Missionary doctors John spoke to a local audience in Wiesbaden
It is February 11, 2004. Klaus and Martina John present their dream to a packed auditorium at the Christuskirche in Wiesbaden. They intend to build a modern mission hospital high up in the Peruvian Andes. Of course, with God’s help and the support of a few friends. When the millions needed appear on the screen, many shake their heads in doubt. Everyone knows that on the six harvested anise fields just outside the village of Curahuasi, there is nothing to be seen but brush and rocks. Absolutely nothing. A yawning void. Incidentally, the same picture is reflected in the association’s bank accounts. At the end of the event, Pastor Harald Kufner takes the floor and asserts that God can somehow make everything happen in His own way.
June 15, 2026. In the old Christuskirche—now known as the Church above the Wellritz Valley—the mission doctors give a report on their work, so to speak, after 22 years. The hospital is up and running and has recorded over 630,000 patient visits. The clinic didn’t turn out to be some small-time operation, but rather one of the most modern mission hospitals in the world. It’s equipped with an MRI, a CT scanner, six operating rooms, and intensive care beds. But that’s not all. A state-of-the-art school with 567 students looks better than the high school in Wiesbaden that the Johns attended during their childhood and teenage years. A radio station broadcasts the message of faith 24 hours a day across five southern states. And the youth festivals organized under the umbrella of Diospi Suyana generate several million views on social media year after year.
Dr. Victor and Dr. Birgit von Bonin organized the evening and extended a warm invitation to everyone. He holds a Ph.D. in physics, and his wife earned her doctorate in biology. The story of Diospi Suyana first crossed their path a good 11 years ago. In their search for truth and meaning, they felt a strong urge at that time not to give up. Today, both are committed, baptized Christians. In his book *Who Am I and Why?*, the scientist recounts that memorable encounter with the missionary doctor in 2015.
Dr. Klaus John’s lecture and the interview with his wife, Martina, really get under your skin. The audience somehow reflects German society. Here, Christians and non-Christians, Catholics and Protestants are seated side by side. The devout and the skeptics sit together in harmony. And they wonder how this “miracle” in Peru could be explained rationally.
Hard work played a role, but it wasn’t the fast track to success. Connections with friends and decision-makers created a network, but one that was formed in a supernatural way. It was, in fact, the God of old—whom most people in Europe no longer even consider—who accomplished it. And over 130 TV segments on the topic of “Diospi Suyana” (We Trust in God) have linked this missionary work to faith in the Almighty. Interestingly, most of these television reports were produced by secular teams. They reached an audience of millions across five continents.
“God’s blessing and goodness have always accompanied and guided us!” The mission doctors state for the record that it is He who must be named as the initiator, the source of inspiration, and the author—not them. And inevitably, a song comes to mind that a songwriter gave to humanity 3,000 years ago: “The Lord is my shepherd!” Daniela May has given it a modern twist, and her composition is catchy.
