Adios 2019! Hola 2020!
As we ring in a new year, we cannot help but reflect on the year that is ending. 2019 was an incredible year for Kings and Queens. It was full of joy, growth, service, blessings, and so much gratitude! Review the fullness of this year in the photo series below!
JOY
2019 was full of joy! The young men of Casa de Reyes celebrated school promotions, delighted in a finished soccer field to call their own, and were thrilled to experience the joy brought by several mission teams!
GROWTH
2019 was full of growth! Our church plant, Divine Grace, grew in members. New young men were added to Casa de Reyes. We took in younger boys in our new home, Casa de Reyes Niños. We added new board members and hired Amanda Markley, our non-profit coach & advisor.
SERVICE
2019 was a year of service- both in Peru and in the United States! All fundraising events could not have been possible without the efforts of volunteers who served so graciously. Our gala committee especially helped ensure a successful second annual gala through selfless service. Several mission teams went to Peru and poured their heart and souls into building relationships with our boys and serving the city of Iquitos. Our church plant, Divine Grace, served its neighboring community well. The young men of Casa de Reyes invested their time and energy into tutoring younger children and spending quality time with them.
BLESSINGS
We experienced countless blessings this year through generous donors and miracles from God. Our ministry would not exist without support from donoros. This year we raised $14,000 at our Top Golf event and riased $58,575 at our second annual gala. We recieved generous donations year round and maintained monthly recurring support as well. We were gifted incredible items- such as a bus to use for transportation and soccer goals for our boys! Dozens of people took time our of their busy lives to go serve and love on our boys. The young men and boys in our home are healthy and are thriving in many areas. We are truly blessed!
GRATITIUDE
We are bursting with gratitude for all that God has done in our ministry this past year. We are especailly grateful for the completion of several different construction projects this year that enhances our ministry for years to come- a garage, walkways, home remodeling, and the construction of our church! We are thankful for our beautiful land that is self-sustaining. We are grateful for all of the people- from donors to staff to board members to volunteers to prayer warriors- who make our vision to combat child abandonment a reality. We are grateful for God's continuous faithfulness. He is so good, and we praise him!
God Gave the Growth
Emily Reeves, Sponsorship Coordinator
After serving since 2012, I spent my first Thanksgiving in Peru this year. My trip was full of joy and love at being reunited with the young men of Casa de Reyes- my friends and brothers. It was full of hugs from the new boys of Casa de Reyes Niños. It was my first time to meet them. When I told the boys goodbye at the end of the trip, one of them begged me not to leave- calling me his mama. It's a grim reality- thousands of children in Iquitos are abandoned or on the brink of abandonment and are in desperate need for healthy attachments- and for Jesus to cover them in his love and heal them in his goodness. My heart breaks over the pasts of these new, young boys, but has such hope in their futures. I am thankful for the love and care they are receiving in the new home and am positive that God will use their time here- however long or short- to grow them in his love.
This trip included a lot of firsts for me- my first time to meet the new boys, to see the finished church, to eat at restaurants I didn't even know existed, to hold a sloth (and I am not ashamed to admit I happy cried!), to be strongly dependent on my broken Spanish, and so much more. It was also my first trip since 2012 without Jair being in our home.
I met Jair when he was twelve years old in an orphanage. We chose each other as our own flesh and blood. Every year we poured life into each other. We’ve helped one another and gone through life together- even when we were apart (thank you, WhatsApp!). I love him the same way I love my daughter Lenox. I keep saying how hard this year has been, but one of the hardest things I’ve ever experienced was when Jair left our home this year to live with his family. I was happy for him to be reunited with family, but the grief that would overtake me knowing I may never see him again was almost too much to bear.
We barely get to talk now. The village in which he lives has rarely any service. I sent messages telling him when I would be here- just hoping for a way to see him. And see him I did.
Jair traveled for three days from his hometown on a boat down the Amazon river with over 300 people crammed in it with no rooms and only hammocks to sleep on to get to me in Iquitos.
He boarded that boat to get to me before I ever even left Alabama.
1 Corinthians 13 says, even if we have everything- we have nothing if we don’t have love. It tells us love is above all things. Verses 4-7 say, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”
If there is one thing Jair and I have done well, it is show one another this exact love that could only come from God. We have planted seeds in one another, and I can only pray that no matter where we are in life or what we go through, that they will continue to blossom.
1 Corinthians 3:6 says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” I pray God will grow Jair in all things good, revealing more of himself, more of his goodness, to him always.
I love him so. And I love all of the young men and boys in our homes. I love the community and the entire city of Iquitos. I love it all so much that sometimes I feel like it will all come bursting out of me. And as I reflect, I find myself clinging to the fact that God loves Jair, our young men and boys, and all of the people in that city, and Iquitos itself even more than I do. I find expectant hope welling up inside of me for the growth that God will give to all the love we are working so hard to plant.
Christmas in the Jungle!
Thanks to the generous contributions of supporters, our winter leadership team to Peru (including a first trip for board member, Jennifer McWilliams!) was able to deliver over 60 filled Christmas stockings, shoes, and even a new foosball table to Casa de Reyes! The children celebrated with smiles and excitement for the Christmas season of giving, while remembering the true gift of Jesus!
Looking Ahead to the New Year
Here are five ways YOU can get involved with Kings and Queens this coming year!
Pray: Pray specifically for our Peruvian staff members, the boys in our home, our financial needs to be met, and for wisdom in regards to all aspects of our ministry.
Donate: Donate your time by volunteering to help with fundraising events. Donate your resources by sending items and gifts to Peru with our mission teams. Make monetary donations to help make a difference in the lives of the children we serve.
Partner: Partner with us by making monthly recurring donations to further the impact we can make in our efforts to combat child abandonment in Iquitos. We are specifically looking for churches and businesses to partner with us in 2020.
Sponsor: Sponsor a former orphaned or abandoned boy with monthly recurring donations which allow him the opportunity to receive an education along with providing health care, food, shelter, and the leadership of Christian mentors.
Go: Join one of our mission teams and serve in Peru first-hand!
If you would like to know more about any of these opportunites, please email us using this link.