Faith comes full circle in Colombia

Kimberly Yepes' calling with Mission 66 is a full-circle moment for her father, Carlos. [photo by RTM, TWR in Spanish]

When Kimberly Yepes was growing up in Colombia, her father’s testimony introduced her to TWR. Now, Kimberly’s voice will be heard on one of TWR’s newest programs.

Her dad’s story is a favorite in the TWR world. Carlos Yepes was working in the drug cartel led by notorious kingpin Pablo Escobar when TWR broadcasts led Carlos and some of his bodyguards to faith in Christ.

“Since my father was saved, he began to serve God and have an active ministry, first spreading the gospel to those around him in his daily life,” Kimberly explained in answers to questions for this article.

As he grew in his faith, Carlos became youth leader for the city of Santa Marta in Colombia, married and moved with his wife, Janeth, to the sprawling capital city of Bogota. Kimberly, now 25, was born in the nearby town of La Mesa. She has one brother, Jonathan.

“I grew up in a family that was led by God and saw how he himself guided, supported and blessed them,” Kimberly wrote. She knew about TWR – or RTM (for Radio Trans Mundial) in Latin American nations – from an early age through her father.

“When he refers to what God has done in him, he begins by talking about TWR, because in a miraculous way this was his means of salvation and spiritual growth,” Kimberly wrote.

What God did in Carlos through TWR has come full circle in his daughter.

Kimberly, who married Cristian Quesada in 2020, now creates content for social media with TWR's national partner in Colombia.

Her new assignment is to be a “voice” for the Spanish production of Mission 66, the radio Bible survey course from Brazil that TWR is preparing to release in the world’s 10 most-spoken languages. She is taping promotions and will be the voice for the opening and ending of each of the 613 half-hour programs.

That his daughter is now part of the ministry that God used to save him isn’t lost on Carlos, Kimberly said.

“My dad feels very blessed and happy to know that I am working for the ministry that brings salvation to remote places like the place where God rescued him and that now my voice is also part of such a great ministry and a program that I am sure … will carry the Word of God into many lives,” Kimberly wrote. Her dad, she wrote, “has cried with happiness.”

For more on Carlos' story, watch his testimony here.