September - November 2006 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and family,

Rev. 3:8

“I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.”

I would like to share with you the home going of the founder of Efata. Missionary Vernon Miller went home to be with the Lord on November 14th. He was an inspiration to all who knew him or knew of him. He was a pioneering deaf missionary and was the first sent out by Independent Baptists. His vision for reaching the Deaf continues through Efata Ministries and we are grateful to carry on that vision.

Ministry News

In September we had our annual Bible Conference. It was wonderful with great preaching and fellowship. There were many salvations and decisions made. Deaf Evangelist Ronnie Rice and deaf Missionary Allen Snare both did a wonderful job preaching and teaching during the conference.

Recently two of my sons Joseph and James, as well as five other men from our church and I completed a three-week mission trip to Chile and Argentina. We put thousands of miles on the van as we traveled.

The goal of the trip was to see the need for Deaf missions in these countries and determine how best to proceed in meeting this need. We met several Deaf along the way and were greatly impacted with the white - ready for harvest mission field that we saw. As the verse above states, I believe that we have an “open door” or window of opportunity to reach out to the Deaf in these countries.

Along the way we met several pastors and missionaries that have pledged their help in starting Deaf ministries in these countries. Several of the men are praying about decisions regarding becoming missionaries in these places. My son James has surrendered to go to Chile as a missionary to the Deaf. He is 13 now. Pray that the Lord will guide during these very formative years in his preparation and passion for reaching the Deaf in Chile.

Others on the trip expressed a desire to work in Argentina. We are currently training the Caceres family from Argentina to return to Argentina to begin their work there among the Deaf. They are an incredibly dedicated family and are going to do a great work in Argentina. The blessing is that there are several churches and individuals who wish to help them and work in this needed ministry. They will help to make an effective team in reaching the Argentine Deaf for Christ.

The home ministry of Efata continues to grow. Every time we complete an expansion project, more children come. We have been receiving new children from the government and have a great need for more space and workers.

Family News

All is well with the family. Joel is growing and doing great. Joseph and James really enjoyed the mission trip. Lisa and Julianne held the fort as the men were away. Jenny, the little two year old deaf girl living with us, began to walk and is opening up and has become a wonderful part of our family. All the kids are doing great.

We continue to pray for a missionary lady who would like to come for a year or two and help Lisa with home schooling. Please pray about this. Pastors, please make this need known to those who you would recommend for this short-term missionary work.

Special Needs

We have several special needs that we would ask that each one of you pray about.

Land – God has put on my heart to search for an appropriate piece of land where we can move the Efata Children’s home for the Deaf.

We are OUT OF SPACE at our main complex which houses the school, the church and the home. We need to build more classroom space and only have one more area we can use effectively for dormitory space. If we move the home ministry to its own location, this will greatly increase our effectiveness in reaching deaf children for Christ as we practice the pure religion of the Bible.

Support – We have a great need for support for the children. We have more children but not more support. Please pray about supporting an individual deaf child. Become a part of their lives. Please contact us if you would like to help sponsor an Efata deaf child. You can go to our website at efata.org, e-mail us at jkotvas@efata.org or call us directly at (770)530-9410.

Workers - Please pray that the Lord will provide funding so we can hire needed staff for the home and school. As well, pray that God will call more to come as missionaries and give their lives in the Lord’s service.

Efata Ministries now has a blog that can keep you up to date with us on a regular basis. We will no longer be sending out e-mail Extras. If you would like to receive these regular updates, simply go to efata.org and subscribe. We hope you will avail yourselves of this wonderful way to keep informed about our ministry here in Peru.

God Bless,

Bro. Joe & Lisa
Joseph, Julianne, James, Jared, Judson, Joy, John, Joel