Dear Pastor and praying friends,

We are excited to write to you from the mission field. Getting here has been quite a journey of faith and resilience from my family, support from you all, and the grace of God.

In our last report, we mentioned our determination to go straight to Hoonah; however, every door that seemed slightly open, CLOSED. Nothing at all was available for us to live there. Our focus was then shifted back to plan A, which was living in Juneau.

Making it to Alaska was not a walk in the park. Our new cargo trailer developed brake issues along the way. We left it in Washington and plan to retrieve it in the fall once the summer rush is gone and there is space on the ferry of the Alaska Marine Highway.

Securing lodging in Alaska during tourist peak season was not easy, but we learned that God has the final word. We are writing from our apartment in Juneau, and all we can say is: praise the Lord for what He has done. We thank Him for opening the door that He wanted us to walk through.

We have not been in Alaska long, and most of our efforts here have been, quite honestly, trying to rest after a 6,000- mile road trip followed by a 7-hour ferry ride. We have been busy getting furniture and making this apartment family-worthy.

Before and during our trip, we joined churches for soul-winning, passed out tracts and Bibles, and witnessed to people, seeing two individuals saved. During our trip, we helped a church in Montana put together and distribute John & Romans booklets around town. In Canada, we passed out a few Bibles and witnessed to a Jehovah’s Witness lady; she rejected the Bible we tried to gift her, but we prayed for her to find the truth.

Before going to Hoonah to establish relationships, we plan to settle as a family and acquire the essentials for Alaskan life. We thank Lighthouse Baptist Church in Juneau for making us feel at home and helping us navigate this new world.

Thank you all for making it possible for us to be here. May our presence in the Last Frontier have a strong impact for eternity. 

Gratefully,

The Villafranca Family 

Pastor and praying friends,

Normally, when we find ourselves very busy, we go ahead and send bimonthly reports. I saw it fit to make time to write a brief update regarding our previously mentioned departure date of May 15, 2024. There is one major factor that will have to be adjusted, but at the same time, it will open opportunities for a much smoother transition and an earlier start to our ministry. Our previous plans were to arrive in Juneau and be there for about a year, then transition from the capital to the village. After council and prayer, we decided to go straight to Hoonah, Alaska. 

Hoonah is the Tlingit village where we plan to start a church work. With the village also being a cruise ship stop, many come from the lower 48 to cater to the tourist industry. The already limited housing struggles to accommodate most workers. We are pleased to share that we have a good contact helping us look for housing. We have been diligent in our search, although our search was previously for capital housing; we have now shifted our efforts to Hoonah.

It is also worthy to mention that our journey to the Last Frontier will look different than what we had anticipated. Our previous goal was to drive our truck and trailer from FL to WA and board a ferry to AK. We called in January to get an estimate and open dates; we were told that the summer schedule does not come out until May. When we called in April, we were informed everything was sold until Aug. Now our plans will be to drive the AL-CAN/Caribou Highway as soon as we find housing. Please help us pray for this need.

 On the bright side of things, we are very thankful that we don’t have to wait for a visa or learn a language before we can find ourselves serving.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact myself or my Pastor. We will love to address any questions or concerns, and even blessings you may have.

Gratefully,

The Villafranca Family 

As the Bible declares that God shows himself mighty during the storm, we only testify that it is true. A storm system was in our path as we were heading South. The road conditions were good, then we suddenly had ice, and many cars were piled up. Some vehicles collided, and some avoided contact; thankfully, we avoided hitting and being hit. After a few minutes of being stuck and waiting, we engaged our 4x4 Low and got off the highway to a nearby hotel, where someone mentioned that there were over 70 accidents.

This month, we were blessed, as the Lord had many great churches that greatly blessed us. We thank God that we are at 82%.

We had the opportunity to share the good news. Last month, we reported our contact with the Mosque in California. We met another Muslim in North Carolina, and our conversation was fascinating. I had one last track from the host church as we headed out of town. We headed to a gas station to hand it out, and a man was smoking at the door. As I approached him, I asked him - Are you a Yankee? He smiled and replied - Yes, how could you tell? Nobody can guess where I’m from. We laughed and had a good conversation. His name was Ali; he was a Muslim from NY. His faith in Islam faded when he was younger. I pressed to share the gospel, and although he understood, he was not ready to accept. We shook hands, and I left.

As we passed through Suffolk, VA, I told my wife that after our stop at Walmart, I wanted to go soul winning, but my wife was already ahead of me. She started handing out tracks to people inside the store. Some smiled, and some rejected, but we gave Kristen a track in the book aisle. We sparked a conversation and found out she knew about God but was not happy with the cancer she had been battling for five years. She gave us plenty of time to explain to her God’s plan for trials and also God’s plan for our sins. Kristen fully understood and gloriously accepted the Lord Jesus Christ in the store.

Please pray that God will allow us to be a better witness for him wherever we go. 

Gratefully,

The Villafranca family

Dear Pastor, 

We trust that the Lord gave you a great Christmas season. Thankfully, He allowed us to spend time with family, and despite our vehicle being beyond repair, the Lord provided another vehicle. 

Surprisingly, we had a very busy December in Florida, Alabama, and Texas. During this holiday season, we had the opportunity to preach the gospel to 30+ family members, some of whom were lost. 

During our travels to Texas, we stopped at the Gulf of Mexico to take a peak at the Ocean. Although it was cold and windy, my girls enjoyed the sand. After returning to the vehicle, I asked my wife if she wanted coffee to warm up. Due to the cold weather, the store and coffee shop were empty. We shared the gospel with the barista and invited her to church in the area, and she was happy with the invitation because she had been looking for a church. We were able to pass on the church address and information. We also referred her to our website, where we have a video presentation of the gospel done first class by an Evangelist. We pray for her to be a faithful member if she decides to attend the local church. 

We travel with a box of Bibles and New Testaments; I have found better reception from the people when I am with either Sarah or Kayla. This time, at a gas station, I took Kayla out of her car seat to help me gift a few Bibles to the vehicle on the other side of the pump. All 4 passengers accepted one. When Sarah found out Kayla was helping, she decided to make it a competition, which helped us. Now, Sarah asks us to give every person we see a Bible. 

Our support has remained practically the same at 76%, and although we have gained new supporters, we trust it will all come soon. 

This Christmas season was different for us, not only because it was the last one but also because we finally buried Sarah’s still-birth twin. God’s grace was with us on December 23rd, and we thank him for that. 

We still plan to leave for the field by May. If you would like to help with the fuel expense to travel to Alaska or our setup fund, you are more than welcome. 

We wish you God’s blessings in 2024 and thank you for being our prayers and financial partners. 

Gratefully, 

The Villafranca family 

Dear Pastor, 

The excitement was almost uncontainable. October was full of meetings with excellent and loving churches. We were well received in them all and were gifted many useful things for the road. Our girls, Sarah and Kayla, loved it. Although we had lots of driving involved, being busy was a huge blessing. 

As November came, I was very excited to present in Canada, for it reminded me of the first time I received a love offering abroad. During my time in college, I went to Europe, and a church invited me to preach, and it was a highlight for me. This time in Canada, I would preach and present my ministry in another country. The church had invited me a while back, and we finally worked a mutual date. I had everything ready, from flights to passports. Unfortunately, days before my flight, I fell sick. I had a terrible earache the night before the flight and knew I could not fly the following day. 

We took the time to recover, and as I got better, our next meetings in the South were approaching. We loaded up and headed from Chicago to New Orleans. In Southern Illinois, our vehicle began overheating. 

I pulled over ASAP and found a pinhole in our radiator. Thankfully, the first exit available landed us in Walmart. I decided not to stress but to pray and figure out a solution. I went to acquire coolant and water. I met an older gentleman by the name of Waterhouse. He asked me to help him reach a gallon of water. I did, and I asked him for help. 

He showed me what the aluminum/copper tablets that would repair my radiator looked like at the auto store. We headed there and performed the repair. I shared with him that we were missionaries to Alaska. His response was interesting: "If you ever need to know where something in the Bible is, you can call me." 

I took that opportunity to see if he had accepted Christ. I asked him if he knew what happened to a soul when it died without Jesus. His answer was glazed with a theology out of this world. Although thankful for his help, I somehow had to tell Mr. Waterhouse He was wrong. 

Unfortunately, his views were very peculiar. He didn't call himself a Christian. I heard of people being non-denominational or even rejecting the name Baptist, but I never heard of someone saying we can't be called that because we cannot perform miracles. Therefore, we are not Christ-like. I still gave him a "Pleasure to Meet You" track from Bible Tracks Incorporated. 

After topping my coolant off, I drove around Marion, Illinois. The temperature would not go down. We managed to make it to a car rental place minutes before closing. There, I met Elijah, a born-again Christian with reformed views. Although we did not agree on some things, he was kind enough to give me a discount.

Every mechanic was closed, and I didn't want to miss more meetings. We had to leave the van somewhere, so I spoke to the Walmart manager, who hesitantly agreed. With Thanksgiving approaching and the Canada meetings postponed, we didn't want this month to be unproductive. 

We are at a conference and praying for a solution to our transportation problem and a mechanic. Please pray that we can make it to our family this Thanksgiving; it will be our last one as we plan to be in the field on May 15. 

As for support, we only had a 2% increase in these two months. That seems extremely low for the busiest time of the year, but we are not concerned, as voting and deciding may take some time after a meeting. 

Gratefully, 

The Villafranca Family 

Dear Pastor and Church, 

I could not be more proud of my family; they endure endless hours in a van to make it to our meetings. When we became road-weary, we asked for grace, and God answered our prayers. 

Although our travels drained us, God put some amazing people in our path. I won’t mention names, but those churches know who they are. They encouraged us tremendously and recharged us. 

We were in GA, TX, NJ, and NY. 

Even though we were busy, we made time to share the good news. We saw people come to Christ. We joined a couple of churches for their door-to-door soul-winning. We saw four people come to Christ. 

One man that stood out to me in particular was Chris. He was tall, muscular, and full of tattoos. His stature alone was intimidating as he stood smoking on the sidewalk. Although we were in an apartment complex looking for a specific person, I decided to approach him; at first, he was phlegmatic towards the conversation. Once he found out we were from church. He told us he was not a good person because - “I sell drugs,” He audaciously stated. 

I proceeded to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, making the death on the cross personal for him. As I shared the Romans Road, his face changed from a proud lawbreaker to a broken, repented sinner. I am always careful not to force someone into a salvation prayer. I asked him twice if he wanted to accept Christ, and both times he agreed. Please pray for him to grow in grace. 

We are at 73% of our support; please continue to pray for us. 

Gratefully, 

The Villafranca Family 

Pastor and praying friends, 

This month, we traveled to many places, from TN, KY, FL, and Puerto Rico. On the island, we preached a conference and also presented our ministry. We fell in love with the people and the food. It was good to see the Montgomery family serving God with fervent zeal. 

I've always wanted to go to a place and talk to the local fishermen and persuade them to take me offshore. I was able to do that during that trip, with the purpose to spend some time in the water and share the gospel. Chu-chu was the fisherman who took us; he was friendly, polite, but reserved. It was not until I took the snacks out and shared with him that he became more open. Once we got back to the dock, I was able to share the gospel with him, but he was not interested. The other day, he called me to share his catch with me, but he was still uninterested in the gospel. We pray for God to work in his heart. 

Another individual I met was Daniel; he was an 80-year-old doing therapeutic exercises to gain strength after a fall he had at work. I witnessed to him, and he believed but did not want to pray in public. We pray for him to make a decision soon. 

We are thankful that we have secured 70% of our support. We continue traveling, teaching, preaching, and presenting. God used our message to call one person to his service. 

We also presented in CT, GA, and WV. As we shared the gospel in our travels, we were able to give assurance of salvation to 4 different individuals. And one person was led to Christ at the door of their home. 

Please continue to pray for us, as September is also very busy with long drives between meetings. 

Gratefully, 

The Villafranca Family 

Dear Pastor and Church,

It is no secret that June and July are mostly and rightly so dedicated to VBS, Teen Conferences, Camps, and many more summer activities. Thankfully, the Lord still gave us plenty of meetings; as a matter of fact, we began June at a great conference in Colorado, followed by meetings in CA and OR

.While checking in at the hotel, we met a Nepali man whose accent I recognized because I had a Nepali roommate in Bible School; I quickly befriended him and shared the gospel with him. He did not accept, but as our friendship continues, we will keep pursuing him for the Lord if you help us pray for Prayash.

We also met Alu, a Samoan man heading to the gym, and had a great conversation with him. He had spent some time in Alaska, so we quickly built rapport and were able to share Christ with him. He accepted Christ, and we gifted him a Bible.

Eventually, we returned to the Mid-West, where we had great meetings in the Indianapolis area. As we were heading there, I decided to stop in Chicago and attempt to share the gospel one more time with Mrs. Harriet, a Polish lady I’ve mentioned before. Of course, we came with goodies to be well received, but she spoiled my girls with many more sweets than we had brought. We concluded our visit with not much success.

 As we headed to the Indianapolis area from Chicago, a car in lane 2 tried to occupy lane 1. She failed to heed the honk warning and hit us on the side where Sarah rides. The Lord protected us, and we suffered no injuries. The motorist was uninsured and got away, but we got the plates and reported the accident.

We did have a $1000 deductible that the Lord met through the giving and loving people of Marion Avenue Baptist Church, Pastor Joseph Brown. We are currently at their conference, and although it concluded yesterday, we are staying to present to the Spanish ministry.

 We ask that you pray for our missions board, Northwest Bible Baptist Church in Elgin, IL, and Pastor Phil Cavanaugh. A tornado struck the building on Wednesday, July 12, as most people were heading to church. We were in town and heading to that church the same night and were able to help during the clean-up.

 Thank you all for your love and support.

 Gratefully,

The Villafranca Family

Dear Pastor and church,

We are very grateful for your prayers for us. My wife’s medical results came back with positive news!!! 

This month we were in multiple mission conferences and meetings in the states of GA, TN, IN, IL, and NY. A while back, God gave me a message titled "Trials-the unwanted tool for Missions." It has blessed people in full-time ministry and church members. 

We have secured 60% of our needed support and are grateful for your sacrificial giving. 

I was able to go to Alaska and spend some time in Hoonah. This time it was very different from the previous time I’d visited. My family and I first visited the coastal village in 2021, and this was the year that the cruise ship industry came to a halt because of covid fear and political restrictions. 

Therefore, the only people in town were the locals. During this past visit, I experienced Hoonah for what it is…. A beautiful, lonely, quiet, remote coastal village whose amazing geographical location makes it the perfect spot for cruise ships to stop before going to the Capital. The tourism industry provided $30M of infrastructure for their ships to dock in a town of 850 residents. There is no tourism during the wintertime, and the true locals stay there. In the summer, you can have over 12K people roaming the little town. The residents of Hoonah have truly made a commitment to love their community. 

Because of its summer beauty, many outsiders try to make the island their home. However, the harsh, depressing, and long winters keep population numbers low. Therefore, love and respect for the community speak volumes in this place. For a missionary family, some people will not trust you until you have gained respect in the community. In their minds, they think many outsiders come and do not endure. 

Housing is very limited in the village, and we ask you to continue to pray for that. Whatever might be available now probably won’t be available once we get there. 

We also ask you to help us pray for the people we met there. Victor a Tlingit, and Bill from the Kaagwaantaan clan, whose native name is “Father of the Wolf”; they were very likable individuals. 

Also, Mr. Lewis is a fisherman and business owner whose roots go back to Norway. When Russia owned Alaska, they brought Norwegians to manage the land. We ask for salvation for these individuals, their families, and many others pictured below. 

I also had the opportunity to join a local church in the capital for their soul-winning time. I was reminded that Alaska is not a place where people are eager to hear the gospel or anything church-related, but soul-winning faithfully must be practiced. We’ve passed out tracks from the plane flight to gas stations. One of our witnessing spots was the city of Chicago, where we saw Melanie come to Christ. We also pray for Mrs. Harriet, a sweet Polish lady, to come to Christ. We are cultivating that mentality in our daughter. Sarah now has been asking, “Are we going soul-winning?” 

Thank you for your love and support, 

Gratefully, 

The Villafranca family

Dear Pastor and church,

Our last report was from Jan to mid-Feb; we are writing to let you know our status for the remainder of the month. We went from Florida to Mississippi for a mission conference, which we thoroughly enjoyed. It was good to see old college friends and kind staff. After that meeting, we headed to Corpus Christi for a revival meeting where we were able to hear the voice of our mentors, Pastor Keith Gomez and Pastor Terry Anglea.

In our last report, we mentioned a young fellow saved during our trip from FL to MS. We stopped at Millbrook, AL, to cross paths with him and put a bible in his hands. We stopped at the apartment complex to look for him, called him, and got no answer, but his friend was outside and contacted him through a Facebook messenger call. The friend’s name was Trey. It was pouring that day, and he wanted to go to the store and ask us for a ride. We gladly agreed, and upon our arrival at the gas station, I shifted our conversation from his daily life to his eternal life. I was able to share a clear gospel presentation, and he accepted Christ.

Our next mission conference was in Dwight, IL, with another one of our mentors. We highly admire this church because Pastor Woodward was an instructor at Providence Baptist College, Elgin, IL, where my wife and I attended. On September 2016, during a New Testament class, Pastor Woodward felt led to stop the class to give an invitation. My wife was under conviction and needed to get saved. We thank God for Spirit-led men.

So far, we have secured 42% of our needed support, and 53% has been voted in. We thank God for our partners and trust he will get us to the field soon. Also, we have started to cast the need for a boat, and people have gotten excited and are behind our project. We will update you on the support level of that project as soon as the information is relayed to us.

Finally, if you would keep us in your prayers, as mentioned before, I visited the doctor. No surgery will be needed for the last mentioned procedure; however, they found a “spot” in my liver in the ultrasound process. WE ARE FULLY TRUSTING GOD, as he will always be in control.

Gratefully,

The Villafranca Family - Missionaries to the Tlingit