Our Missionaries
Our missionaries are normal people from all walks of life who have dedicated their lives to serving and following Jesus wherever He calls them. Want to meet them? Check out our Missionary Directory.
Julio and Susy Esquivel
Missionaries to Brazil Central Caldas Novas
Ministry Description
Serving the Lord through Day Camps, Camping Ministries, and leadership training. Pioneering the Word of Life ministry in Palmas, Tocantins, Brasil.
About Julio
I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I was not born into a Christian home, my parents were Catholic by name and thought they could get closer to God by their own efforts and beliefs. Every week our Christian neighbors would invite my sister and I to attend Sunday school, but my parents would never allow it. But one day, when I was 7 years old, they finally allowed me to go. I started attending regularly and the following year my parents went to see me participate in a Fathers Day play at the church. That night both my parents came forward and accepted Christ as their personal Savior. The whole family started attending church and my parents became very involved in different ministries, but it was not until I was 9 years old that I was able to understand the gospel my self. My whole family attended summer camp in Word of Life in the summer of 2002 and as we returned home, our parents shared with us their desire to move so they could attend the Word of Life Bible Institute. That year we moved, by faith, and my parents started the Bible Institute while I finished my senior year in high school. After my graduation from High School, I studied for 4 years at the Bible Institute, where the Lord called me to Missions. The Lord allowed Susy and I to serve HIM with Word of Life for a year before we were married. We have served with Word of Life Argentina 2006-2013 and have been serving with Word of Life, Caldas Novas-Brasil since 2014. We are excited for the new challenges He has ahead for our family!
In March, 2023, we moved to the city of Palmas, Tocantins, which is located about 700mi north of Caldas Novas, to do pioneer work and establish Word of Life presence and ministry in the region.
About Susy
I was blessed and privileged to be born into a Christian Missionary home. My parents were missionaries with WOL in Argentina for over 30 years. Throughout my childhood I was consistently taught Bible stories and about Jesus. When I was 4 years old, a babysitter explained to me that I was a sinner and that Jesus was the only one that could save me; that day I accepted Christ as my personal savior. I continued to grow in my faith and at the age of 9 I dedicated my life to the Lord and to missions. After I finished High School, I attended the Bible Institute for 3 years and then taught in the Christian Missionary School in Argentina for a year; it was then that the Lord reminded me of the promise I had made, as a child, to serve Him. I decided to study a fourth year of the Bible Institute so I could be better equipped to serve the Lord. During my fourth year of the Bible Institute, the Lord brought Julio and I together and we began a relationship. On November 24th, 2007, we were married. The Lord has blessed us with three beautiful children, Juliana, Sara and Joel, who bring such joy to our family!
Life Verse
1 Thes 5:24