Please pray for Rev Malcolm Kingston, and the local parishes of Kilmore and St. Saviours as they host a special South American Long Weekend taking place from February 6th to 11th. The planned programme is extensive, fun and focussed on mission matters here at home and overseas.

Fri, 6th Feb (7.30pm) : SAMS Friday Night Live in Craigavon Civic    Centre.  This annual celebration event never disappoints!  Peter and Cecilia will take part, as will the Shankill Parish Worship Group, Bishop Ken Clarke and Rev. Dr Maurice Elliott.

Sat, 7th Feb (7.30pm) : Salsa Night with Cecilia in Kilmore Parish Centre. Have you been inspired by the Latin Dances on Strictly Come Dancing, then ladies and gentlemen, come along for a lot of fun!

Sunday, 8th Feb : Morning Worship in both churches with Peter & Sally Bartlett, followed by BBQ in St Saviour’s Hall.

Sunday, 8th Feb, 7pm : Evening Worship with Cecilia in St Saviour’s.

Mon, 9th Feb, 7.30 - 8pm  : A meeting of Refresh (youth group for those of Secondary School age plus) with a South American theme,  in Kilmore Parish Centre.

Tues, 10th Feb : Church Girl’s Brigade South America Night in St Saviour’s Hall. All girls are most welcome! 

25th December 2008

To my very wonderful family and friends….

Hola from sunny (and slightly thundery) Salta!! This is my very first time bein in the southern hemisphere for Christmas and also I think the 1st time I’ve ever written a Christmas letter. (apart from those to Santa Claus)

Well as the muppets would say, there’s only one more sleep til Christmas. Although this year for me it’ll be quite different…no turkey dinner, no freezing/rainy weather, not bein with the familia , bein in a different hemisphere, there’s one thing that’s the same!!The reason we celebrate…the amazin fact that Jesus came to earth as a baby FOR US!! ‘She will have a son, and they will name him “Immanuel” which means ‘God is with us’! How excitin!!!!

They actually do most of the celebrating here on Christmas eve…today!!woohooo! In true Argentina style they start late at night and finish early in the morning!! Thats my favourite kind!! Although they don’t have church here on Christmas day, I’ve been part of a Nativity play as Mary and the other night a load of our church ones were playing CHRISTMAS CAROLS in the main plaze in town!beautiful!!

It’s going to be strange not being able to see you all and wish you Merry Christmas in person but know that I’ll be thinking of you and even if I’m enjoying Christmas here (which I’m sure I will be!) there’ll be a big part of me missing you and wondering whats goin on with each of you on Christmas day!Make sure you all enjoy some extra mince pies or roses chocolates or M&S Christmas food on my behalf!!(mmmmmm) I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and really feel God’s love and peace all around you! Don’t fofget that He is the reason we have this amazin season!!

HAPPY CHRSTMAS!!!!!!!!!

FELIZ NAVIDAD!!!!!!

I LOVE YOU!! GOD BLESS!!!!

Lots of Christmas love and hugs!

Helen xxx

Megan Johnston has started a blog on her experience with the Red Box project in Argentina! Here is a snipit.

Well I returned safe and sound after a 6 day conference to Misa Rumi on the Argentine/Bolivian Boarder. It was quite an experience to be honest! During the main conferences I taught 54 children in total, basically the Happy Hours that I mentioned before. Alot of Games, Songs and teachings which was really great. Although the children where soo shy as its a very traditional place so sometimes it felt like I was doing all the talking…no change there I suppose!

Read more in her blog. More about Megan.

I’m Helen and I’m going to Argentina to work with Cecilia and the Red Box Project as part of my university year abroad! I was there a few years ago as part of the SAMS btn programme, so as you can imagine I’m looking forward to getting back to see everyone again and enjoying some ‘dulce de leche’. I know that Argentina is where God wants me to be at the minute and I really can’t wait to see what He’s going to teach me – your prayers are appreciated!

Red Box volunteer Naomi Francy continues to update her blog and recently uploaded some photos. Please have a read for her latest updates. She shares some prayer points:

Some prayer points for Salta :

For all the children in the orphanage, that they learn to treat eachother as they would like to be treated. That their hearts be filled with love for God and they will open their ears to our teachings.

For the happy hours in El Redentor (my church) that the children will be able to put into practice the memory verses they learn each week and for the leadership teams that they can work well together and come up with new interesting ways of teaching Your word.

For the young people at the church, for being so young they have an amazing faith and I pray that they will continue to let their hearts overflow with God´s love.

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.

Naomi Francey is from St. Paul’s Parish, Gilford. She currently works in Armagh Planetarium, at least until Sunday when she leaves for the Red Box project in Salta Argentina.

Your leaving on Sunday right?
Yes, it’s Father’s Day!! My parents are pretty anxious about me going, but excited as well! My mum wil miss me doing the ironing, and Dad will just miss me!

So how do you feel about it all?
Surprisingly not really worried. I don’t think the reality has set in that I’m going for such a long time. I’m really excited, and will be relieved when I arrive in Salta after catching all my flights.

Do you know what you’re doing yet?
Not really! I’m happy to be put where I’m needed. I’ve done a bit of Spanish and I’m looking forward to improving it and working with the children and local community.

How will you be keeping us up to date?
I have a blog about to go online - it’s at NaomiFrancey.co.uk. I plan to keep it up to date with what’s going on, photos, and prayer points. Look for an update about once a month.

We’d like to welcome back Gayle Stevenson from Argentina. She returned this week from the Red Box project. We’ll be updating the web site with her reflections soon. Please pray for her as she readujsts to life back in Northern Ireland.

Here are the dates for some comissioning services for volunteers and teams going out this summer. Please pray especially for Naomi who is leaving in the next few weeks.

Naomi Francey, Red Box volunteer to Argentina - Gilford Sunday 8th June.
Love for Life team to Paraguay - Sunday 8th June in Magheralin.
La Caldrea Team to Argentina - 2nd July in Holywood Parish.
Fivemiletown team to Red Box in Argentina - Sunday 15th June in Fivemiletown.

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.