Our Story
In year 2010... Titus and Kailee Bowen responded to God’s calling and embarked on a journey to the jungle city of Iquitos, Peru. This trip forever changed their lives. While in Iquitos, they served in an abandoned children’s home where they encountered beautiful children who were driven out of their homes, forced to survive on the streets due to poverty.
In this culture, there are a few reasons for child abandonment, such as a mother cannot provide for her children, or the male figure does not want another man’s child in his home.
Typically as a result, the oldest child (mostly boys from the ages of 6 to 12) is forced out of his home and to the streets, doing whatever he can to survive. If he does not find work, he ends up stealing food or items to sell for food. If the child is caught, he is brutally punished and at times tortured by authorities. It is also common for these children to give themselves over to prostitution and turn to narcotics to numb the pain. They may go into hiding, but hunger drives them to repeat these patterns over and over again.
Since then... Over the years of working with these abandoned and impoverished children in Peru, Titus saw something was missing...
What was the root cause of these children ending up on the streets and living in poverty? It all starts in the home and with their family. God began to show him a strategic vision of how to prevent child abandonment from ever happening.
While these children are seen as the lowliest in their society, to God, they are treasured, valued, and deeply loved. Kailee and Titus desired a name that explained who these precious children are in Christ- heirs of the Kingdom of heaven and royalty in the eyes of God. This gave birth to Kings & Queens International.
This vision led us to develop a community outreach center, our own home for formerly abandoned boys, and a women’s artisan program in Iquitos, Peru.
Our Strategy
We opened our home for formerly abandoned boys and our child abandonment prevention center in January 2018. The home houses twelve young men and provides them with resources through our sponsorship program. They receive an education through college or vocational training in hopes they will break the cycles of poverty and abandonment in their own futures and families. These young men serve the community outreach center, reaching out to children just like them who are at risk for being abandoned.
We work with families regularly through our Saturday morning Bible program, as well as our women’s artisan program, Reinas. Our initiative to support families includes raising funds to further provide for these children with meals, tutoring, medical/dental assistance, and child sponsorships. For parents, our vision is to disciple and offer marriage and parental counseling, financial stewardship support, and more. We hope to equip other local Christians to join these efforts alongside us. We believe by being obedient and following the leading of the Holy Spirit that God will use these efforts to help bring a stop to child abandonment in Iquitos, Peru.
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Board of Directors
TITUS BOWEN
President & Founder
Titus Bowen is the president and founder of Kings and Queens International. He was born in Charlotte, NC and grew up in Clover, SC. He loves Jesus and serving underprivileged children. Titus is a graduate of Liberty University with a bachelor’s degree in Business. He served in the United State Air Force and now is the business manager for a half-day preschool he co-owns with his wife. He is father to three, and his passion is serving in missions. He also enjoys fishing, rock climbing, and camping- especially in the Peruvian jungle.
KAILEE BOWEN
Executive Director
Kailee Bowen was born in Alabama and grew up in Fort Mill, SC. She has been serving in the place she is most passionate about, Peru, for over 13 years. She is a graduate of Liberty University and holds a bachelor’s degree in Business & Education. Kailee owns and operates a part-day preschool program, Ivybrook Academy, in Fort Mill.
Kailee is responsible for the overall operation of the organization including administration, marketing, and vision casting. She is passionate about orphan care, writing, entrepreneurship, relationships, and event planning. She is wife to Titus and adoptive mom of three.
STEPHANIE BARFIELD
Board Member
Stephanie Barfield is passionate about serving in ministry, and has led overseas mission teams for over 12 years. Stephanie is a graduate of Auburn University with a master’s degree in counseling. She is mom to 8 children that range from ages 12 to 30. Her heart is for orphans, and her and her husband, Randy, own a Chick-fil-A franchise in Rock Hill, SC.
chance farr
Board Member
Chance was born and raised in Lexington, South Carolina. He attended Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC, and then went on graduate from law school. Chance currently works as an attorney in Rock Hill, SC, and he lives in Fort Mill, SC with his wife and daughter. Chance serves as a deacon at Eternal Church in Fort Mill. After learning from Titus and Kailee about Kings and Queens International’s mission, Chance eagerly joined the board of directors in 2019. In his spare time, Chance enjoys volunteering at his church and with Kings and Queens, and also loves mountain biking and golf.
jennifer mcwilliams
Board Member
Jennifer McWilliams has been following the Lord’s calling to serve children since 2004, beginning as a teacher and then starting a pre-school company called Ivybrook Academy which provides quality education to children throughout the United States. After her first trip to Peru, her heart has remained at Casa de Reyes. Jennifer is a mother of two children and in her free time, she enjoys volunteering at her church, gardening and running.
brad heitzmann
Board Member
Brad grew up in Old Bridge, NJ and now lives in Fort Mill, SC with his wife, Lisa, and two sons, Ben and Sam. Brad and Lisa met in California while working at the same Bank and married in 2007. They moved to Fort Mill in 2008, because Brad was familiar with Charlotte as he graduated from UNC Charlotte in 1999. Brad’s parents, John and Sherri also moved to Fort Mill in 2015. Brad and his family enjoy extended family dinners almost weekly.
Both Brad and Lisa have spent their careers in the Financial Services industry. Brad has worked at several banks, and is currently at Ally Bank, since 2010. He is the Executive in charge of Loan Review, which has the responsibility of providing an independent assessment of Asset Quality to Ally’s Board of Directors. Brad enjoys mountain biking with his family and plans to one day get back to flying small private airplanes (he earned his pilot’s license in 2006, but hasn’t flown recently).
Brad joined the Board of Kings and Queens in 2019 to help provide additional expertise in financials and budgeting.
Ministry Staff
Mandy
Psychologist & Reinas Ministry
Mandy is a psychologist by profession, specializing in family therapy and clinical psychology. She has been married to Isaac for 13 years, and the fruit of that love was born Benjamin and Rebeca. Mandy and Isaac enjoy mission work and serve as youth ministry leaders in their community. Mandy says, "The work we do inside Kings & Queens is much more than a job, it is a manifestation of God's love for us that allowed us to get to know them and try to help them find Christ through integral healing in all aspects of their lives, especially in the mental and spiritual."
Yrving Sanchez
Operations & Facilities Manager
Yrving is happily married to Katerin and has two beautiful girls, Melody and Bella. He is an administrator by profession from the National University of the Peruvian Amazon. We previously worked as the Regional Director of Energy, but I decided to correspond to the call that God gave him to be in the beautiful Ministry of Kings and Queens, fulfilling the desire of his heart: to work at the service of those who need the most. He explains his mission in life is to serve.
Cristian Augusto Bardales Avalos
Support Staff- Casa de Reyes
Cristian is married to Silvia, and they have two children, Jorge (9), and Luana (7). He is a graduate of CESM Loreto School. Cristian enjoys small engine mechanics and motorcycles. His passion is community service. He is also a youth director at the Seventh-day Adventist Church.