The Drumglass Parish team are getting excited as the time draws nearer for departure to Argentina. We travel to Argentina on July 24th returning August 15th.

Harold Armstrong, Nigel Millar, Margaret Jackson and Kate Shrestha will join 3 other ladies from Fivemiletown to make up a team travelling to Salta to help with the Red Box Project there. We are all looking forward to meeting Cecilia again.

Over the past few months there have been many fundraising events in the Paris. There was a 6 hour Dance-a-thon resulting in tired feet for many and Nigel ran the Belfast Marathon in May in blistering conditions but still completed the run in good time. A more relaxed event of selling cakes and drinking coffee filled a Saturday morning at the beginning of June and a fun night with a Treasure Hunt and BBQ is planned for the end of June in Dungannon Park. All events to date have been really well supported by the Parish.

Two members of the Team have travelled abroad before, however not to South America and all are looking forward to this new experience. We also look forward to seeing how the Church in Salta fellowship together and trust God can use us in some way to serve there.

This summer there are six BTN teams going from Northern Ireland to South America. The work will be varied, but wherever they are, the volunteers will have the opportunity to encounter South America within a supportive environment. Participants form part of a team within a local community working alongside local Christians in outreach and development projects.

“I’ve never been on a mission trip before, so this makes the idea of going to Argentina an exciting prospect but also quite daunting at the same time. I’m looking forward to exploring the Argentinian culture and meeting different Christians over there and seeing how they worship. I hope to gain a great experience from this trip and have a great time while I’m there!”

Two teams are going to the Red Box project in Salta Argentina where they will be helping Cecilla Valdiviezo with outreach through the soup kitchen and children’s clubs. Another team from Down and Dromore Diocese are linking up with the Diocese of Northern Argentina to refurbish a retreat centre in La Caldera and experience the life of local churches in the foothills of the Andes. A further two teams will be joining David Orritt in Mission Paraguay focusing on practical projects in Asuncion and Concepcion. Finally, the Love for Life team will again go into schools in Paraguay with their multimedia presentation on relationships.

Are you interested in serving the Lord in South America? Several opportunities are available for committed Christians to work as teachers or with the disabled.

• St. Andrew’s School Asunción is looking for nursery, primary and secondary teachers. Teachers of English as a second language are required at all levels and teachers of GCSE and A Level subjects are also required in Secondary. No Spanish is required as language training is provided. You can view a video of St. Andrew’s in the multimedia pages. Please contact SAMS Ireland for more details.
• St. Paul’s School in Vina del Mar, Chile is looking for English assistants. More details in this PDF document or on their website.
• A three month placement is available for someone interested in working with disabled children in Lima, Peru. More details.

This year two teams are going to the Red Box project in Northern Argentina. They will be involved in the following aspects of the work.

Supporting children’s and youth work.
One of several children’s initiatives is the ‘happy hour’ which takes place in different locations at weekends. The ‘happy hour’ is committed to resourcing children relationally through playing games, singing, reading stories and sharing a bite to eat.

The youth work has many strands. One of the key areas is the weekly Saturday night group which meets in Cecilia’s home. It can be a tight squeeze but with a mixture of pizza and discussion topics this is a safe and supportive environment for young people.

Training opportunities for volunteer leaders.
A significant part of Cecilia’s role is investing time in potential future leaders, encouraging people to develop skills and grow in confidence through a wide variety of informal and educational opportunities.

Overseeing the soup kitchen project.
At weekends a team of fourteen serve in the soup kitchen in one of the churches which provides a basic meal for the most vulnerable in the community.

Facilitating the educational sponsorship programme.
This is an initiative which gives young people from disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to continue studying. Luicina, David, Matias and Tarifa are examples of four young people who are continuing their studies through the educational sponsorship programme.

More information on Red Box.

During the coming months several SAMS Ireland teams are heading to South America. Each of them will be doing a variety of work to server the Anglican church in their outreach and ministries. The teams are:

• Lisburn Cathederal - Salta; Red Box Project, from 28th June to 19th July. Team leader - Jonny Best.
• Down & Dromore - La Caldera 2008, Northern Argentina; from 4th July to 25th July. Team leader - Stephen Trew.
• Dungannon / Fivemiletown - Salta; Red Box Project, from 24th July to 15th August. Team Leader Jo Hamilton
• Love For Life - Paraguay; From 1st August to 17th August. Team Leader Hannah Collins. Following up the Love for Life Paraguay 2007 trip (report).
• Eglinton / Ahoghill - Mission Paraguay 2008; From 1st August to 23rd August. Team Leader David Orritt.

As the summer approaches SAMS Ireland launches many mission trips under the Beyond the Norm banner.

Mission Paraguay is an on-going initiative where teams work for a few weeks on practical projects in Asuncion, Concepcion and remote parts of Paraguay. Details of this years projects are below.

Project for July 2008, one group
Fly out: Friday, 11th July. Return: Saturday, 2nd August.

• Development of a retreat centre in Emboscada, near Asuncion.

Projects for August, two Groups
Fly out: Friday, 1st August. Return: Saturday, 23rd August

• Concepción - building a small church in Yvapovo, redoraction of the main church building in Concepción.

• The Chaco - improve the collection and storage of rainwater, improvements to the church buildings at Dos Palmos and Alegre, the first phase of a new church building at Rio Verde.

Cost: £1,350 approx.

Please read the information sheet for more details.

Please get in touch if you would like to discuss going on a trip.

Mission Paraguay sends teams of volunteers out to work alongside the Anglican Church in practical projects, community based work, childrens’ activities and social projects. In 2007 41 volunteers, backed by many churches and organizations, spent June to August working in and around Asuncion, Concepción and the Chaco. Many worked on projects started by previous teams and this report will provide an update on the work.

The report includes details on:

• Roque Alonso
• Emboscada
• Esperanza Foster Home
• Concepción - Inmaculada
• Chaco - Para Todoi
• Childrens’ work
• Past projects - Yatnata and Zeballos Cue
• Mission Paraguay 2008

Download the full report with photo. (9MB PDF)

Paraguay gets under your skin. It is a subtle thing, something to do with the place (vast expanses of palm trees and swamps, and dusty cities) and it is something to do with the poverty that you see, in its varied forms, wherever you go. But mostly, I think, it is to do with the people. The people I met were warm hearted; they approached us as friends. They demonstrated their faithfulness and love for God by greeting us as family members. They challenged my understanding of reliance on prayer for every aspect of their lives.
Sarah Holman who worked at Concepción