Columbia is the largest cocaine producing nation in the world. Over 3 million pounds of cocaine is produced yearly. The main port city that exports these drugs to the United States, Canada and Mexico is Guayaquil, Ecuador where our God has led us to start the COJ ministry this past January. Due to the drug trafficking, Guayaquil is filled with crime, violence, corruption and abuse. In fact, many children are victimized by brutal and violent gang members. Despite theses adversities, there is a pastor who has been fighting hard to protect the children from this unsettling environment with the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. His name is Marcos. He grew up in a poor family and went through dark times as he was also a victim of drug abuse. But ever since he met Jesus as his Lord and Savior, he devoted his life for the kingdom of God. Unfortunately, his health has deteriorated recently due to inadequate living conditions and health complications - stroke, severe diabetes, and worsening eyesight. On top of that, he lost his job and ability to make income for his family and ministry. He is faced with the reality of closing the church since he can no longer afford to pay the rent of $180 per month. But we believe and trust that our God who does not break the bruised reed and quench the smoking flax will help pastor Marcos and children of that church. We ask for your prayers and if you heart is moved and convicted to lend your helping hand to this ministry, please let us hear from you.

Time and time again, God is sovereign and He is always in control. Despite the many obstacles that we faced, including price increases, low supplies, manufacturing delays, and changes in uniforms, God has given us victory. Just in time for the start of a new school year, the uniforms and school supplies have been delivered to the COJ children in Ecuador. The children were so thrilled and excited to receive their gifts. However, as it is written in Ephesians 2:8, “For it is by grace you have been save, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—”, our prayer is that they will all receive the greatest gift of all, the gift of salvation, that was bought with the blood of Christ and freely given to us. Until then, let us continue to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth by praying, serving, and giving.

Unprecedented havoc is happening in Northern Peru and Southern Ecuador as the El Niño is bringing unwanted weather patterns to the regions. The water system has been majorly affected, people are suffering from the lack of drinking water, and the pools of standing rainwater are the best places for incubating millions of mosquitos, the source of the dangerous Dengue Virus. Inflation has hit a record high due to a lack of supply and damaged road systems. Our staff went to the city of Piura last month to assess the situation and to visit our COJ churches and children. One of the churches had holes in the roof, sunken floor, and walls covered with black molds, creating very hazardous environments and conditions for the children worshipping our God there. Our hearts were heavy and troubled thinking about these children and the moldy house of our mighty God. As we prayed for the situation, the Spirit of God inspired our hearts to rebuild the church building for them. As soon as the rain and flooding stop, we want to gift these children a new, clean and safe place for worship and Bible study. If God is moving your heart, will you join Him in this wonderful work? And will you please join us in praying the following prayer? “Lord, let the new house of God be a place where the mighty next generation are trained and raised for Your kingdom and glory.”

It has been 25 years since the Lord sent us to Peru to start the COJ ministry for the poor children there. We don’t know the exact number of children we have helped since then, but we can confidently share that many poor children are not only proud citizens of Peru, but also of the Kingdom of God! We can see that Peru is no longer a third world country and have been wondering how much longer the Lord wants us to be there. Then, last May, our Lord took us to a place we have never imagined. From the city of Cusco, we drove 3 hours along a very rugged mountain road to one of the ABBA Conference regions of Paucartambo. Then, we travelled another 4 hours to Villcabamba, a community located 4,200 meters (13,800 feet) high in the Andes Mountain. It is known as the last village of the Incas. The Incas were one of the most powerful kingdoms in Latin America some 500 years ago, boasting in their power and skills. But now only a handful of their descendents live in these mountain regions. And there our Lord introduced us to the poorest but the most precious children we have met in the last 25 years. As the thick clouds were moving below the mountaintop we were standing on, these children prayed and received Jesus into their hearts. And there were tears of joy and thanksgiving flowing down our faces, as we experienced a powerful love for the children there. Even though no one else knew about these children at the ends of the earth, our Lord Jesus did. Thank you, sponsors, for joining Christ in His redemptive work even in places like Villcabamba. May our Lord richly bless you!

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!”