These
past couple of months have been very busy here at Efata and for our ministry
overall. During these months the Lord has put it upon my heart to preach and
encourage our church in personal revival.
As the verse above clearly shows, God will respond if we turn from our
own ways and seek Him.
Ministry News
We
can see God moving within our youth group.
During camp there were several teens who dedicated or rededicated their
lives to Christ. Two young men surrender
to preach and be involved with the Deaf full-time during a tremendous youth
conference at a sister church here in Lima.
You can see changes in attitudes and actions.
In addition, there have been several salvations during the soul winning time and open-air preaching, many baptisms, and a series of baby dedications that have taken place these couple of months.
The new structure
School just started back March 4th and we have been in a construction project for the past two months adding a new multi-purpose area for the school and church on the second story over our cafeteria. I have clearly demonstrated that I am not a professional drywall hanger, but I have enjoyed working alongside our men during this time.
We
currently still have an appeal in to be exonerated from municipality
taxes. We were exonerated from property
tax, but the municipal service tax is still pending. We are talking a tax in excess of
$7000.00. (Understand this tax used to
be less than $5.00 a year for us, then the municipality decided to reevaluate everything,
and this is the result of back tax hikes back to 2012 from which by law we
should be exonerated from paying.)
Family News:
Joseph
has been working as our Pastor to the Deaf for almost four years. He is now on furlough/deputation with his
family to raise much needed support. He
had very minimal support when he came down to get married and could not return
to finish raising his support until now.
Please pray for him that he will be able to raise his support quickly
and return to the field.
James
and Ann have completed a six-month term of field prep with us and are now on deputation
to raise their support as well. They
just had a baby, Elsie Joy, and we are thrilled for this addition to our
family.
IF you would like to have either Joseph or James in for a meeting, here are their phone numbers and e-mails. You may contact them to schedule them in. I know they would love to hear from you.
Lisa
was able to go the States for a couple of weeks to help our daughter Julianne
and her husband Frank with the birth of our 7th grandchild.
Thank
you all once again for your care for us and the ministry in which God has given
us the privilege of serving Him. We hope to hear from you soon and look forward
to scheduling visits with you as the Lord allows.
Blessings to all,
Joe & Lisa Kotvas Joy, John, Joel, Jessica, Jennifer
As 2018 ends and we
prepare for 2019, I Think of the verse above and not only rejoice in the “day”
that the Lord has made, but in the year that the Lord has made and allowed us
to continue to serve him.
I want to let you all
know that we are greatly blessed by your prayers and financial care for us as
we all partner together to fulfill our Lords command to go into all the world
and preach the Gospel.
This year has seen so
many blessings and overcome trials that we can only look back and see how great
our God is and can agree with the Psalmist when he wrote multiple times in
Psalm 107: Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his
wonderful works to the children of men!
This year we have seen
many deaf and hearing saved, baptized and growing in the Lord. We have
seen marriages strengthened, abortions averted, ground-breaking advancement on
a new church plant, young people more dedicated and improvement in
infrastructure of our facilities.
2018 was special as
well in that our son James graduated with his master’s degree in Missions from
Baptist College of Ministry and was married, and he and his wife Ann are
expecting their first child. He is also a full-time missionary who is
spending 6 months here at Efata before embarking on their deputation to raise
their support to come and work in Peru as well. Joseph and Zulema with their
two little ones will also be on furlough/deputation beginning in Feb. of 2019.
We are also excited for Julianne and Frank who are expecting their 4th
child in March.
During 2018, we had
the blessing and honor to travel over 50,000 miles reporting to churches and
visiting new churches to give an account of our stewardship of the sacrificial
giving and financial support for Efata Ministries and our family; as well as challenging
and encouraging churches regarding missions and Deaf missions
specifically. Though we were not able to visit all our churches that
partner with us this furlough, we will do all we can to catch up with you all
as the Lord gives opportunity. It was a blessing to meet some new pastors
of churches that have been supporting us for many years and to forge a solid
relationship with these servants of the Lord and they lead their churches
onward for the Lord. We will also miss our pastor friends who have moved
on or passed away during our time here in Peru.
2019 looks to be a
year of many opportunities and challenges for us here in Peru and we look
forward to seeing how God leads and guides us as we move forward for Him in
this new year that is upon us The blessing is we will not be facing this new
year alone. We know that God is with us and that you are there for us as well
with your prayers, notes of encouragement financial gifts and support.
May God continue to use you all for His glory where you are and around the
world.
It has been an incredible time of traveling and reporting to most of our wonderful friends and partners in ministry. Everyone has been gracious, generous and supportive of the ministry God has blessed us with. We had the privilege of being in many wonderful new churches as well during this time. We are praying that many will be able to directly partner with us and the work we are doing in Peru among the Deaf and hearing.
After one year in the States, we flew back to Peru on November 15th. It’s good to be home. Our kids are overjoyed to be back, and we are settling back into the ministry and preparing for what the Lord has in store for us in the months and years ahead. We have been so blessed to see eight souls saved these weeks we have been back.
James and Ann have settled in for their six-month mission work at Efata. Thank you to those who have responded to our appeal to help them for this short-term mission work prior to them going on full-time deputation to raise their support to return permanently. Please keep Ann in prayer for her health and pregnancy. It has been a tremendous blessing to Efata to have them here.
Juan Zevallos and his family at Efata for Family Day
The work in Peru is going strong. They had 350 people in Efata for Family Day in October. Six souls were saved and 3 baptized during this time.
We do have a few major prayer requests for you to pray about:
First, the local city hall has assessed a large tax on Efata that is retroactive to 2012. They say we owe 144,500 Soles, which equates to approx. $44,000. Of course, we do not have that kind of money and are applying for an exemption. We have already been exempted from the property taxes, but these are service taxes that we used to pay at a rate of $3 a year. The government has changed, and we are not against paying our fair share, but this is a retroactive commercial rate that is going back and covering years that were already payed. It is a long and complicated story. Please pray for the “king’s heart”, that God will turn it in our favor.
Second, please pray for the continued advancement of the work in Chancay. This month we were able to have a wall built around the property and more contacts have been made. Please pray for God to raise up this work.
Third, please pray for our mission in Pucallpa. Missionary Henry Vasquez, who is overseeing that work, will be moving to Lima this month due to his wife’s heart problems. They will work with us in the new Chancay church plant. The ministry in Pucallpa has been very difficult, and we are selling the property that we have there with the intent of buying property further out of town where the population is headed and moving the work there to reach more people. We already have Bible studies in these areas. We have not been able to sell the property and now we need a new national missionary/pastor to take the work over and carry it through its transition. Pray for God’s wisdom and leading in all of this as well.
Thank you once again to every church, family member and friend who has hosted us and cared for us during this special time of reacquainting with our friends and supporters. A special thanks to all the new friends and churches we have met along the way. It is wonderful to know that mission work is still the heartbeat of many as it is still the heartbeat of God!
Joe & Lisa. Children: Joy, John, Joel, Jessica, Jennifer
I would like to take this time to thank all of you once again for your wonderful care and support for our family as your representatives in Peru, South America and Beyond, reaching both the Deaf and hearing.
We are continuing our furlough, visiting our supporting churches and friends and visiting several new churches and meeting new friends as we travel across the country. During this time, we have been encouraged and blessed as we have reacquainted with you.
We have our return tickets to Peru for November 15th and have a great deal of work waiting for us. We are grateful to the Lord for the wonderful staff and ministry partners he has given us that keep the ministry going in our absence.
Let me present to you a very special opportunity to be a further blessing and help to the work in Peru. As many of you know, my son James and his new wife Ann are on deputation to come to Peru as missionaries. They are planning a six-month mission trip, working on the field, allowing Ann to get to know the culture, languages and people of Peru, and helping them prepare for their move to Peru after deputation. They have their tickets to Peru for the 2nd of October 2018.
I would like to personally ask all of you if you would help James and Ann with either a one-time love offering to help them with the expenses of the six-month mission trip or if possible, if you could even begin supporting them as missionaries to Peru on a monthly basis either for this six-month trip or permanently.
James grew up in Peru and now he is returning as a missionary with his new family. He is also expecting his first child in February. Many of you know or remember James from when we visited with you in the past. James now has a master’s degree in missions, a wonderful MK wife and a strong missions-focused testimony. He has helped teach at mission’s camp for the last several years to mission-minded college students.
James is fluent in Peruvian Spanish and Peruvian Sign Language and before he went to college was an active leader in our ministry and is completely knowledgeable regarding Peruvian culture. His wife, Ann was born and raised in Japan and is no stranger to missions. She has had a love for the Deaf and a long-held desire to come to Peru, even before her courtship and marriage to James.
When they return from this trip, we are hoping they will be able to raise their needed support quickly, so they can return and continue the work that God has called them to do.
Thank you so much for your consideration for Jamesand the overall mission work of Efata Ministries and the Kotvas family which you have been faithfully supporting. He is going to be a tremendous asset in our outreach and church planting ministries. Below is James’ contact information if you would like to reach out to him for further information. Feel free to call me as well – 813-406-2838.
The Family is doing great. The kids are getting a great education visiting various national monuments and locations (D.C., Philadelphia, Mount Rushmore, Statue of Liberty, Gateway Arch St. Luis, etc.) as well as different areas of the US and Canada. God has used His people to be a tremendous blessing to us all along the way!!! Thank you to all.
Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. Psalm 68:19
These have been some of the most fantastic months for us in our ministry and family. God is great and does daily load us with benefits. Even when times are stressful and difficult, God is good.
Ministry News
Stateside furlough
Our furlough is going well. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family of supporting churches. We have thoroughly enjoyed spending time with each of you we have had the privilege to visit. Our schedule is almost completely full.
To our churches that we have not been able to contact or visit, we love you and are grateful for you. We look forward to seeing you in the future. Pastor, we would be happy to connect with you by phone. Our number is 813-406-2838 and my e-mail address is jkotvas@efata.org.
Field-side news:
On May 20th Efata Baptist Church celebrated its 41st anniversary. It was a great joy for Lisa and I to be able to fly down for the Anniversary and also for a Spanish La Espada (The Sword) Conference with Evangelist Daniel Garlick and Joel Marsh from Redemption Baptist Church in Tampa, FL. There were several saved and 43 people came forward surrendering their lives to serve God, 34 From Efata, 6 From our mission in Tablada and 3 From our good friends’ churches with Team Peru.
One of the most exciting honors we had was to ordain one of our Deaf Bible College Graduates to the Gospel Ministry. Bro. Frank Chavez has been working with us as he was studying. He graduated in December with his Bachelor’s Degree. He was married last October and is expecting his first child. He is the first qualified Deaf man we have ordained in 17 years. Our first Deaf man that we ordained in 2000, Jorge Pozo, Missionary to the Deaf in Huancayo, was present and participated in this wonderful ordination counsel and service. He is a faithful example for Frank to follow.
During our time in Peru, a young man named Marcos, one of our deaf students in the school, came to us and asked for forgiveness for his rebellious attitude and told me that he wanted to be a preacher of the Gospel. Please pray for him that he will allow God to work in his life to make His will clear and plain and that he will keep himself unspotted from the world.
We continue to move forward with our purchase and securing of land in Chancay. Please pray that we will be able to raise the additional funds needed to purchase additional land and to secure the property. As we get closer to the need, I will write to you more about that. Currently, one of our assistant pastors is going there three to four days a week and working with the people that live in the area and preparing the ground work spiritually for the church plant.
Family News
Lisa and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary on the 20th of May as well. I was thankful she was able to travel with me, so we would not be separated from each other during this special time. Joseph was able to make this possible when the Visa came through for his wife Zulema and they were able to come to the States for James’ wedding. They were able to stay with the children while we were away.
We are excited to announce the addition of a new DAUGHTER to the Kotvas family! Ann (formerly) Smith and James were married in a beautiful ceremony at Falls Baptist Church in Menominee Falls, WI. She is a wonderful MK born in Japan to missionaries Randy and JoAnne Smith who have been serving in Japan for 30 years.
After their honeymoon, they will begin full-time deputation as missionaries to Peru and beyond. We are so excited to have them join our mission team. They will work at Efata and have a unique ministry as well to unreached people groups in interior regions of Peru and other countries.
Jared (Air Force) & Judson (Marine Corps.) are doing well as they serve in their respective services. We have had several opportunities to spend time with each of them when we are close and especially during the wedding. What a blessing we had at both Mother’s Day and the wedding to have ALL of our children, grandchildren and parents present for the first time ever.
We continue to travel miles and miles and miles…… reporting to our churches. The children are doing great. Not so sure that Dad is as much of a trooper as they are! Smile…!
Thank you to every church and individual who has helped and is helping us along our way as we visit our wonderful friends and mission family of supporters. We have greatly enjoyed meeting so many new churches and friends as well. Thank you for allowing us the privilege of being with you.
Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.
Romans 1:13
It has been a joy as we visit both new and supporting churches. As Paul states above, he had a great desire to visit the church at Rome so that he could share in their ministry and have fruit among them. That is how we feel; we wish to be with you all and share with you and have fruit among you as well.
Ministry News
Stateside furlough:
We have had wonderful meetings and fellowship with our supporters and new friends. A passion for missions is alive and well in many places in America. We are thankful to see this.
If we were not able to schedule you this year, feel free to contact me if you would still like to connect with us. If it is possible, we will try to make a meeting happen. My number is (813) 406-2838 and my e-mail address is jkotvas@efata.org. If nothing else, I would love to talk with you. We love and thank God for each of you.
Field-side news:
Please pray for Peru. They are going through a political crisis. The president has resigned, and the country is still reeling from the construction bribery scandal that has plagued it. Pray the new president’s transition will go smoothly and the country can move forward.
In May I will be returning to Peru for the church’s anniversary and for a “La Espada” conference. We are really looking forward to these two wonderful events and meetings to encourage and train our people in the Lord’s work. Lord willing, we will also be ordaining Frank Chavez, the Deaf young man who recently graduated from our Bible college and married Margot, a precious young lady who grew up in Efata. He is doing a great job and we are looking forward to this momentous occasion in his life. I will keep you posted.
We are advancing with the new mission work in Chancay, two hours north of us. We are excited about this work. One of our national pastors is now living there and visiting and working with the residents who live in the area. Please pray as we establish this new church and ministry.
Deaf camp in January was wonderful. Bro. Alan Snare, Deaf evangelist, preached, and many lives were touched. Two were saved, and many deaf gave testimony to how God worked in their lives. Two weeks later was hearing camp. They had approximately 150 participating and many decisions were made for the Lord. Only in eternity will you see all the fruit that came as a result. Thank you, Pastor Ronald Tubillas for coming to preach this year!
School has started and is going well. We have several new students; the teachers are very busy! Please pray for our students as God works in hearts and opens their minds to know HIM and grow in grace and knowledge. He has blessed us with a wonderful staff. Pray as we start an adult tutoring class for those who are illiterate.
Family News
Please pray for Joseph. He is doing a great job at Efata as we are away. However, he desperately needs to raise his support, but cannot until we return. As you know, he only raised a small amount on deputation before coming to Peru, then married, and has two beautiful babies, born C-section. This has left them hurting financially. He is working on all the visa paperwork for His wife Zulema to come to the States and the process is expensive and slow. If any of our dear friends and supporters could help him with a love offering, it would be a great blessing. Just send it to Macedonia with a note “Joseph Visa”. He would like to be able to come to his brother James’ wedding in May and stay for a month or so to reach out and raise more support. but he simply does not have the funds. Joseph is a hard-working missionary with his own new mission work in El Agustino, teaching in the Deaf School, and pastoring the Deaf at Efata. He is an incredible young missionary, has a heart for the Lord, and is making a difference. Please, consider this great need.
James is doing great and preparing for marriage and the mission field. He was accepted by Macedonia as a missionary to Peru. We will keep you up to date as things draw near.
Please pray for Bro. Bob Miller, he is the former pastor of the church where I served before going to the mission field and is my daughter Julianne’s father-in-law. He is struggling with bone cancer and a damaged spine from two car crashes where his car was rear-ended. Please, pray for God to intervene and help him get relief.
Judson will be moving to Camp Lejeune in April. We are looking forward to getting him connected with a good ministry nearby. Jared is doing well in the Air Force in Panama City.
The five children still at home are enjoying traveling and experiencing life on the road in the States on furlough. God has been SO good to them and us.
Joe & Lisa Kotvas
Joy, John, Joel, Jessica, Jennifer
Joe & Lisa. Children: Joy, John, Joel, Jessica, Jennifer
Let me present to you a very special opportunity to be a further blessing and help to the work in Peru. As many of you know, my son James and his new wife Ann are on deputation to come to Peru as missionaries. They are planning a six-month mission trip, working on the field, allowing Ann to get to know the culture, languages and people of Peru, and helping them prepare for their move to Peru after deputation. They have their tickets to Peru for the 2nd of October 2018.
