July 2020 Prayer Letter
Dear friends and family,
Greetings from Peru! Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and support. God is good, and despite current circumstances, our family and ministry are well.
As I mentioned in our last prayer letter, we have been on a modified quarantine and curfew since March. These restrictions were lifted to some extent in July, but there is still a 10:00pm curfew as well as restrictions on assembly and travel.
I requested prayer for several people in our previous letter, and I want to share with you how they are doing. Pastor Austin Gardner was in a coma for 21 days but has since beaten the virus with the Lord’s help and is recovering his strength one day at a time.
Gisela Sayritupac was overwhelmed by the virus and passed away last month. Please continue to pray for her family as she is greatly missed. Praise the Lord, we will see her again in glory. Pastor Jairo Villaseca’s other family members have recovered, but his mother just tested positive for the virus, so please continue to pray for them. Our church lost two additional members this month from other causes.
Thank you for your prayers for our people. Also, thank you so much to everyone who has continued helping with the food for needy families. It is such a blessing to our congregation and community.
The virus finally made it to our family; I contracted COVID-19 several weeks ago, as did my parents and several of my brothers and sisters and several others in the ministry here. Out of an abundance of caution, I moved into a guest bedroom for almost two weeks, but praise the Lord I had minimal symptoms, and am now fully recovered. Zulema and the kids tested negative.
I know many of you who are reading this letter may have been impacted by the coronavirus personally. Know that I am praying for you and your families also.
Zulema is doing well; thank you to all those who have been praying for her pregnancy.
Lord willing, in less than two months we will be holding our little girl in our arms! We are so looking forward to meeting our Grace Lynn Rose Kotvas the second week of September.
As we approach childbirth, we will have some additional expenses. The Lord has been good to us in the birth of each of our children and has always provided for all our needs according to his riches in glory.
I have continued to preach and teach over the internet throughout this time, using Facebook Live for messages and Zoom for my Sunday School class. It is wonderful to see how the Lord uses these things to encourage and strengthen our deaf people.
There is a renewed desire among many of our people to reach their friends and family for Christ. Cesar Salas, one of our deaf men, recently invited me over to his home to share the Gospel with his family at a memorial service for his sister. The family listened respectfully, but It was so sad to see the grip Catholicism had on their souls. Pray for the Lord to shine a light in the darkness of this family.
God bless!
Joseph and Zulema Kotvas, JJ and Esther