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!

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined. You have multiplied the nation and increased its joy; they rejoice before You according to the joy of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For You have broken the yoke of his burden and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.” (Isaiah 9:2-4) The verses above are an amazing prophetic message regarding our Savior Jesus coming to this world as the light to set the captives free from the bondage of sin and darkness. And yet, when Jesus came, He told His followers and believers that “you are the light of the world!” Let us put our hearts and strengths together in 2023 to shine the brightest light to the poor, needy, and struggling children and youth that are dwelling in the darkness and shadow of death. We are very excited about the new door being opened to the needy children of Ecuador. The community of Duran has several thousand children who have never been to school because they have no means of supporting themselves. It’s not only the darkness of poverty or hardship, but the community of Duran also has the highest crime rate in the entire nation of Ecuador and so many children are dwelling under the shadow of death. We want to shine the light of Jesus to this community. At the same time, we want to reach more orphans in 2023. Let us become the channel of His love and mercy to those who are living with the burden of being orphans without someone to take care of them. Our wonderful Lord will give us the joy of great harvest and plunder, taking back what the enemy has stolen from God’s presence. We will witness and testify how our God has used us to bring life more abundant to the least of these! Furthermore, may our Lord be present in your hearts, in your family, and in all that you do, and may He fill you with greater joy in 2023!

Our 2022 annual magazine is now available. Read about all the mighty things God has done through Hanhee Kim World Mission Center over the 2022 year and how you can join us in prayer for 2023!

When Apostle Peter was imprisoned, the church earnestly prayed to God (Acts 12:5). As a result, the prison gate flung open and he was freed. Our pastors are at the forefront of the spiritual battle and Satan will do anything and everything he can to destroy and bring down the pillars in the church. In addition to the spiritual battles, our pastors in Peru are also battling a seemingly endless list of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, arthritis, Parkinson’s, and etc. Therefore, let us join forces and pray for the health and well-being of our pastors, that they may be strengthened and encouraged to run the race marked out for them.... Join us in more prayer here!