30 Apr

His Glory Shines – April 2021 Ministry Update

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:6

Dear friends and family,

Thank you for your prayers for our family and ministry. As I mentioned in our last letter, my family and I have been in the States since December for paperwork and to raise additional missionary support.

Zulema signing a special with friends

Throughout March and April we have been traveling across the Midwest and Southwest, visiting Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas. The trip has been a blessing, with many opportunities to present our ministry and share what God is doing in Peru. The churches have been so encouraging.

Praise the Lord, several new churches have taken us on for monthly support, and many others have expressed interest. We are praying that we will reach 60% or even 80% before returning to Peru.

Next week we will be returning to Florida to finalize my wife’s US citizenship papers, visit a few more churches across the state, and prepare for our return to Peru in July. We are glad to be able to spend some time there with my father, Missionary Joe Kotvas, who recently had surgery on his lower back and is now in recovery. Thank you for praying for him and the family.

Over the past few months, our ministry in Peru has been working hard to help our church family with provision for physical and spiritual nourishment.

The Peruvian government continues to maintain a state of emergency due to the growth of COVID-19, with a strict quarantine still in effect. Many of our members, including several on our pastoral team, have been ill. Zulema’s father contracted the virus and was very sick for a few days. Thank the Lord he is recovering well.

Please continue to pray for our dear people. In the midst of these dark days, God’s glory shines through, and several have recently been saved there in Peru.

Moises and Naysha, two faithful deaf young people from our church, were married last week. It was a joy to see God’s faithfulness and perfect timing.

I had the privilege of preaching and officiating their wedding ceremony via Zoom, live streaming on our church’s Facebook page. What a unique experience!

Joseph Preaching a Wedding via Zoom
The Happy Couple
Joseph, Zulema and Grace

Our three small children continue to grow and thrive. They had a stomach infection earlier this month but are much better now. My wife is struggling with back pain and vertigo. The pace of travel has been extremely physically demanding for her. Pray for her to recover her strength. Grace has been doing great, growing stronger every day.

We have several upcoming financial needs, including traveling and shipping our belongings to Peru as well as setup costs once we arrive. Airline tickets and shipping will cost around $3000, and we will need around $3000 more to purchase appliances (refrigerator, washer, dryer, stove, air conditioning, furniture, etc.) once we arrive. If you are interested in helping with these setup costs, please let us know.

Thank you for all your prayers for us and our ministry. God has been faithful to us in times of trial, in danger, and in blessing. We know that we are not alone, and we are comforted to have you as part of our family, watching over us in your prayers.

Sincerely,

Joseph S Kotvas

Joseph and Zulema Kotvas
JJ, Esther & Grace