Dear Friend,
If you are receiving this, it is because I wanted to take the time to share with you that I am moving to Japan as a missionary and wanted to invite and give you the opportunity to partner with me in prayer and financial support.
My parents grew up Catholic and came to know the Lord during college. My mom gave her life to Jesus and soon after her whole family came to faith. My parents later joined Campus Crusade for Christ in Colombia and fell in love during a mission’s trip to the indigenous tribes there. They got married and came to America as missionaries. When I was 8, I remember kneeling by my bed, repenting, and asking the Lord to forgive me and come into my heart. Later in my teenage years the Lord really got a hold of my life and after high school I spent 8 months in Israel with my family volunteering in a Moshav. After that and just before starting college, I spent 5 months in ministry school together with my brothers where I grew more and became further equipped. Around 2013 my kidneys failed again, and my brother gave me his kidney just before launching into full time ministry with YWAM. After a successful and miraculous surgery I returned home with the rest of my family and joined the workforce. But before I did that I felt the Lord wanted me to do a Discipleship Training School with YWAM so that in the future if He led me to YWAM with my brother, I would be ready to do so.  Â
Â
I have been in the workforce here in Orlando for roughly the past 10 years and now I feel a strong call to full time ministry. I have been part of this amazing local church for around five years and the pastor is at peace with me departing to serve the Lord in Japan. My church is called Mosaic, located in Winter Garden and my Pastor's name is Danny Conner. They have various ministries but have a very beautiful ministry that helps families adopt children.
I will be heading to YWAM Oita. My brother Jose and Maegan have been with YWAM for a few years now. They were in YWAM for 3 years and now they are pioneering a base in Oita Prefecture. Oita is a smaller city compared to Tokyo but rich in Christian history from before the great persecution.
The team there is amazing and are working in various ways to bring the Gospel there through partnering with the local church, through art and street evangelism, through various culture celebration gatherings, and through an academy they have opened.
At the base I will help staff DTS's. Which are short term training and equipping schools for young people with a 2-month outreach in the end. I will also help with the social media department as well as teach weekly art classes at an academy they have just started for Elementary to Middle school students. In the future I want to also use my Animation degree to pioneer an arts and animation ministry within the base to reach Japanese students.
Â
Almost my entire Christian life I’ve felt a strong call to young people, I believe YWAM is an amazing place to walk to this calling out. The people of Japan are in great need of the Gospel and a generation who is passionately and uncompromisingly in love with their Savior. I ask that you pray and ask the Lord if He would lead you in supporting me financially. Thank you so much!
Juan