From The Prison To The Nations

Joshua and Donna Yates, currently based in Istanbul, Turkey with their children Madelyn, Caleb, and Rebecca, have been serving as overseas missionaries since 2013.

Joshua’s transformation began in 2006 when he accepted Christ as his Savior while in Dallas County Jail.

Donna, a neonatal intensive care nurse with mission experience in Africa, Iraq, and France, met Joshua in 2011 while he was serving in ministry in Denton, Texas. They married in 2012 and quickly followed God’s call to North India. 

The Yates family began their mission work in Bihar, often referred to as "the Graveyard of Missions." With guidance from seasoned missionaries and local believers, they engaged in obedience-based discipleship, focused on forming healthy churches, training leaders, and encouraging local ownership of the Great Commission. They evangelized in unreached villages, resulting in conversions and baptisms, and helped believers multiply the Gospel in their own communities. Their efforts contributed to the planting of over 7,000 churches across Bihar, Jharkhand, and Orissa. 

Confronted by the plight of India's 30 million orphans, the Yates began rescuing abused and trafficked children from train stations. In 2015, shortly after founding an orphanage, they were expelled from India. Today, the orphanage ministry cares for 67 children—nine of whom are children of martyred Christians. A permanent home for up to 150 children is under construction and is planned to open soon.  

In Iraq, during the post-ISIS conflict, the Yates ministered to Syrian and Iraqi refugees, establishing house churches in camps and low-income areas. They saw fruitful responses to the Gospel, leading many to faith and forming communities of believers among both the Kurds and Syrians. In 2017, their daughter Rebecca was born, and Joshua met Nasser, an Iranian believer longing to reach his people. This connection launched a mission to bring Iranians into Iraq for discipleship and then send them back to plant underground churches in Iran. 

Despite severe religious restrictions, they facilitated the smuggling of around 100,000 Bibles annually into Iran. They also discipled nearly 200 Iranian leaders each year. Today, more than 2,000 small house churches operate across all 31 Iranian states, with approximately 13,000 baptized believers. Indigenous teams are sent monthly to reach new areas, and church growth continues to resemble the movement described in the book of Acts. Their ministry also extended to helping Afghan refugees, rescuing trafficked women, and providing aid in crises. 

Through every phase—India, Iraq, and now Istanbul—the Yates family has faithfully pursued the unreached, raised indigenous leaders, and planted multiplying churches, all while embodying Christ’s compassion and Gospel-centered obedience. Because of the generosity of the Second Family, we are able to see the Gospel light shine brighter and farther in the darkest places in the world.