On January 7th, 2020 an earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale shook the southern region of Puerto Rico in the early morning hours, and caused massive devastation to the area.

In response to the disaster Pastor Harold Espinosa, Alycia Hildebrand, Anita Rudi and Kayleigh Peters traveled to the island in February. Working in partnership with their Pastor Rosendo, they visited the devastated areas, and distributed hygiene products, other necessities and toys for children.

This experience inspired Pastor Espinosa and Anita Rudi to create an organization that would work in partnership with local missionaries, organizations and churches, locally and abroad to reach the marginalized of our world for Christ.

Sixteen13 Ministry was born.

The Winkler-based ministry’s mission is to partner with and support local churches internationally to create ministries and organizations to reach the marginalized within the local communities, and improve personal, social and economic development.

The ministry’s purpose is to provide and develop ministries that exist to support children in other countries; to support missionaries; to provide humanitarian relief and alleviate poverty; to establish ministries; to develop strong strong partnerships with the indigenous church and empower them; to provide effective training and discipleship; to exemplify good stewardship of resources; to build strong relationships with supporters; to lead by serving, to provide and operate housing, drop-in centres and schools and to create jobs and improve and support communities in other countries.

“We’re very new, but we are excited to just serve,” said Pastor Espinosa. “It’s unique of its kind, because what we do is, for example, a church can not send a missionary... We actually have to go to an organization, send that organization funds and then that gets filtered to some missionaries. We equip our missionaries, we walk with our missionaries and we pray with our missionaries.”

The goal of the ministry is to support organizations, not just financially, but also in a practical and spiritual way by sending teams of volunteers from the Pembina Valley, medical supplies and aide, school supplies, Bibles, sponsoring children, building drop-in centres and other forms of assistance to regions in need.

“We are also working with the hearing impaired which is missionaries that have hearing impaired christian schools reaching people,” said Espinosa. “For example, in Puerto Rico, we have Betsy Hoke who has been there since 1984 and her organization, which is World Mission for the Deaf, is now coming to a closure. Since I’ve known them for 30 years, now their missionaries are going to be coming underneath, and working with us, so we can send them out and equip them.”

“We’ll also be doing child sponsorship where kids can be sponsored from different countries with the hearing impaired, and the one’s that are not hearing impaired that can hear, all different types of kids,” added Espinosa. “We’re working with the Bunker ministry in Puerto Rico where we’re going to look for a local missionary to go on and take on the Bunker over there, and to serve and to equip them as Bunker ministries. To help them reach kids in that country, or whatever country we get our foot in, as in preaching gospel and helping the local church be a stronger beacon of light by providing them with whatever they need from Bibles and to videos that help other people with their struggles.”

Currently the ministry is focusing on Uganda, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Israel, and Democratic Republic of Congo. The ministry also wants to give back to the local community of Winkler and surrounding area by working in partnership with local ministries such as the Bunker and Children’s Camps International.

“We’re going to walk with the Bunker, walk with Children’s Camps International, and other organizations that need help.” said Espinosa. “We would look for the volunteers and help them do things. For example we used to do the softball tournament in August for Children’s Camps International. What we’re doing in 2021, if everything goes well in August, we’re going to start it again, and we’re going to get back to doing that and finding all those people in this community with their gifts, with their talent,s because not everybody has the same gift.”

“We all have different gifts. Some people are fascinated with softball. Those are the one’s we need to volunteer, so then organizations like the Bunker, like Children’s Camps International and others that don’t have a church behind them, but has a community behind them. So we’re going to be working locally, and doing a lot of local helping to get things going in ministries.”