November 2019 Ministry Update
Dear Friends and Family,
Thank you for your prayers and support! God is so good to us. It is our joy and privilege to be able to serve him in ministry. I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the LORD.” – Psalm 122:1
A New Supporting Church. In October, I had the privilege to present our burden in six new churches across Kentucky and Illinois. We are thankful to Pastor Al Roose and the members of New Beginnings Baptist Church, Creston, IL, for partnering with us as our latest supporting church. One step closer to Peru!
This month we are traveling through Missouri, Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida as we continue raising support for the ministry to which God has called us.
World Evangelism Fellowship. Last week, I attended the World Evangelism fellowship and heard Dr. Don Sisk, Pastor Austin Gardner and other veteran missionaries preach on missions at Vision Baptist Church, Alpharetta, GA. What a challenge! The opportunity to fellowship with missionaries and learn from them at every stage of ministry – beginning deputation, finishing deputation, on furlough after some time on the field, and retiring with decades of service – was invaluable.
Macedonia World Baptist Missions Annual Conference. As I write this letter, we are preparing for our mission board’s annual conference, to be held this year at Calvary Baptist Church in Statesville, NC from November 13th to 17th. This will be another opportunity both to present our calling and to “sharpen our iron” with others with the same vision to fulfill the great commission and reach every creature with the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Family News. Joseph James (JJ) and Esther are doing great. Esther turned two last month, and we enjoyed celebrating with our current neighbors, Missionary Javier Pizarro and his family. Esther is adorable, learning and growing every day. What a precious gift from God!
Health Requests. Zulema’s health seems to be getting worse; please keep her in your prayers. She deals with back pain, insomnia, and dizziness and balance issues, among other things. We really need to do some further testing to ascertain if there is anything we can do to get some relief. Our support is not yet sufficient to cover medical insurance or bills, and we are praying for the Lord’s wisdom and provision in this matter. Also, please pray for the health of one of Zulema’s family members in Peru. I can’t give more details at this point, but we truly appreciate your prayers.
In Case You Missed It. Last month I included an appeal for help for Rafael Ramirez, a fellow missionary in Venezuela, along with a link to his recent video presentation. If you haven’t had the change to watch it yet, please take the time to do so; it is a great blessing and eye-opener to see what God is doing in Venezuela.
God bless,
Joseph and Zulema Kotvas, JJ and Esther