Jun 25, 2016 | Prayer Letters
Dear Friends and Family,
“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10
We praise God for HE gives the victory in our lives, our ministry, and our hope is in HIM. We apologize that this letter has been late to get to you. We were delaying it a bit in hopes of having good news about the container that we have been waiting for almost seven months. More about that below.
Ministry News
The 21-23rd of May we celebrated our church Anniversary. My son, James, and a group from Baptist College of Ministry in Menomonee Falls, WI came down during that time and provided special music for the conference among many other things.
Pastor Joel Marsh, a great preacher and dear friend came down for the Anniversary conference and brought two men with him. God led him and used him greatly and we just thank God for the blessings during our anniversary week. We saw several saved, a baptism, and 10 joined the church.
Our deaf school’s anniversary was held last week, and it was a special time for all our students. By surprise, a group came by to visit on Tuesday, brought by a missionary friend, and God used them as a channel to give many goodies to the school children. God’s timing is perfect. Efata Christian School was established 46 years ago by founding missionary Vernon Miller. He and his wife Velma were deaf missionaries who allowed God to use their lives. We pray that God will continue to send forth laborers into His harvest, from the USA, from Peru, and all over the World. The deaf need to see the Gospel preached to them!
Last week, (June 9-12), I had the privilege of preaching a couple hours north of our home, at the Living Fountain Bible Baptist Church for their 20th anniversary. The church was full. Praise God for the opportunity to be used to encourage this church and their Pastor. James and Judson sang “the Love of God, How Marvelous, and Strong”; It is a joy to see our children praising our great God! All of our kids sang together Saturday evening.
On June 14th to the 18th, we had the joy of having Pastor Austin Gardner from Vision Baptist Church in Alpharetta, Ga with us to preach our Mission Conference. What a great blessing he was. Please pray as God uses this conference to touch the hearts of our church to be used as He chooses in missions. We know that God sent HIS Son because He loves us. We pray that we will see people through His eyes.
Please continue to pray for the release of the container. There were a few more delays in the paperwork, and the man who was to sign the resolution passed away last week. A new president was also voted in last week. We are being assured by them that it should be signed and sent to us by the end of this next week. We pray that it is, but we also know that God’s timing is perfect. Thank you for your prayers.
Family News
The first part of May, Lisa and I were in the States for James’, our second son’s, graduation from Baptist College of Ministry in Menomonee Falls, WI. It was a great blessing. He then came down to Peru with a group of 12 from the college. We loved having Bro. Zempel and his wife Elizabeth, as well as the young people who came down with them They taught intensive classes in Violin, clarinet, and Piano, taught the children’s choir, held a staff retreat, and helped in many, many other ways. They were a great influence on our children and all of our church; what a tremendous blessing for our family, staff, and our children.
Please pray for Julianne, our oldest daughter and her husband, as they deliver their second baby the first week of July. Lisa will be going up to help for a month.
Please pray that God will continue to provide for the needs of Efata, the church, school, Bible Institute, Bible College, and home as well as the pregnancy crisis center. Pray He will use each one for His honor and Glory
Thank you all for your prayers and support.
Bro. Joe & Lisa
Judson, Joy, John, Joel, Jessica, Jennifer
Mar 21, 2016 | Spanish Prayer Letters
Queridos Amigos y Familia,
“El corazón del hombre piensa su camino;
Mas Jehová endereza sus pasos.” Proverbios 16:9
Ha sido un verano muy ocupado para nosotros aquí en Efata. Ha sido lleno de nuevas oportunidades y varias frustraciones. ¡Con todo, como dice el versículo, Dios esta en control! ¡Nosotros pensamos y planeamos, pero Jehová implementa y guía!
Informes del Ministerio
Se termino el verano, y estamos comenzando el año escolar para el Colegio de Sordos, el Seminario, y el Instituto Bíblico. ¡Los niños de las provincias están regresando, y tenemos a muchos NUEVOS alumnos!
Como teníamos espacio extra durante el verano, pudimos proveer un hogar temporario para cuatro bebes y varios niños y jóvenes. Unas veces sus padres fueron hospitalizados, otros encarcelados, y a veces los niños fueron abusados o hallados abandonados. Hemos sido bendecidos con la oportunidad de proveer techo, comida, ropa, y amor, y de compartir el evangelio de nuestro Salvador con estos niños oyentes hasta que el gobierno los halla un hogar más permanente. Hemos podido traer a muchos de ellos a Cristo. Por favor ora que El continuara a obrar en sus vidas. Muchos de ellos tienen situaciones horribles para enfrentar.
También nos hemos ocupado durante este tiempo con reparaciones y mantenimiento. Construimos dos nuevos baños muy necesitados. ¡Gracias a Dios por su provisión para eso!
Por varias semanas he estado ayudando a otra iglesia aquí en Lima que desea comenzar una nueva misión. Hemos visto a gente salva por medio de este ministerio. Ora por sabiduría mientras continuemos ayudándoles. Los miembros de este grupo decidieron congregar en Efata los domingos ya que no tienen dónde reunirse y su iglesia madre esta a dos horas.
Acabamos de concluir nuestra conferencia de Fuegos de Evangelismo. Esto fue una de las mejores conferencias que hemos presentado. Cinco personas fueron salvas, y 37 se rindieron para servir al Señor. Dos señoritas jóvenes fueron bautizadas el siguiente domingo. Pastor Luis Ramos desde San Luis, Potosí, México, y misionero Byron Willis y su esposa desde Panamá fueron nuestros predicadores invitados. ¡Dios tocó corazones! Casi cincuenta pastores vinieron de diferentes partes del Perú y un pastor misionero desde Colombia. Agradecemos a Dios por los 500 que asistieron. Esperando con ganas la conferencia que viene el próximo año. Agradezco a Dios por la oportunidad de trabajar con un equipo tan maravilloso.
También tuvimos un retiro de jóvenes dos semanas antes de la conferencia. Varios jóvenes dieron testimonio de como Dios ha estado obrando en sus vidas.
Aun estamos luchando con el conteiner de donaciones. ¡Sabíamos que iba ser difícil, pero ni la mitad se ha dicho! Por favor sigue orando por eso. Sabemos que Dios puede hacer milagros. ¡Necesitamos a uno de ellos! Además, come esto ha demorado desde noviembre, los costos del almacenaje estarán escandalosos. Estamos orando para que Fargo Line, la compañía que esta almacenado al conteiner, lo considere como donación. ¡Anticipamos ver a Dios obrar de manera milagrosa para causar que nos lo entreguen! Sera de tanta bendición para nuestra escuela e iglesia. No comprendamos la demora, pero sabemos que Él sí, y estamos aprendiendo a confiar en El. Deseamos sus oraciones.
Informes de la Familia
Es una bendición trabajar con Joseph y Zulema, y estamos disfrutando a su hijo, JJ. Disfrutamos una visita de Frank y Julianne y nuestro nieto David en enero. ¡Están esperando a su segundo hijo en julio! James está en su semestre final en el Seminario Bíblico, y está orando para continuar y estudiar para su maestría. Ora que Dios le de sabiduría a el y a nosotros. Jared continúa sirviendo en su iglesia local en Fargo mientras prepara para la universidad. Sigue planeando ser piloto. Tiene varias opciones, y oramos con él para la voluntad de Dios.
Mis hijos están disfrutando sus últimos días de vacaciones. Las clases comienzan pronto para ellos también. Ora por Judson, pues todavía le queda un año de estudios. Por favor ora que él esté motivado mientras hace su tarea. Prefiere trabajar en la construcción que estudiando su tarea. Aún así, debe terminar para poder avanzar a las siguientes etapas de su vida.
Gracias por todas sus oraciones y apoyo.
Hno. Joe y Lisa
James, Jared, Judson, Joy, John, Joel, Jessica, Jennifer
Mar 21, 2016 | Prayer Letters
Dear Friends and Family,
“A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.” Proverbs 16:9
What a busy summer it has been for us here at Efata. It has been full of new opportunities and various frustrations. However, as the verse above teaches, God is in control! We plan and devise but the Lord implements and guides
Ministry News
Summer is over and we are beginning the school year for the Deaf School, the Bible college, and Bible Institute. Children from the provinces are returning and we have many NEW students!
Because we had extra dorm space while school was out for our summer, we have been able to provide a short-term home to four babies, and quite a few children and teenagers. Sometimes their parents were hospitalized, others taken in to jail, and sometimes the children had been abused or found abandoned. We have been blessed to have the opportunity to provide shelter, food, clothing, and love, and to share the gospel of our Savior with these hearing children until the government finds them a more permanent home. We have been able to lead many of them to Christ. Please pray that He will continue to work in their lives. Many of them face terrible situations.
During this time, we have also kept busy with repairs and maintenance. We were able to build two new much needed bathrooms. We thank God for His special provision for this!
For several weeks I have been helping another church here in Lima that is trying to start a mission church. We have seen people saved through this ministry. Pray for wisdom as we continue to help. The members of this group have decided to attend Efata on Sundays as they have no appropriate location to meet and their mother church is two hours away.
We just finished our Fires of Evangelism Conference. This was by far one of the best conferences that we have hosted. Five people were saved and 37 surrendered to serve the Lord. Two teenage girls were baptized the next Sunday. Pastor Luis Ramos from San Luis, Potosi, Mexico and missionary Byron Willis and his wife from Panama were our special speakers. God spoke to our hearts! Almost 50 pastors came from across Peru and one missionary pastor from Colombia. We thank God for the 500 in attendance. We look forward with great anticipation to next year’s conference. I am grateful to God for the privilege of working with such a wonderful staff.
We also had a youth retreat two weeks before the conference. Several young people shared how the Lord has been working in their lives.
We are still struggling with the container of donations. We knew it would be difficult, but the half has not been told! Please keep praying for this. We need a miracle! Because this has gone on since November, storage costs are going be outrageous. We are praying that Fargo Line, the company storing the container, will write it off as a donation. We look forward to seeing God work and cause them to release the container in a miraculous way! It will be such a blessing to our school and church. We don’t understand the delay but we know that He does, and we are learning to trust Him. We covet your prayers.
Family News
Joseph and Zulema are a blessing to work with here, and we are enjoying baby JJ, their son. We enjoyed a visit from Frank and Julianne and our grandson David, in January. They are expecting their second child in July! James is in his final semester at Bible college and is praying about getting his Master’s degree. Pray that God gives him and us wisdom. Jared continues to serve in his local church in Fargo as he prepares for college. He is still planning to become a pilot. He has several options and we are praying with him for the Lord’s leading.
The kids at home are enjoying the last of their summer break. School will start soon for them as well. Pray for Judson as he has a year of school left. Please pray that God will help him to be motivated as he does his school work. He sure would rather be working in the construction needs here than doing homework, but he does need to finish these so he can move on to the next stages in his life.
Thank you all for your prayers and support.
Bro. Joe & Lisa
James, Jared, Judson, Joy, John, Joel, Jessica, Jennifer
Jan 27, 2016 | Spanish Prayer Letters
“Me es necesario hacer las obras del que me envió, entre tanto que el día dura; la noche viene, cuando nadie puede trabajar.” Juan 9:4
Lo siento que este carta de oración es un poco tarde. He estado viajando mucho en estos últimos meses y hemos estado haciendo mucho. Como el versículo anterior implica, debemos estar ocupados en la obra de nuestro Señor entre tanto que el día dura, sabiendo que el tiempo es corto y hay mucho por hacer.
Noticias del Ministerio
Ha sido un buen año en Ministerios Efata. Este año vimos muchas personas sordas y oyentes salvas y bautizadas, y estamos agradecidos por todo el trabajo que se ha hecho.
El colegio esta de vacaciones por el verano, como también nuestro instituto Biblico y seminario. Graduamos a un buen grupo de niños sordos en diciembre.
Ahora estamos trabajando en las reparaciones y construcciones necesarias de nuevos baños, cunas, aulas y talleres, y preparando para nuestra conferencia de Fuegos de Evangelismo en febrero.
La nueva misión de sordos en El Agustino que comenzó Joseph va en buen rumbo, y nuestras iglesias misioneras en Tablada y Callao se encuentran fuertes.
Fines de noviembre, el contenedor de donaciones del proyecto “Big Box” de Jacksonville, FL., llegó a Perú. Por favor, por favor, oren, porque el proceso de desaduanar la donación ha sido muy difícil. Tenemos que tramitar con varias agencias del gobierno y una agencia de aduanas privada para preparar toda la documentación. Lo que debería ser simple se pone muy complicado, con varios cambios a la carta de donación y mucha revisión de la carga, el cual ha sido una tarea costosa y laboriosa. El gobierno aquí requiere información adicional para cada item.
Cuatro agencias gubernamentales participan en la aprobación del envío. Los requisitos de cada uno son diferentes, y todo el proceso es un enredo de burocracia. Oramos que estamos llegando al final. Casi 900 Biblias, 35.000 folletos, ropa y zapatos, suministros de dormitorio y muebles, útiles escolares, computadoras y juguetes—todo será una gran bendición para Efata y nuestras misiones. ¡DIOS puede!
Debido a que este proceso ha tomado más tiempo que el plazo de 30 días de almacenamiento gratuito que ofrece el centro de envío, nos cobrarán tarifas de almacenamiento retroactivos desde la fecha en que el contenedor llegó. Esto será muy caro. Por favor, oren para que sean misericordiosos y que nos exoneren ese tiempo, no cobrando lo que podrían. También, oren por los fondos adicionales que serán necesarios para terminar el proceso y desaduanar el contenedor.
En diciembre, una iglesia misión local se me acercó para pedir ayuda. Actualmente se encuentran reunidos en la casa de un hermano. Estoy predicando para ellos todos los domingos y trabajando con ellos para formalizar su misión y fortalecer sus creyentes. Esto ha sido una bendición y estamos agradecidos de poder ayudarlo.
Hemos recibido tres alumnos nuevos en el dormitorio esta semana. Por favor oren por su aprendizaje y crecimiento. Una niña fue llevada en la espalda por su madre soltera durante los primeros cuatro años de su vida, mientras que la madre vendía caramelos Mentos. Ahora esa madre busca desesperadamente una vida diferente y mejor para su pequeña.
Noticias de la Familia
¡Ya llegó! Joseph James Kotvas nació a Joseph y Zulema el 18 de diciembre. Él es nuestro segundo nieto. Estamos muy agradecidos al Señor por este nuevo regalo de vida.
Nuestros hijos están disfrutando sus vacaciones de verano. Judson cumplió 18 años el 16 de diciembre, así que ahora tenemos cinco hijos adultos. James comienza su último semestre en el seminario, y Jared terminará su segundo año en mayo también. Oren por ellos en sus decisiones para el futuro.
Gracias por todas sus oraciones y apoyo. Estamos muy agradecidos por las dos nuevas iglesias que nos están apoyando.
Hno. Joe y Lisa
James, Jared, Judson, Joy, John, Joel, Jessica, Jennifer
Jan 27, 2016 | Prayer Letters
“I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” John 9:4
Sorry this prayer letter is a bit late. I have been traveling a lot these past few months and so much has been going on. As the verse above implies, we must be busy about our Master´s business as time is short and there is much to do.
Ministry News
It has been a good year at Efata Ministries. This year we saw many deaf and hearing people saved and baptized and we are grateful to all the work that has been done.
School is out for our summer vacation as well as our seminary and Bible institute. We graduated a good-sized group of deaf children in December.
We are now working on repair and construction needs for new bathrooms, nursery, classrooms and workshops, as well as preparing for our Fires of Evangelism conference in February.
The new Deaf outreach in El Agustino that Joseph started is doing well and our mission churches in Tablada and Callao are going strong.
At the end of November, the container of donations of the Big Box Project from Jacksonville, FL. arrived in Peru. Please, please pray as the process of getting the container out of customs has been very difficult. We have to go through several government agencies and a private customs agency to get all the paperwork in order. What should be simple is very complicated, involving several changes to the donation letter itself and much revision of the cargo, which has been an expensive and laborious task. The government here required additional information for each item.
Four different government organizations are involved in approving the shipment. Requirements from one agency differ from those of another and the whole process is an exercise in bureaucracy. We pray that we are finally at the end. Almost 900 Bibles, 35,000 tracts, clothing and shoes, dormitory supplies and furniture, school supplies, computers, and toys—it will all be such a great blessing to Efata and our mission ministries. GOD can!
Because this process has taken longer than the 30-day window of free storage offered by the shipping facility, they will be charging us storage fees backdated from the date the container arrived. This will be very expensive. Please pray they will be merciful and donate some time to us and not charge what they could. Also, pray for the extra funds that will be needed to clear the container for release to us.
In December, a local mission church plant approached me to ask for help. They are currently meeting in a member’s home. I am preaching for them every Sunday and working with them to formalize their mission and strengthen their believers. This has been a blessing and we are thankful to be able to help.
We received three new dorm students this week. Please pray for them as they learn and grow. One little girl was carried by her single mother on her back for the first four years of her life, as the mother sold Mentos candies. She is looking desperately now for a different and better life for her little one.
Family News
He’s here! Joseph James Kotvas was born to Joseph and Zulema on December 18th. He is our second grandchild. We are so thankful to the Lord for this new gift of life.
Our children are enjoying their summer vacation. Judson turned 18 on the 16th of December. We now have five adult children. James begins his final semester in Bible College and Jared will finish up his second year in May as well. Pray for both of them as they make decisions for their futures.
Thank you all for your prayers and support. We are so thankful for the two new churches that have taken us on for support.
Thank you.
Bro. Joe & Lisa
James, Jared, Judson, Joy, John, Joel, Jessica, Jennifer
