Pastor Jean Franco Rivera was born in Caracas, Venezuela, to Venezuelan parents, and Pastor Fany Rivera was born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, to Honduran parents. The Riveras met in Miami, Florida, in 1997, and after a four-year courtship, they were married in Chicago, Illinois, in October 2000.
Pastor Jean Franco Rivera is a retired major in the United States Army, where he served his country on active duty for more than 22 years. Pastor Fany Rivera is a retired major in the United States Army, where she served her country on active duty for 20 years.
The Riveras dedicated their lives to the Lord in 2010 at the Encuentro de Paz Christian Church on the Camp Humphreys base in South Korea, and since then their relationship with Jesus Christ has continued to grow.
In 2013, the Riveras were assigned to Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, where the Lord called them to start a Bible study group, through which many people were baptized and learned the Word of God.
In 2015, after 18 years of marriage, they decided to start a family, and in 2016 their firstborn, Jean Franco Emanuel Rivera, was born; Esther Desiree Rivera was born in 2018.
In June 2021, God called the Riveras to this new ministry of missions. Serving others has always been close to their hearts, and this new ministry, Misión Internacional Brazos Abiertos (MIBA), will be no exception. We provide spiritual and physical assistance—through donations of food, clothing, and other forms of aid—to people in need. We do this with the purpose of sharing the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.