In the province of Orellana, in the Amazon of Ecuador, there is a beautiful town called Joya de los Sachas, where in 2009 the La Parker Baptist Church accepted the challenge of reaching local boys and girls through the PEPE Program. It was a great joy to see the dream come true with the birth of PEPE.
Many boys and girls have been reached with the love of the missionary-educators and the whole church. I attended the second year graduation, when I met the brothers Jorge Patrício and Diego Paul Soriano. The father was a Christian and the mother, who at the time was a Jehovah’s Witness, accepted Jesus Christ as savior, precisely at one of the parents’ meetings held by PEPE. As the mother grew up receiving Bible studies, something unexpected happened at PEPE. The missionary-educator fell ill and among the members of the church, no one felt able to accept the challenge of replacing the missionary-educator so that the children would not miss the school year. It was then that God placed Sandra, mother of Jorge and Diego, to teach the children of PEPE, taking over as the new missionary-educator. This story happened 14 years ago.
This year, I attended the graduation of some of the PEPE’s in the region and I was able to see that dear family again. What a joy to know and see how committed they are to God’s work and firmly support the ministry in the church where they met Jesus, through PEPE. The children, after PEPE, remained firm in Sunday Bible School and in other church activities and were baptized at age 16. And today, the boys have learned to play guitar and keyboard, and are leading God’s people to worship in spirit and truth, as Jesus taught us in John 4:24: “For God is Spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”
And the story continues because at the end of 2022, Jorge finished high school, went to university to study Electromechanical Engineering, stands out as an excellent student serving the Lord in the ministry of music at the First Baptist Church of Latacunga, close to where he studies. A month ago he went to the JUBLA congress that took place in my country. And listening to one of the conferences, he received the call to prepare for the ministry, he wants to be a preacher of the Word of God.
Diego Paul graduated from high school this year with excellent grades, helps out at church as a Sunday Bible School teacher, plays keyboards in the worship ministry, is going to college to study mechatronics engineering in September, and wants to be a missionary. The church where his brother is currently serving needs a keyboard player, they are praying for Diego.
I thank God for the lives of these young people and for allowing me to know them since they were very young, seeing them develop and grow in the ways of God, committed to his work, fills my heart with joy.
Please continue to pray for PEPE in Ecuador so that we continue to bring hope to many children and their families who need to know Jesus Christ and know how much they are loved by our God! We will still keep working until we complete the mission!
Angélica Marcillo – National Coordinator of PEPE Ecuador
translation by Joelma S. G. de Lima
