Helen Smith

37 years ago, Dennis and Helen Smith wanted to go to the Island of Fuga in the Philippines, to get out of their current situation.  The Lord said no. (Fuga means “escape”).  Later, in 1986 with their two children and two mountain bikes, they arrived in Costa Rica.  Their commission was to work with FEDEMEC (the training agency for Costa Rican missionaries to go to the 10-40 window).  Other endeavors included taking medicines into Cuba for the AIDS patients, working with the Cabecar Indians in Costa Rica, taking financial aid to refugees in Nicaragua, founding a home El Salvador for young women, and in Guatemala, establishing feeding and medical programs to share the gospel. In 1996, a vision to reach abandoned Peruvian children in the Andes resulted in the purchase of land.  Today, Casa del Aguila (House of the Eagle) is a flourishing community providing foster care, education (kindergarten through high school for 340 children), facilities for full medical and dental care, and in development is a self-sustaining project to export avocados. Several church plants in the surrounding mountains welcome the Quechua every week.  In 2010, Helen took the directorship of Hogar de Vida, a Children’s home in Costa Rica, retiring finally after the pandemic.  Dennis graduated to heaven in 2012.  Helen still lives in Costa Rica hosting women’s retreats on her property, teaching women in the local church, teaching English to young people and doing translation work. Her passion now is to embrace her husband’s legacy in Peru. www.casadelaguila.com

We are the Perekotiys, a Ukrainian and American family! We have been entrusted with four beautiful children: Chambers (2013), Lev (2015), Mila (2016), and Remington (2019). Our story began when we met in Ukraine in 2008. After living on the Gulf Coast of Alabama, we packed up our gang in 2018 and moved to Odesa, Ukraine, a beautiful, historic port city on the Black Sea. While visiting family in Alabama in 2022, the full-scale invasion broke out in Ukraine. We decided to remain in the US for the 2022-23 school year while supporting our partners in Ukraine through the War Relief Fund. In August 2023, we launched back overseas to share the Gospel among Ukrainians. We are based out of Bucharest, Romania, where we can serve refugees and be close to the Ukrainian border.

Through the War Relief Fund we have sent medical aid, vehicles, food, and education supplies to those in need. The needs of the vulnerable will only increase as this crisis continues, and we are committed to partnering with our friends and partners to meet those needs. We pray to use these resources to rebuild Ukraine when the war ends.

Our heartbeat has always been caring for the vulnerable and fatherless. Our vision is to see Christ proclaimed as we serve vulnerable children and families with national partners and churches. We also serve the unreached deaf community, and provide training and trauma resources for families and volunteers. Thank you for journeying with us!