Latest News and Prayer Letters
Some news and prayer letters recently received into the SAMS office:
Latest News and Prayer Letters
Some news and prayer letters recently received into the SAMS office:
Beryl Baker in Paraguay
From Asuncion on 6th March 2011
Dear Praying Friends,
Thank you for praying for rain. Praise the Lord for his wonderful answer. The Chaco is like the real Chaco again – green and beautiful and teeming with life.
There are first times for everything and everyone. For many Indians, like 59 year Dionicio from La Palmera, leaving their communities and going to a town is quite a shock. Within a day Dionicio saw the two Mennonite towns of Loma Plata and Filadelfia and later the same afternoon, Asunción. Going over the Remaso bridge and seeing the huge River Paraguay below; sleeping on a bed with a mattress was sheer luxury for him and finding kind people that spoke to him in Guaraní was a pleasant surprise. All these firsts enabled him to have a scan and cataract surgery. He can now see properly and his next first was the bus terminal where I took him for the return journey to the Chaco. I prayed for someone to travel with him to ensure that he disembarked at his destination. Immediately Miguel Wiens, a health promoter who I had worked with many years ago, appeared. Dionicio cannot read so even finding the number of his reserved seat he could not do without help.
The truck needs a new “T Belt”, whatever that is and is grounded in town until it can be fixed. I have to sell the truck and according to how the Lord leads purchase a newer smaller vehicle or rely in other people for transport.
A new edict from the Ministry of Health states that Indian health promoters will not receive medicines apart from paracetamol and parasite treatments. They say a cell phone contact with bring a doctor to their aid if a patient needs antibiotics or other medicines. It is a ridiculous way to think and absolutely impractical especially now that most of the roads are under water.
Norma, the Health Promoter at Sombrero Piri has been suspended from her job with no prior notice. The M.O.H. owe her for January and February and it was only at the beginning of January that she was asked to renew her contract. All Health Promoters are having great difficulties without medicines and my supplies and funds have dwindled to such an extent that I am not in a position to supply whole communities with medicines as previously.
Blind Liberato’s health certificate reads, “terminal glaucoma and irreversible blindness”. He will hopefully receive a pension with this certificate but in the meantime he has nothing and like others at Sombrero Piri all the crops were scorched by the sun before the rain came.
Old Anita Severo at Makthlawaiya passed away last Saturday. We estimate that she was 102 years of age. Fermina Zavala also from Mak” is to receive her last session of Chemotherapy next Tuesday.
It’s been a long haul for her but at last her prognosis is more favourable and her hair is growing again
Elderly, Elodia Villable from 2 Palmas , El Estribo will have cataract surgery at Yalva Sanga on 22nd March providing I can pass through the flooded roads.
Daily Bible studies with Jeremiah are very worthwhile. His sister, Brenda is to be a live in student at the Adventist school at Rio Verde. The future of the ranch is unknown and there may have to be changes for everyone living there
In Asuncion,5 year old Brian, Aminda’s grandson has just started pre-school and her 16 year old daughter, Ana, is doing her final three years of secondary education but finding their maths and physics very hard going.
The Paraguayan senators are back after their 3 month holiday and hopefully the bill to make all deforestation illegal will soon be passed. The heavy rain has put a stop to a lot of destruction these past few weeks.
My health is a lot better. Praise the Lord.!!
The theme of this morning’s service at St. Andrew’s was prayer so I will end with these encouraging words from God,
1;Peter 5:7 “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”
Love and prayers,
Beryl
Latest News and Prayer Letters
Some news and prayer letters recently received into the SAMS office:
Latest News and Prayer Letters
Some news and prayer letters recently received into the SAMS office:
Prayer points from Mags & Gwen in Paraguay
Thanks that school has started well. There was a very good atmosphere on the first day.
Pray for the pupils, that they will settle down to work quickly as it’s always hard after a long holiday.
Pray for the staff too as they settle back into routine.
Prayer for camps …2 should have taken place this week but it has rained heavily everyday and so we couldn’t go ahead so now we hope to take them next week, 5th and 6th grades to camp and the 3rd form to a leader’s camp to prepare them for leadership. Pray for good weather that they might be able to take place and for the spiritual input that each pupil might be challenged for Jesus. Once they have taken place the 7th and 8th grade pupils will then have their camp…some time in March.
Pray for that too and for the spiritual input there.
The newest pupils started in their nursery class this week. Pray for them as they settle into their new school and for their parents as they come into school each day.
Pray for Pastor Ronnie and Nicky working in school and planning a course for parents.
For all our bicentenary celebrations taking place over the year (main ones in May).
For all our pupils in their daily bible study and time in the school that they might know Jesus as friend , saviour and Lord.
Pray for the annexe school and for new ways of reaching the older pupils, especially the boys, for Jesus as they live in an environment where drugs and sex are rife. Life is hard for many of these pupils. Pray for the staff and pupils there too.
God Bless,
Love Gwen and Mags
Latest News and Prayer Letters
Some news and prayer letters recently received into the SAMS office:
Latest News and Prayer Letters
Some news and prayer letters recently received into the SAMS office:
Argentina Prayer
Thank God for the nine years Greg Venables has served as presiding bishop in the Southern Cone, for his oversight of the other dioceses and for his leadership and pastoral gifts within Argentina. Pray for Greg and Silvia, for God to lead them by his grace as they continue to serve him in the diocese and for the new presiding bishop Tito Zavala of Chile.
Pray for Latin partner Mario Ágreda in Buenos Aires. Henry Scriven was much encouraged by a visit to his church in Villa Devoto prior to the Provincial Synod in November. After the sermon, Mario invited the three bishops present (Henry, Abelino from Chile and Mike Chapman from Perú) to pray for the congregation – which they did, moving from one to another, quietly talking and praying. All were conscious of God moving through his Spirit.
Agustín Marsal and Mario pastor the churches in Villa Devoto, Lomas and another church plant. Pray for all the Buenos Aires churches, asking the Lord to equip their pastors for ministry and to bless the congregations.
Friday Night Live Reflections : Chilean Miner speaks to hundreds at SAMS Gathering
One of the Chilean miners rescued after a record 69 days trapped underground addressed hundreds of people at a mission conference in Craigavon on Friday. Jose Henriquez, along with his wife Blanca, were among the guest speakers at the “Friday Night Live” mission event organised by the South American Mission Society (SAMS) Ireland. SAMS Ireland has seen growth in recent years with around 700 people packing the Craigavon Civic Centre to hear reports of the work of the Anglican Church in Paraguay, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Spain.
Jose Henriquez became known as the “Pastor” among the 33 miners because he held fast to his faith in Jesus and led the group in daily prayer and Bible reading. Speaking to the crowd in the Civic Centre through a translator, he explained how his faith helped him survive and revealed previously unknown details such as number of the miners committed their lives to Christ during the crisis. Jose’s wife Blanca, whose reunion with her husband as he emerged from the rescue capsule was seen by up to a billion people live on television, explained how her faith helped her during the ordeal.
The Rev. Alf Cooper, a SAMS prayer partner and the chaplain to the president of Chile, was translating for Jose and Blanca. Alf led the nation’s prayers during the miner crisis and was on the scene during the rescue. He is passionate about mission and is well known for his evangelism and is the leader of a rapidly growing church in Chile. Speaking at the Friday Night Live event he said, “The world witnessed a miracle when Jose was pulled from the depths of the earth. Psalm 130:1 says, “Out of the depths I cry to you Lord”, each of us can experience the same miracle when we cry out to Jesus for salvation.”
Earlier in the evening the Mayor of Craigavon Mr Stephen Moutray MLA, hosted a reception for the Chileans and key people from the SAMS Ireland family. Commenting on the event the Mayor said, “I’ve known of the excellent work of SAMS Ireland for many years. The quality of their staff and mission partners is second to none. We’re delighted that Jose, Blanca and Alf chose Craigavon for their first visit to Northern Ireland. There is no doubt that the Chilean Miner has left a deep impression on all of us.”
Other guest speakers at “Friday Night Live” included Gwen Carlisle and Mags Southern, teachers who have worked for over 30 years in St Andrew’s College in Asunción, an Anglican school in Paraguay. They thanked SAMS Ireland for the quality of the teachers from Ireland who have served there as missionary teachers over the years. Several SAMS Ireland Latin American nationals working in local churches here reported on the growing trend of South American Christians pioneering mission in Ireland.