I am not sure if anyone remembers the movie Quo Vadis? It’s a very old movie that first aired in 1951. Peter is fleeing Rome in order to escape the great persecution of Nero against all Christians. That’s when resurrected Jesus walks by him. Peter asked, “Quo Vadis – where are you going?” Jesus simply answered, “I am going to Rome where you have fled.” Peter turned around and followed the Lord and there Peter was crucified upside down. Our God inspired our hearts to pray for Ecuador past few years. And finally He used His chosen people to confirm His will and plan for Ecuador last winter. He directed us to about 150 very poor and needy children in four different churches in Guayaquil. We decided to support them by providing school supplies and uniforms along with Sunday School materials. We prepared diligently to launch our very first COJ Project in Ecuador before their school year starts in May. And our team went down to Guayaquil this past April to distribute all the uniforms and school supplies for all 150 children and to conduct a Sunday School teachers training. But when we got there, the reality we faced was far worse than we had expected. First, the road to the churches have turned into a river. The rainy season in Guayaquil lasts over six months and the standing waters throughout the city are serious health threats. We were told, “You must put these rain boots on because if your body comes in contact with these waters, you’ll contract waterborne diseases.” “Also, please do not use your cell phones anywhere. You never know when you will be robbed or even attacked by the gangsters.” The community of Duran in Guayaquil is a major hub between powerful drug trafficking countries in Latin America, and these drug cartels have no regard for the lives of innocent people. We were told that even the native Ecuadorians are afraid of travelling into Duran in fear of their lives. “Your team is already on the list of these drug cartels. They closely monitor any new strangers visiting these communities.” That’s not all. The entire city is so corrupted, from social workers to public educators. Many of the uniforms for the children were ordered in advance. But when our staff went to pick them up the price had increased drastically. One of the school districts changed the color and style of the uniforms from one brand to another just one week prior to the school start date. A sister who decided to serve and work alongside us for the COJ Ecuador project was in tears and expressed her desire to give up only after a few months. Many of the Sunday School teachers who gathered for our training session did not know the Bible at all. They were looking into the Old Testament section when we asked them to open to the book of Romans. And the story goes on. Did we hear our God correctly? Can we and should we continue with this project? Wouldn’t it be better to pull out now rather than later? You have to be a fool to stand your ground in such circumstances and situations. All these doubts started creeping into our hearts and minds about this newly begun COJ Ecuador ministry. But as we prayed and sought the heart of our God, the Holy Spirit reminded us of Quo Vadis and the following words of an old praise song: “Father, we want our heart to be where your heart is. Father, we want our tears to be where your tears are. Father, we want our eyes to be where your eyes are fixed. Father, we want our feet to go for those who break your heart.” We know deep in our hearts that our Abba Father didn’t want to leave these children in the darkest places of Guayaquil. We don’t have much faith like those faith giants around us but simply want to obey and follow our King and Savior, Jesus Christ even if that means to die upside down. We would like to sincerely thank you for your wonderful partnership in this challenging endeaver through your faithful prayers and financial support for these suffering children. God bless you richly!

The nation of Peru is going through a period of political and social crisis, worsened in turn by the natural disasters caused by the Yaku cyclone and the possibility of the El Niño current forming with abundant rainfall. After the failed coup d’état of former President Pedro Castillo, current President Dina Boluarte has been dealing with the crisis. In Southern Peru (Puno - Juliaca) marches and indefinite strikes continue, aggravating the economic situation in that region. While in Northern Peru, 40 years since the last cyclone, the Yaku cyclone hit mainly the regions of Tumbes, Piura and Lambayeque with heavy rains, high temperatures, lightning and overflowing rivers that swept away everything in its path causing material damage and even human losses. Unfortunately, we received bad news that our COJ churches in Piura were also affected by the cyclone, so please lift them up in your prayers.

On March 13, 2023, the Spirit of God tugged our hearts to go visit a church located in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico named “Dios con Nosotros” (God with Us). Driving through the very humble neighborhood where the church was located, we saw a community in need. One of our members also noticed very dark clouds hovering above the community. We understood that there was more meaning to this than meets the eye. We had a very blessed welcome from Pastora Lola and her husband, Pastor José Martinez. They mentioned to us that most of the one-hundred and thirty children coming to their church did not have any fathers and would walk three miles after school to arrive at their church to eat one meal. For a lot of these kids, that was their only meal for the day. When the children and the mothers arrived, they were eager to engage in the program prepped for them. However, when trying to have a conversation with these children about Jesus, they were distracted and a lot of them were not really listening. We asked them who Jesus was and what He did for us, but not many of them knew. Some of the mothers also seemed like they were not paying attention either. It appeared they were burdened and tired with their current circumstances and hardships. We were discouraged by this and understood that the Pastor couple were overwhelmed with the amount of work required to provide for these children’s physical needs. However, their spiritual needs were not being met. We presented the children with goody bags for them to take back home. There were drinks and food in each of them but most importantly, a Bible for the children to learn about. To our amazement, when handing these goody bags to the children, the first thing they pulled out from them was the Bible. They were in complete awe and wonder of the Word of God. The Holy Spirit was not only telling us that this community was in physical desperation, but more importantly, these children were desperate for Jesus Christ. The next generation was hungry for Christ! However, there were no teachers to help facilitate these children about our God (Matthew 9: 35-38). We knew the dark clouds signified the dark principalities at work in Mexico destroying and distracting the lives of the young children and their families. However, their desperation and spiritual need for Christ signifies the light that has now dawned on them (Isaiah 9:2) We can say with confidence that these children are left with hope and faith, not from the physical provisions, but because of the seed of the gospel planted in their hearts. Please pray, if it’s God’s Will, for the Lord to use us to water that seed by sending out workers to help facilitate these children about Jesus Christ and support these single mothers so that they can provide for their kids and teach them about Jesus.

Pastor Rolando, one of our COJ and ROL [Raven of Love] pastors, serves at a small church that is located by the Amazon River in Iquitos, Peru. Besides pastoring the church, he also has a passion for missions. In his recent letter to his sponsor, he shared a testimony of a young lady that brought joy to our hearts. Her name is Ruth Esther, and she is a graduate of the COJ program. When she was 11 years old, her dream was to become a nurse to help those who are sick. However, God had a different but better plan for her. After she graduated from high school, she began seeking His will, and God stirred her heart to be a missionary. For a long time, Ruth has been praying fervently for the opportunity to receive mission training. As she prayed with faith, God honored and answered her prayer at last. Last month Ruth was invited by the “Associations of Native Evangelical Missions of the Peruvian Amazon” to participate in the transcultural missionary training. Like her pastor, Ruth has a strong call to missions, and God has been preparing her to be a missionary all these years through her spiritual sphere of influence. It is our vision and prayer that there will be many more COJ children like Ruth who become missionaries and go to the nations to share the Gospel! And we like to offer our sincere thanks to our faithful and loving sponsors for your continual partnership in raising up many “Children of Jesus!”

The recent history of Ecuador is riddled with gang violence. In 2021, Ecuador president Guillermo Lasso attempted to crush drug trafficking and production by declaring a state of emergency. Just weeks before this Presidential declaration, it was reported that a gang fight in a penitentiary that resulted in 119 inmates being killed and many more injured. However, this state of emergency would do little to calm the nation down as crimes and violent deaths continued to increase drastically. Both Guayaquil and Duran, major port cities, are the epicenter for cocaine traffickers as linchpin between two of the world’s largest producers of cocaine – Colombia and Peru. These major drug hubs are protected by the various Mexican Cartels who work with Ecuadorian gangs. It is this collaboration that has fueled the violence in Ecuador. Unfortunately, these gangs find the children and youth as easy prey, drawing them into their ranks either by choice or force. One day 10 members of a powerful gang walked into a local elementary school fully armed with weapons and threatened to kill the children if they didn’t do what they were told. Sadly and unfortunately, they carried out their threat and executed six children in front of the rest of the class. We are expecting a fierce spiritual battle in these regions as we start COJ Ecuador in obedience to our God’s call. While the drug cartels are there to take away their lives and use them for their evil purposes, COJ will be there to give life to these poor children in Jesus’ name. This will be our greatest battle yet. Therefore, we need all the firepower of your fervent prayers. Please pray for our almighty God to shatter the rods of these oppressors and to shine His great light upon the communities of Duran and Guayaquil. And please pray for God’s divine protection over all of our staff from the evil hands of these drug cartels. Also, please pray for the conviction and repentance of these gang members. Our God will give us great victory and the poor children of Duran will see the great light of Jesus Christ! Hallelujah!

Our God is faithful time and time again. Your fervent prayers have been answered! Just as the Lord led the Israelites by day in a pillar of cloud and by night in a pillar of fire to the promised land, He has made a way and opened the doors to start Children of Jesus ministry in Ecuador! Christ came to this earth to do the Father’s will - to heal the sick and save sinners. As followers of Christ, that is our vision - to bring Jesus, who is the source of life, to the least of these. Will you join us in prayer and support as we join God in His work in Ecuador, in Peru, in India, and to the ends of the earth?

All COJ children have received food baskets this Christmas season thanks to the faithful support of sponsors like you! Their hearts were filled with joy and thanksgiving for they know that their sponsors have labored and given generously. In Proverbs 19:17, the Lord promises to repay those who are gracious to the poor. May 2023 be a year full of God’s joy and blessings!