In 1998, God impressed upon the heart of an assistant pastor and deputy sheriff in Fort Myers, Florida, the great need for help in a deaf ministry in Peru, South America. Joe Kotvas answered God’s call, and for over twenty-five years, the Kotvas family has been leading Efata Ministries, a special ministry focused on reaching the deaf and hearing in Lima, Peru, and beyond. Dear Friends and Family, “Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.” – Mark 5:19

Though we are both missionary kids, we were raised in two separate continents. Both of us accepted the gospel at four years old and surrendered to full-time service by high school. Dan trained at Piedmont Baptist Bible College and Karis at Faith Baptist Bible College. In the summer of 1987 we met and, subsequently, Dan departed for a year in Ghana. Through correspondence with Dan, Karis learned of the needs and challenges of ministry in Ghana. Upon Dan’s return to America, we were married and had the unified goal of serving the Lord in the country of Ghana. Dan’s strengths in personal dialogue, soul-winning, and discipleship, along with Karis’s strengths in hospitality, administration, and attentiveness to personal needs have been used by God since the start of our ministry. We began by planting a church in the city of Berekum alongside Pastor Seth Antwi, a disciple of Dan’s parents. Our time in Berekum sharpened our understanding of the importance of developing church leadership, and in 2017 we moved to Wa to assist in leadership development of the students and administration of West Africa Baptist College.