimos atender sus necesidades físicas y
espirituales. Gracias a la generosidad de ustedes, pudimos ser un canal de
bendición para ellos. Ella vino y le dijo a Lisa: “Realmente quiero entregar mi
vida a Dios ahora, ¿me ayudarás? Estoy lista ahora.” Esta fue una gran
respuesta a la oración. Oren por el resto de la familia de Jimena para que
vengan a Cristo.
Estamos entrando a nuestro verano aquí, y tuvimos dos
graduados de nuestro programa especial de secundaria y seis graduados de la
primaria. Necesitamos más maestros el próximo año. Oren por esta necesidad y
que Dios nos envíe a los estudiantes que Él quiere que alcancemos.
Gracias a ustedes quienes enviaron regalos especiales
para Navidad para que sea especial para nuestros niños sordos y nuestra
familia. Una de las actividades más increíbles que organizamos esta Navidad fue
una comida para las familias venezolanas desplazadas en nuestra zona.
Asistieron más de 300 personas, y todos los niños que vinieron recibieron un
lindo regalo. Les predicamos el evangelio, y muchos oraron para confiar en
Cristo como Salvador. Por favor oren por su seguimiento.
En cuanto a nuestros problemas con el municipio con
respecto a la situación fiscal, hemos contratado el servicio de un buen abogado
cristiano. Oren por la provisión de Dios para pagar al abogado y la
intervención de Dios en este asunto. Estamos viendo un poco de luz al final de
ese túnel muy largo.
Noticias de la
familia
Gracias al Señor por su
protección y cuidado de Joseph y James y sus familias en sus viajes para
aumentar su apoyo misionero. Sigan orando por seguridad, fuerza y provisión para
ellos y por la salud de Ann, la esposa de James, en su embarazo. Ella dará a
luz en abril. Jared y Judson están bien cada uno en su rama de las fuerzas
armadas. Joy está trabajando duro para terminar la secundaria y poder ir al
seminario. Los cuatro más pequeños se encuentran muy bien.
Joseph, Julianne, James y sus familias juntos con Jared y Judson pasaron acción de gracias con su mamá de Lisa en Jacksonville, y Joseph y Zulema, Jared y Judson pasaron Navidad con Julianne y Frank en el sur de Florida. Todos visitaron a mi papá en Tampa durante estos días también. Aunque no tenemos a nuestros hijos ni nietos aquí en Perú, pudimos comunicarnos con “Glide”, “Duo” y “Facetime”. 🙂
