MONTHLY NEWS
News and Prayer Request, April 2026
Hello everyone! I hope you're all doing well. April has also been a fruitful month for fundraising, though it's been a bit slow. Thankfully, this month we've continued several processes and conversations with different organizations and churches, which could lead to significant funding.
To begin, I want to let you know that I've made some changes to the fundraising goals. Reaching Japan has informed me that the Japanese Academy requires full payment upfront for the entire year. So, I've removed the Japanese Academy's fee from the monthly goal and added it to the initial costs amount. This means my monthly goal is now $2,100 USD, and the initial costs goal is $16,100 USD.
I'm also continuing to create a promotional video, about 2 or 3 minutes long, to send to churches interested in the project so they can present it and request a one-time offering. I'd also like to reach out to several churches interested in the project who would allow me to present it in person and request a one-time offering. This process is even more important now because the initial costs are higher.
In other news, I'm very excited to share that we finally announced the Support Team project for my church on May 2nd, and we already have six volunteers, not including myself. We hope to gain more volunteers throughout this week. The Support Team aims to connect and increase the financial and human involvement of church members with the social and missionary work the church does. In this way, we hope to showcase what the church is doing and which ministries it supports with people's donations, thus encouraging people to donate more monthly. My church has 3,000 members, so a donation of just a few dollars a month can make a huge difference, not only for my project but also for several other social ministries. I hope to obtain at least 30% of my monthly budget from this.
In April, about 10 new individuals and families expressed interest in supporting the project, and some have already begun making financial contributions. Please pray for these connections.
As I mentioned before, several conversations continued with various organizations that have the potential to raise significant funds. I have included these processes in the prayer requests so you can pray for them.
Accounting:
Current monthly income: $572/month (27% of monthly goal)
Monthly income including donors who have yet to set payments: $832/month (40% of monthly goal)
One-time donations: $1,022
Total amount saved: $2,777
Expenses: This month I made my first expense related to the mission project, which was paying for website hosting, which cost $55 for the next two years.
I give thanks for:
Your continued support and prayers.
The several significant one-time donations made this month.
The enthusiasm and volunteers for forming the Support Team at my church.
My parents, who have helped me find several donors.
Please pray for:
That I can finish the promotional video and for many churches that want to present the project.
That more churches will allow me to present the mission project in person and for the offerings collected in each church.
For the Support Team in my church, that God will guide us and that the fundraising will be fruitful and a blessing for the various missions.
For the people who showed interest in becoming monthly donors in April and for more people who wish to contribute.
For the conversations and processes that are taking place with various organizations:
To coordinate the presentation of my mission project in all the Church of God's churches in Ecuador.
That the leaders of the Agua Viva organization will be able to present the project to all their donors, who are mostly in the United States.
For the churches and individuals that my parents are contacting to raise funds.
For contacting the missions department of Alliance of God in Ecuador and beginning the process of receiving their support.
News and Prayer Request, March 2026
Hello everyone! I hope you're all doing well. March has been similar to February, as I've continued my fundraising efforts. Thank God the funds are growing, and based on an estimate of how much interested organizations and individuals could contribute, the amount is approaching 80% of the required monthly amount, which is enough to begin the visa process. So now I feel, thank God, that it's just a matter of a few more months to obtain the necessary funds. Below is a brief overview of the accounts. All this money is being saved for everything related to my trip to Japan.
Funds Raised:
To date, $787 has been raised in one-time donations, and I'm currently receiving $530 per month.
The total I have received from both types of donations is $1922.
In addition, there are several individuals and churches that haven't started donating yet but have already indicated how much they will donate monthly. Including them, I would have $830/month.
Again, I continue communicating with Church of God, Living Water Ministry, Alliance of God, and other contacts of my parents, as well as some personal contacts I still need to reach. I hope that through all these contacts, I will finally be able to secure the necessary financial support.
This month I met with four potential donors, and the response has been very positive. I also met with the senior pastor of my church and the administrator, and they gave me permission to start assembling a support team, which I have already begun. The idea behind the support team is to maintain the connection between my mission in Japan and my local church, Ievi. The team is also responsible for communicating the activities of the various social ministries and partner organizations of the church and helps members collaborate in one way or another.
Specifically, Church of God will present my project to its churches in mid-April in Pichincha (my province) before continuing with other regions. Significant donations are expected here.
In other news, I began working on a curriculum for cross-cultural missions, as Church of God requested my assistance. I am collaborating with two American missionaries who teach at a seminary. This is a significant challenge as we continue to define the most pressing needs of the churches, including fundraising and church support for missionaries.
Finally, at for the request of several churches and organizations, I developed a document summarizing my entire mission project and the importance of supporting it. It includes data such as: only 0.5% of the Japanese population is Christian, the church is currently declining, and only 1% of missionaries go to unreached people groups. With these resources already created, I have decided to attach them here if you would like to show the project to your church or people who might be interested:
Spanish:
English:
Prayer Requests:
I would like to create a promotional video in the coming days; please pray for that.
For the process of obtaining funding from the national missions department of Alliance of God.
For the Church of God presenting my missionary project in their churches in my region.
For the support team, that it may be successfully established in my church and be a blessing.
That God may continue to guide the development of the curriculum for the cross-cultural missions course.
For securing the remaining funds.
I give thanks for:
I am grateful for my health and for having recovered very well from the accident. For those who don't know, in November 2024, my family and I were in a very serious car accident, and I broke five bones.
Because the funds are now reaching the goal.
For all the funds received so far, and that Reaching Japan and I may use them wisely.
To my parents for taking the time to contact their network to raise funds and organize fundraisers in various ways.
News and Prayer Request, February 2026
Hello everyone! I hope you are all well and that God is always with you. It turns out that February ended about three days earlier than expected, which is why this update is a little late. I wanted to share some good news with you.
The Church La Cruz del Valle expressed a strong desire to participate more in missions and has decided to adopt my mission project to Japan as their main project. They allowed me to present the project at their church and are encouraging 10 families from the congregation to donate $20 monthly to this project (see images above). I am very grateful for their commitment and this opportunity.
I'm happy to announce that I finally managed to set up a GoFundMe where anyone can donate a one-time or monthly amount, and I've already confirmed that the funds are being transferred to my bank account. You can check out the platform here: https://gofund.me/e5cbee2c7. You can use it to set up your monthly donations if your bank doesn't allow it.
Regarding donations, I have received $406.40 (USD) in one-time donations and currently have $438.20 (USD), which is equivalent to 16% of the required monthly budget. Including donors who have already pledged their donations, I estimate 25%, and including donors who have not yet pledged their donations, I estimate 35%.
In addition, the Church of God has shown great interest in my project, and I met with the Director of Missions for Ecuador, who outlined a process for creating and training a support team in my local church. This team's objective is to keep the congregation connected to my mission in Japan, maintain donors, encourage prayer, and more. The Church of God will also help me present my project to all the churches in Ecuador (approximately 250 churches) and request one-time donations from members, as well as encourage them to become more actively involved through donations and prayer.
With Alliance of God, I am about to begin a similar process, and I am also in contact with the national missions department.
I also met with the leaders of the Agua Viva ministry, with whom I was involved as a teenager. Agua Viva currently works with underprivileged children in several Latin American countries, and they offered to present their project to all their donors, which would represent a very significant one-time donation. This is still in the works.
On another note, I want to mention that I have made several important contacts related to ministry in Japan. These include a Brazilian pastor who worked in a church in Japan for many years, a missionary in Kobe, and several artists with artistic resources to present the gospel in Japan.
I give thanks for:
The support and commitment of the donors and for all their prayers.
The commitment of the church in general, which is responding as an organization and community to this project.
The Church of the Cross of the Valley, which has adopted this missionary project as its main focus.
Because I finally have an international payment platform on GoFundMe.
The various contacts who have been willing to support me with their time, experience, and resources.
Please pray for:
Reaching 80% of the monthly funds needed by the end of March to begin the visa application process.
For the process of building a support team in my local church and seeking support at the national level with the mission teams of the Church of God and the Alliance of God.
For the potential donors I still need to contact.
For the opportunity to meet with all the contacts and for those meetings to be a blessing.
News and Prayer Request, January 2026
Hello everyone! Thank you for taking the time to read this update and for your prayer and financial support. This past month I've been focused on finding potential sponsors and have been in multiple meetings with four churches and several individuals who have decided to support me.
For now, my accounts look like this: $369 USD/month and $60 USD in one-time donations, so I'm at 14% of my monthly goal. I also have 14 sponsors who have committed to supporting me, but the payments are still being set up, and I don't know the exact amount yet. This is because the churches have to review their budgets and approve them with their teams, which takes time. I'm also in talks with about 15 more potential sponsors.
I'm also in the process of setting up an online platform where donors can configure automatic monthly payments, but this has been delayed because I need my new ID card, which has taken a long time to process. I hope everything will be ready in two weeks.
Please, if you know of any individuals or churches that you think might be interested in providing financial support, share this project with them. I would be extremely grateful.
On another note, James and Rosie have returned to Japan, and I ask for prayer for them and for the church's relocation to downtown Nagoya.
I want to express my gratitude for the support and enthusiasm shown at each meeting, and I pray that God will guide me in this new phase.
I am grateful for:
My meetings with all the potential sponsors; thank you for your support and your time.
Thank you to Reaching Japan for their dedication to the Lord and their love for the Japanese people.
Thank you for your prayers and blessings.
Thank you also to the sponsors of Reaching Japan who have responded to the need to relocate the church.
Please pray for:
Renewing my license and establishing an online platform where donors can set up automatic monthly payments.
For Reaching Japan, that they may relocate the church and that their sponsors may support them appropriately.
For more sponsors.
News and Prayer Request, December 2025
Here it is! Finally my first ever Update on my missionary trip to Japan. There have been a lot of things going on to get to this point and I’m excited to share them with you!
First of all, I’ve had a couple meetings with James, from Reaching Japan, where we had the chance to prepare for this upcoming missionary trip and for me to get to know my next steps:
As some of you might know already, since November I have started to fundraise for this trip. I’m required to raise my entire economic support and thanks to many of you this is going forwards. I’ve had multiple meetings with people from around the world who are willing to help me in prayer and economically. I hope soon I can publish some more numbers on how fundraising is going.
Talking about fundraising I have managed to regain access to my UK bank account where people in the UK can donate monthly, so I’m thankful about that. Also I’m in the middle of getting my new ID in Ecuador which I need to set up a monthly giving platform that sponsors can use globally, which I really need because I plan on contacting multiple friends all over the world. Getting my new ID has been a lengthy process because I’m a foreigner but it is moving forwards. Hopefully this platform will be up and running before the end of December.
Since more than a year ago I have started to learn Japanese on my own, mostly on Duolingo and MochiKanji. I have accumulated about 250 hours and feel that I’m starting to get a grasp of the language. Though my time to practice Japanese has been reduced a lot due to schedule constraints, I do hope to arrive to Japan with a decent foundation.
Finally, this year I’ve had the opportunity to hold multiple meetings with Japanese friends which I have used to get to know all sorts of things about Japan, like culture, beliefs, traditions and more. Some are Christians and their testimonies about how they got to know God has been a huge blessing and learning opportunity for me. Also some are not Christian and their outside view has helped me a lot get to know the reality of Japanese people that have never heard the gospel.
I would also like to add that Reaching Japan is currently doing a big Fundraising Campaign in order to relocate the Church in Nagoya to a far more centric location and secure funding for themselves. This video explains more about their mission:
I give thanks for:
My meetings with James and Reaching Japan that have allowed this missionary trip.
For the multiple sponsors and prayer groups that are already supporting me.
For the opportunity to share with Japanese people and learn about Japan and how to share the gospel there.
Please pray for:
For more sponsors and people who are willing to support in prayer.
For setting up a platform where people all over the world can donate.
For Reaching Japan’s fundraising campaign and relocation of the Church to a more central area.
For my friends in Japan that are not believers yet but are looking into Christianity and that I can continue to follow up with them.
This is where I'll be posting the monthly news and prayer requests. Even before the trip, there's already a lot going on, so the first update will be coming soon ;)
JUAN'S MISIONARY TRIP TO JAPAN
Cellphone & WhatsApp +593 987774776
Quito, Ecuador