Prayer letters
Some recent prayer letters into the SAMS office:
- Linn Tedman in Paraguay
- The Leakes in Argentina
- The Morrisons in Chile
- SAMS work in Olinda Brazil
- Caroline Gilmore-White in Paraguay
- FEISA teacher training college in Paraguay
SAMS Prayer line
The latest prayer line from SAMS GB.
Pupils in the Primary Department of St Andrew’s School in Asunción, Paraguay, are beginning their end-of-year exams this week. Please pray for them and their teachers.
Associate Mission Partners Stuart & Kathryn Broughton are seeking new working visas to continue their ministry among Portuguese speakers in Sydney, Australia. They expected to be notified by the end of October, but are yet to hear a response to their application, so please pray.
On Friday (7th) the annual distribution of wheelchairs begins in Lima, Peru, in conjunction with the Peruvian charity Corazones Unidos. Pat Blanchard, whose Shalom ministry to the disabled has grown encouragingly, will be involved. Please pray.
And three events in northeast Brazil for our prayers:
Ruth Hollingdale Vilella asks us to pray for a big thanksgiving service and party on Thursday (6th) for all ex-participants of the pregnancy group at the House of Hope project in Recife, together with their babies
a youth conference this weekend on the theme of celibacy before marriage, with ten young people from Siméa & Ian Meldrum’s church of Living Waters in Olinda attending
Siméa herself is speaking at a diocesan conference for women on Saturday in João Pessoa on the subject, ‘Breaking the poverty cycle’.
Prayer letters
Some recent prayer letters from SAMS mission partners:
- the Barrets in the UK
- the Jordans in Spain
- James Palmer in Chile
- Mission Uruguay prayer letter.
Tim Curtis writes on Makxawáya church
The people in Makxawáya church put the section of roof blown off back on, in August, just a day or two after I went in with David Orrit and Rev Peter Hunter. They have done a very temporary sort of repair, with bits of sky visible from the inside of the church, and some of the wall near the roof missing some bits! The wedding on Sunday August 10th went ahead and none of the guests mentioned the roof!
Chris Hawksbee has been in Mak today with Caroline Gilmore-White and a couple from one of Chris’s supporting churches. I think they were probably going to look at the church and see what needed doing. The people in Mak keep asking me when proper repairs are going to be done!
I shall be in Mak this weekend, taking young folk / musicians to a couple of weddings in El Estribo, weather permitting. Rain is forecast.
Prayer line
SAMS GB Prayer line for this week:
… starts as a Praise Line. Thank you, first of all, for praying at the end of September for the visit of Murray & Penny Metcalfe and family to Buenos Aires. Their trip from Asunción in search of British documentation for their adopted Paraguayan children was successful, with visas granted and passports forthcoming. Let’s praise God for this, and pray for the Metcalfes as they prepare to leave Paraguay in December after many years’ service.
Secondly, Marcus & Tamara Throup thank us for prayers for the men’s Cursilho event in João Pessoa, Brazil, in mid-October. 39 men attended and many gave their lives to the Lord, including an atheist who was baptised at the end of the event. So again let’s give God the praise, and continue to remember those men in prayer.
Tomorrow in Reus in northeast Spain a meeting is held between Sue Woodcock from Sabadell, Rafa Arencón from Reus itself, Peter Jordan and English chaplains to discuss the development of Anglican ministry in the region. Please pray for this gathering and its outcome.
Jill Ball returned to Ecuador two weeks ago after UK leave. Pray for Jill in resumption of her ministry to the disabled and marginalised of the Santo Domingo area.
Finally, a reminder to keep in prayer:
* this weekend’s retreat for women of the Diocese of Peru, held in Arequipa and involving Penny Marcés
* Richard Crofts of SAMS GB who is himself in Peru until Monday (3rd) when he moves to Brazil
* Walter Barrientos in Bolivia, continuing his treatment for cancer of the larynx.
Prayerline
Latest prayerline from SAMS GB
Praise God for rain at last in the Paraguayan Chaco! This includes the area of El Estribo where the third year students from FEISA Teacher Training College are going tomorrow and Wednesday as part of their teaching practice commitments. They will give the 9 schools some resources they have made, paint a classroom and do some games. Please pray for this visit to be a blessing as much for the students as for the community.
Then on Friday and Saturday a workshop is held there for primary and Sunday school teachers on the use of the children’s Bible resources recently produced by FEISA in the Enxet language.
On Thursday Terry and Pancha Barratt fly out for the first SEAN graduation in mainland China; the programme is growing and students number in the thousands. Terry and Pancha return on 1st November; pray for them and all involved in this special event.
This coming weekend the Diocese of Peru holds a women’s retreat in Lima, followed by another in Arequipa the following weekend. The theme is ‘Healed to serve’, and Penny Marcés is one of the organisers and speakers. Remember Penny and all the women gathered over these weekends.
Looking ahead to next week, Thanksgiving Services for Bob Drayson and Derek Hawksbee take place on Tuesday (28th) and Wednesday (29th) in Sandhurst and Tunbridge Wells respectively (see website for details). Please remember their families over this period.
SAMS Prayerline
The latest SAMS GB prayer line:
It’s been a shock to hear that Walter Barrientos, pastor of the new Anglican church in Tarija, Bolivia, is suffering from cancer of the larynx. Please uphold Walter, Sandra and their three young children as he has just started six months’ chemotherapy. Tarija is the church featured in the SAMS autumn project.
From Thursday (16th) to Sunday a Cursilho evangelistic event for men takes place in João Pessoa, Brazil; Marcus & Tamara Throup ask prayer that many will come to the Lord through this.
In Chile César Guzmán, currently Director of the Centre for Pastoral Studies (CEP), has been named pastor of the new church in Peñalolén, Santiago, planted by members of Alf Cooper’s congregation, La Trinidad in Las Condes. Pray for César and his wife Ana María as they prepare to take up this exciting challenge in 2009.
Sue Woodcock in northeast Spain reports an overwhelming number of immigrants coming to the food bank and so gives thanks for a delivery of over 2000kg from the European Union. Sue asks prayer for the team that runs this ministry, as it’s a demanding task every Monday.
Prayer Line
A week ago the new government of Paraguay declared the drought in the Chaco an emergency. Please pray for the communities there, for appropriate action by the authorities, and especially for rain. Continue to uphold nurse Beryl Baker in her tireless ministry to the sick and needy.
Also in that area keep in prayer the Enxet Bible translation team coordinated by Tim Curtis. One translator, Asunción Rojas, is about to start translating the monumental book of Isaiah.
Over in the Chaco area of Northern Argentina a two-week training course for leaders of the Indian churches begins on Monday (22nd) in the town of Juárez. Pray for coordinator René Pereira and for all the students and teachers.
Prayer line
Among the many parts of the world enduring extreme weather conditions is southern Chile, where floods have caused considerable suffering and loss. Please pray for the people of that area, and include in your prayers Bishop Abelino & Paty Apeleo, the Anglican churches and the two schools – William Wilson School in Chol-Chol and the School for the Deaf in Temuco. (Photos may be viewed on the diocesan website www.iach.cl.)
In Olinda, northeast Brazil, Ian & Siméa Meldrum have put their house on the market and want to move to a smaller place which will meet their needs and be safe. Pray for them in this, alongside their very busy ministries among the poor.
Praise God for answered prayer for Alejandro Mesco’s visa which arrived in time for him to travel to the UK, where he’s now visiting churches and telling of his pioneer ministry in Peru’s Colca Canyon. Please continue to uphold him.
Finally, three prayer points from Paraguay:
On Thursday (11th) the third Alpha Course begins in the centre of Asunción, involving the folk of St Andrew’s Church and the San Andrés morning and evening congregations. Pray for all involved, including pastors Agustín Maidana and Patrick Butler.
This weekend FEISA’s final indigenous nursery project visit to Yatnata, in the Paraguayan Chaco, takes place. Pray for Samantha Parsons and all participants.
Next week (15th -) is Youth Week at St Andrew’s School with a number of special activities. Pray for everyone involved.