It is hard to believe that 30 years have passed since we first started the Hanhee Kim World Mission Center. I look back with many fond memories of countless children who have fallen in love with God, pastors who serve so humbly despite of their conditions, and servants who strive to follow the path of Jesus every day. I would have never imagined that we would be celebrating our 30th without the loss of someone I held so dearly in my heart. She was a small and poor church pastor’s wife but she had great vision and hope. It was to feed, clothe and educate the poor and needy children of this world. And yet she was called to be with the Father too soon due to severe exhaustion. But our God begun amazing work that only He can do. He moved the heart of a neighbor to give a mission offering of $50 in memory of Hanhee Kim. God sprouted a small seed that fell to the ground and died. Thirty years have flown by since then and we can’t even start to describe all that our God has done. And yet this we can be confident of: Our God is good, faithful and awesome God. He alone deserves to receive all the glory forever and ever! On this special anniversary, we are extremely grateful to our sponsors, sponsor churches, and volunteers. All of this would not have been possible without your support. And a special thanks to our Great Father, in whom we continue to serve faithfully for His Kingdom and Glory!

In the summer of 2023, God sent a group of young missionaries to share the gospel to the poor and needy children in Juárez, Mexico. There was so much doubt and worry in my heart as to whether God really wanted us to go there - a place of darkness where drug cartels thrive and women and children are being sex trafficked. I pleaded with God; if this isn’t Your will, please close the door. But the Lord convicted me through His Word, “Now then, stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your eyes!” (1 Samuel 12:16) So then, I did. I witnessed God work through the young missionaries. Regardless of their pasts, God chose all of them for this great task. In the face of darkness, the anointed next generation was full of joy, peace, and strength of Christ. They encountered Christ through His Word and were strengthened by His Word. After a long drive and crossing the border, we arrived at a small church by a mountain called, “¿Quién amará a los niños?” (Who will love the children?). Although the children had sadness in their eyes, they had the seed of hope as they laughed, played, worshiped, and heard the Gospel of Christ through the young missionaries. During our visitation, the pastor shared the story of a young girl named Sarah. She has two younger siblings, Serine and Abraham. Their father was involved in the darkness of Juárez and was killed. Their mother disappeared about a month ago after she asked the pastor to please take care of her three children as evil men were trying to kill her. As soon as we heard the story, we came together and prayed for Sarah’s family. We cried out loud, not only for the family, but for all the children in Juárez who are going through similar situations. On our way back home, we heard the good news that the 25-year-old mother of Sarah was found alive. She had been kidnapped, intoxicated, and sold as a prostitute. We praised God for His faithfulness in keeping this young mother alive and reuniting her with her children. We prayed that nothing in this world would ever place a finger on them again and that this young mother would be restored completely. The children of Juárez, including Sarah and her younger siblings, were grateful for their time with the young missionaries. When they hugged, I know it wasn’t just the missionaries they embraced, but Christ in them. The hope and love of Jesus were planted in these children. There were many testimonies of these young missionaries who had been impacted by the Spirit of Christ through these children, and it is an experience that they will never forget. But I know it will not end there. They are not missionaries just every summer on a road trip, but missionaries from the Lord 24/7 in their homes, with their families, with their friends, in the grocery stores, and on the streets. God continues to work, and I pray that they will continue to abide in Christ and have the boldness and confidence to share Jesus wherever they go.

God has a heart for the broken-hearted, the hurt, the blind, and the poor. And God has a great heart for 33-year-old Amudhaala Chantamma. Amudhaala was born blind, and growing up she depended on her parents to help her navigate through her small village. After she got married, she relied on her loving husband to fulfill this task, and once her two children were old enough to help, her 13-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter became their mother’s eyes. Unfortunately, a few weeks ago, Amudhaala lost her husband and because they were unable to work to make any payments, they also lost their home. Devastated, Amudhaala did her best to keep her children in school while she tried to make any money; but soon Amudhaala and her children found themselves living on the streets without a father or any family around. The church community had compassion for Amudhaala so they worked together to provide a piece of land for them to live on; but without any funds to buy any building material, Amudhaala and her children are currently residing at a neighbor’s house. If God moves your heart to help provide for Amudhaala and her family, please reach out to HHK WMC to see how you can help at 303-757-0777 or at coj@coj.org.

June has been a busy time for Pastor Samuel Abraham. The last weeks of May were filled with a Sunday school teachers’ and vacation bible school leaders’ training for over 70 villages. Various church leaders and pastors all gathered together to be commissioned to reach out to over 2,500 children this summer. Shortly after returning home, Pastor Abraham turned his attention over to his own church’s vacation bible school [VBS]. While the program has been a great outreach to the children of his community, nothing could prepare him for what God was about to do. To his surprise, this year’s VBS brought in over 270 local children! The team of 22 teachers, volunteers, and young missionaries had their hands full with this great harvest God had blessed them with. This remarkable yield has been a testimony of what God had started over many years ago with a small act of faith in Pastor Abraham’s life when he first laid that cornerstone to the Amazing Grace orphanage. Over 50 miles away, in a small village of S. NaraPuram, where just five months previously, Pastor Joshi laid a cornerstone in the soil, the walls of the church have just been finished being erected. Pastor Joshi was a former Bible student of Pastor Abraham and he has been pastoring in this quiet, remote village over the last several years. At the moment, Pastor Joshi and his congregation are able to meet in the safety of the church walls but he is praying for God to provide the funds to buy the iron sheets and metal frame to complete the roof over the church to keep the members dry during the rainy season. Just as with Pastor Abraham’s church, we also pray that Pastor Joshi’s church will continue to grow and produce more fruit as they reach out to their community of unbelievers.

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.