Juan Carlos and Johanna Portillo

Juan Carlos and Evelyn Johanna Portillo, along with their children, Rebekah, Benjamin, and Hannah, have served as a pilot/mechanic family in Oaxaca, Mexico, with the MAF affiliate program Alas de Socorro Mexico (ADSM) for 13 years. Recently they completed a two-year assignment in Paramaribo, Suriname, with the MAF affiliate program Surinaamse Zendings Vliegdienst (SZV). They have spent the last 3 years in Guatemala. During this furlough they will help Hannah get settled in Virginia at Liberty University before returning to Guatemala as empty nesters.

After serving in different roles within ADSM, SZV and AGAPE, helping the programs stabilize and expand, Juan Carlos will continue his role as Director of Maintenance in Guatemala. He has also been invited by the Latin America Reginal Director to get involved in helping the affiliates with financial planning, budgeting, and risk management.

As a thyroid cancer survivor, Johanna continues to push herself forward. Her time in Guatemala involved helping in whatever she could at the mission school that Hannah attended. She also was involved with the women’s ministry at the local church. During Covid-19, they both served in the poorest areas around Guatemala City by distributing food and cleaning supplies to help during the pandemic.  These outreaches were made possible through donations received both in AGAPE and the local church.

Juan Carlos was born into a loving, Christian family in Monterrey, Mexico. He came to know Jesus as his Savior at age six through family devotions. When he was twelve he read Nate Saint’s biography Jungle Pilot and felt God calling him to missions and missionary aviation. He studied at Hebron Ministerial Institute in Guatemala, where he earned a diploma in Bible Studies, before starting his pilot’s training. He earned his mechanic’s license at Moody Bible Institute in Tennessee. Juan Carlos shares, “God confirmed His calling on my life through His provision for my flight and maintenance training. I have been able to use these skills to open doors for the gospel by serving people in different situations – medical emergencies, natural disasters, and through development projects. I look forward to continuing to serve in these areas for many years to come.” A favorite Scripture for him is Isaiah 40:29-31, which always reminds him that whether he is soaring, running, or just able to walk, God is the One who strengthens him.

Johanna was born in Guatemala where she lived until she was seven when her family immigrated to the United States. Her family came to know Christ as she was growing up and started going to church, but it wasn’t until she was 20 years old that she fully dedicated her life to Jesus. She and Juan Carlos met at their church in Los Angeles. As they got to know one another, Juan Carlos shared with her his calling to missions and as Johanna began to read and learn more about missions, she felt her own calling to it. Johanna’s favorite Scripture this term has been Jeremiah 29:11, 12. “In the midst of hard times, I can trust God’s faithfulness and his plan to give us hope and a future.”