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Alison and Chris Hawksbee, working to empower impoverished communities in the Paraguayan Chaco region, ask prayer for cattle projects, and the projects to encourage people to grow Moringa trees, which have so many valuable properties, for health, nutrition, and animal feed. The Dos Palmas and Santa Fe cattle projects that we presented to the Ministry of Agriculture for funding. That they might be looked upon favourable for financing. Global Chaco (NGO) has presented several more projects to the Interamerican Development Bank for financing. This was at the Bank’s request, as, they were very happy with the cattle projects done so far. This will help raise the level of development of the neighbouring communities and reduce envy.

For the strengthening of the Moringa activities and market growth for the products.

Dear friends!

Hope you had a lovely Christmas (focused on the real meaning of this festivity and thanking God for such an amazing miracle of sending Jesus to this world). I also hope this 2011 will be full of blessings from heaven! The last two months have been kind of busy since summer was getting closer and we needed to finish the activities in the schools, nursery and happy hours and then start planning the summer camps. Fortunately everything went on so well that we are more than content with the results, in El Circulo church since the happy hour started two complete families came to Christ and the youth group is growing little by little. They needed the building so much so once again I can see such a blessing with the program we have of short term mission groups.

Two secondary schools have given me the opportunity to deliver a programme about values, so from March till December that will be on during the weekends and during the week I will keep visiting other schools and promoting the programme. This initiative involves two churches, the pastors thought it will be a good idea to train leaders from other churches so they can also visit schools and share with the young people so I will be responsible to coordinate this project. Meanwhile I am preparing all the material for the training. Ideas are welcome!

My wee volunteer, Gemma Bankhead, left Salta a few days ago. Her presence here was a real blessing for my life, my church and even my neighborhood. Today at the wee kiosk the owner was asking about her and saying every time Gemma was buying something her smile was on her face….she also said to me: all the girls you bring are so kind and nice people…..(this is a very good testimony for all of us). Gemma and her friends donated some toys to the nursery we help so when the kids come back they will get a nice surprise!

I just came back from a missionary retreat in Córdoba, around 150 Argentinean missionaries (with their families) who are all over the world met there for a week to share experiences and to spend a week in fellowship. This is the first time I took part, hopefully it won’t be the last one. It is so good to see that Latin people can also be part of Mathew 28: 18-20 even with our economy which is so stable. Another thing that took my attention was that almost 80% of the missionaries are single women and made me think and wonder where the men are…..we need more soldiers for the Kingdom of God. There was a special night where the people that organized the retreat honored the single missionaries, I really appreciated that because as a single woman sometimes it is not that easy being in mission under that condition.

In February I will be taking part on anther summer camp but in this one I will be part of the leadership so I will let you know about it in my next letter.

Thank God for…..

Thank God for the opportunity He gave us to enter in the schools with the program about Christian values.

For the resources we received all 2010 to help five Happy hours, the nursery, my Bible group, Bermejo Church, Circulo church and Shekinah church.

Thank God for such a marvelous time in Córdoba. May he keep blessing all my mission partners and proving them with everything they need.

The opportunity I will have to serve in the summer camps that I could be salt and light to those young people who are attending.

Pray for…

All the wee trips that I have to do so God protects me.

At the moment my wee Patricio (my car) is once again at the mechanic and unfortunately it will be there for a couple of weeks, I know the mechanic told me that sooner or later I will have to replace it BUT for now that won´t be possible so pray so I can find all the pieces I need so it can be fixed and that doesn’t spoil my economy.

Pray for my health, I had had some problems with my back and I have to start physiotherapy next week.

Friends thank you for taking the time to read about the things we are experiencing in this part of the world.

May God guide your journey! In his Grace.

Cecilia.

Some news and prayer letters recently received into the SAMS office:

• Bartlett News in Paraguay
• Beryl Baker in Paraguay
• Christmas News from Peru
• Meldrum Christmas News Brazil
• Montgomery News Peru
• My Father’s House Brazil
• Sue Woodcock in Spain
• The Roberts Brazil Update
• Update from the Leakes in Northern Argentina
• Paul & Sarah Update from Peru

Dear Friends,

This comes with Christmas greetings from a very hot and sticky Paraguay! We hear it’s quite a change from the weather you are all experiencing! Today we have a national holiday which is really a Catholic saint’s day but we’re just glad of an extra day off.

Life here has been hectic for the last two weeks and we are just coming to the end of two weeks intense activities as we finish off the end of the school year. The infants all had their special shows at the end of November. Gwen did a nativity play with her class. The parents love coming to these shows and were very appreciative. We had a very good year in the infant area. The primary, 9^th grade and the 6^th form all had special church services as they finished. The primary had a Christmas service which was very nice. Mags prepared her 9^th grade for their service. It’s the official end of primary education and they had a church service and then they showed their work to the parents. Mags had her pupils write their testimonies saying what this year had meant to them . Four of the pupils read them out in the service and it was very moving to hear them tell of how their lives had changed with Jesus in them.

The 6^th form seemed to have an endless round of Goodbyes. First, they have their last day in school, the last day of classes before final exams. We had a special surprise service for them and invited their parents to come along too. There were tears all round by the end. The next day they wanted to make an entrance and so arranged it all with Mags then we had a breakfast for them and their parents came too. The staff use that time to tell them what it’s meant to them to teach them and to encourage them. They’d  been an exceptionally good group and will be missed.  We also invited all of them round to our house for a sausage barbecue with the staff and we had a lovely time with them. Then, as they finished we had a special church service for them and their parents followed by supper in school. The service was very special as each pupil is prayed for individually and it means  lot to them and their parents. The next week we had their official graduation ceremony followed by their graduation party the following day.   In all the services there was a very good atmosphere and an awareness of the Lord and we were very thankful for all God had done for us.

We also attended all the annexe end of year activities. We went to their infant show and to their end of year service. We also went to the 9^th grade leavers’ service and supper They too have now finished for the year.

Since then we have had staff training in school with Nelson leading sessions on a Christian  world view and a Christian philosophy of education. He’s had us all thinking and I think many staff appreciated his talks. We still have a service for our ex pupils tomorrow night. We invite those who left 10, 20 and 25 years ago to come back and to rethink what they learned then. We finish on Friday with a staff lunch for everyone.

Looking back  much has happened over the year. We had to take an extra week’s holiday in July as the president had signed a decree. This meant we then lost most of our September break to make up the days. The break we had was then taken up with the diocesan synod which went very well. In September we all had sports days and in November Mags finally got to take a group of year 10’s to the Chaco to build and paint.

They managed to do an amazing amount of work in a short time and enjoyed a good trip.  Gwen’s infant class also got a trip out to one of the pupil’s very nice ranch. In September the whole school had a science fair on Water and the parents came in to watch. Overall it’s been great to see the progress in all the children over the year.

We are still in the English speaking congregation and have been more involved in leading the services each week. Mags often spends weekends preparing the Powerpoint for the service. It’s very encouraging though as, even though we have a shifting congregation, there always seems to be new people coming. You never know how many people will be there. We arrived one Sunday to find we had two bishops in the congregation and we were leading! Still, it’s very encouraging to be part of it.

As usual our staff are constantly changing. We are just about to say Goodbye to Sue who joined us 2 yrs ago and has been a great help in the secondary school. One of our English speaking primary staff also left. Belinda worked with us for 2 years and has left to work more with her husband. Even so, the Lord has been good to us and we have had Neill Brice join us. He’s the son of SAMS missionaries and was brought up here. He was even a pupil in school for a few years . We also have a new primary teacher lined up to join us from England and 2 more short term volunteers coming out too. As far as we can see we have enough English teachers but are still looking for maths, ICT and business studies teachers to teach these subjects to IGCSE level and AS level.

We are both well and so are our animals. We didn’t have any puppies, sadly. The youngest cat has found an escape route despite a very high wall and she went missing for a few days last week. We thought we’d lost her but she arrived back at 4am crying and woke the dog up who then woke Mags up to let her in.

We leave here at the end of next week and make our way back to England via Barcelona where we’ll spend a few days with Mags’ brother and family. We’ll be home for Christmas and are looking forward to seeing everyone again but not looking forward to the snow and cold! We hope to visit some of our link churches in that time. We have had problems in corresponding with some of you as we have to rely on e-mail. If you would like us to visit please get in touch and we’ll see what we can do. You can ring us in England after Dec 22^nd or email us here. Our phone numbers will be: Gwen  01625 875875 Mags  01925 764482.

It’s been a very busy year but it’s gone well and we’re very thankful to the Lord for His help and strength and for your prayers for us. This comes with our good wishes for a Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Love,

Gwen and Mags

Some news and prayer letters recently received into the SAMS office:

• Caroline’s news from Paraguay
• Charles and Lynn Barr Johnston in Salta
• Rene & Marina Pereira in Juarez
• Andrew & Maria Leake  have also recently updated their blog : http://www.leake.blogspot.com

SAMS

We thank God for the safe arrival of Suyai Gimpel and Tomas from Chile despite the snow and pray for them as they continue to settle into life in Northern Ireland and in Knockbreda, along with Suyai’s husband Gerardo.

We also pray for the FUSION volunteers from South America, serving God here – Jackie, Oscar, and Saray.

We thank God for the different people who are coming forward to enquire about service overseas either longer term, or for short term teams in the summer.  David Orritt leads “Mission Paraguay” which takes teams out to Paraguay each summer.  We pray for him as he makes all the preparations both here and in Paraguay

Friday Night Live” is now less than 2 months away (the first Friday night in February.)  We pray for all the preparations that will go on between now and then, and that God’s Name will be glorified.

As the work of SAMS Ireland grows we are grateful to the Lord and we pray for Denis Johnston the General Secretary, and all the SAMS team.

PERU

Paul and Sarah Tester work with children and young people in Lima.  Sarah asks for love and patience especially over the next few weeks with the many Children’s Activities.  They also ask for prayer for the special events to be held this weekend and next and especially for the Nativity Play on Sunday 19^th December at their Church that the children’s voices and the message will be heard.

BRAZIL

John and Phyllis Logan have recently returned from a trip to Brazil where they were part of the Mount Horebe organisation.  They write

Please praise God for the dedication of those who work as employees or as volunteers within the Monte Horebe organisation.  Give thanks that Monte Horebe continues to be a beacon of light and hope in an impoverished community and that it propounds the Gospel through all its works: church, crèche, school, sponsorship of children; dental surgery; Health Express; football and volleyball schools; youth group; outreach to Caçador and to other parts of Brazil. Give thanks too that so many people, in Northern Ireland and elsewhere, are supportive of the work of Monte Horebe both practically and prayerfully;4 employees of Monte Horebe will graduate from university in December 2010.

Please pray: that school Principal Shia soon returns to full health and that she will be able to develop the Community Kitchen project as originally planned:  Also that mission directors Bebeto and Suely Arraújo and their family enjoy continued good health and remain free from threat or actual harm.

PARAGUAY

As we praise God for his provision for Saint Andrew’s College during 2010, we pray for rest for the staff over the holidays, for safe travelling for the mission partners, and that God will provide Christian teachers to teach Maths, Computing, and Business Studies at IGCSE and AS level.

Seville
Praise God for Juan and Carol Zamora who have just returned from a visit to the UK: “It was very encouraging to realise how many people had been faithful in praying for us over the last 15 years. In summary we would say that this was an outstanding visit. We felt extremely welcome, well looked after, cared for and blessed by all those we met. We thank our Lord for all the brothers and sisters who have supported us throughout our years in Seville. It has been a marvellous time, with some difficult trials and tribulations at times, but the hand of the Lord has always protected us and we have seen the fruits of your prayers. We are convinced that he will bless you as you have supported us.  “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58”

Sabadell – Sue Woodcock
Sue Woodcock, CMS mission partner writes: “Thank you all so much for your prayers, messages of encouragement and offers of help in whatever way I may need. This is just to let you know the latest on my health. Last week, I had a CAT scan and further blood tests, prior to seeing the oncologist on Monday 15th. The results of the blood tests were good, and the CAT scan showed some positive improvement. Reasons to celebrate, he said, but far too early to even think of changing the prognosis. … “This weekend my two brothers and sister are coming for the weekend. Church folk are very generously offering hospitality and transport to/from airport. The church continues to do well. This weekend there will be training sessions for a prospective pastoral care team (sessions led by the Rev Peter Jordan). Please continue to pray. Our hope is in the Lord; he is good, and faithful and very much at work! Every blessing, Sue.”

Ian and Simea Meldrum, Brazil
Praise for the following news from Ian and Simea Meldrum: “On the last day of the [Lausanne Cape Town 2010] congress part of our Brazilian delegation prepared a letter to ask forgiveness from the Africans for the years of slavery that Brazilians caused to many African families. A group then went to the room where the Africans were meeting and asked if they could read the letter. While the letter was being read out, the African delegation stood up and began to cry out loud. It was an unforgettable scene, extremely painful, at the same time very consoling. The love of God was being poured out in a divine moment, as we experienced deep intimate union with our African brothers together with the gracious presence of God amongst us. Our God is so merciful!

Lima
CMS mission partner Pat Blanchard asks for our prayers. “This coming week Medical Ministry International are bring a team of physical therapists and also students to work in the Anglican Diocese and especially with Shalom [ministry with children with special needs]. The clinic was to be held in facilities of the Municipality of Lima but due to problems and other issues we are relocating to have the therapy clinic in the Shalom building.
“For us it is great and is more convenient for most of those attending who mainly live in the areas around Shalom. But these changes have meant many last minute co-ordinations, including phoning and informing all those who have planned to come to give them the change of address, but I think we are resolving things and getting organised. “So please pray for the organisation. I am just off to meet the team, most of whom arrived into Lima last night. “Pray we will remember and get everything organised that we need. “Pray especially for the items, wheelchairs, crutches etc travelling from Arequipa today that they arrive in Shalom without any difficulty “Please pray for the running of the clinic Monday through Friday, we will see about four people an hour both adults and children, many are those who already attend Shalom but there are some new people coming who have responded to publicity. “There are still spaces to see more adults so please pray that more people will hear about it and that now it is nearer they will take advantage of the clinic to get advice and help with their pains and problems. “Pray also that we will be able to share the love of Christ to all who come. We also should have a nurse and possibly a doctor who can also give advice to patients.”

SAMS IRELAND

• Thank God for the Christmas Cards being sold at £1.00 each to support and help fund projects of the Anglican Church in the Argentine Chaco.  If you would like to buy some of these cards to send or to sell please let us know.
• The new SAMS magazine Buena Vista is about to go out to homes and on the website.  We praise God for it, and His stories from South America.
• We continue to pray for the South American’s who are with us – Oscar in St Jude’s Belfast, Jackie McCallum in Eglinton, Saray in Primacy Bangor and Gerardo Gimpel in Knockbreda.  We pray that Gerardo’s wife Suyai might recover quickly from her fall and that she and their son Tomas might be able to join him this weekend as planned.
• We pray for the SAMS General Council meeting and AGM on 3^rd December, that God will always guide SAMS where He wants us to go.
• We thank God for, and pray His blessing upon all the many people and churches who support the work of SAMS, as we work together with others to fulfil the Great Commission and take the gospel of Christ to our own and other nations.

PARAGUAY

• Bishop Andres asks us to thank God for 6 people – children, young people, and adults, who were baptised in Concecpion on Sunday past.  Some of them are people that the church has been praying for, and getting alongside for years.
• 8^th December In the midst of a lot of idolatry Bishop Andres and the church are having a special event of worship to God, to which they will be inviting non-believers.  We join with them in praying for this event.
• Linn Tedman asks us to pray for the president, Fernando Lugo who has cancer at present.

SALTA ARGENTINA

Gemma Bankhead and Sonya Brown have been serving God alongside Cecilia in Salta Argentina.  We continue to pray for them, and for God’s work in Salta.

SPAIN

Sue Woodcock is undergoing chemotherapy, and the prognosis given by the doctors wasn’t good.  She writes,  “Thank you all so much for your prayers, messages of encouragement and offers of help in whatever way I may need.  This is just to let you know the latest on my health. Last week, I had a CAT scan and further blood tests, prior to seeing the oncologist on Monday 15th.  The results of the blood tests were good, and the CAT scan showed some positive improvement.  Reasons to celebrate, he said, but far too early to even think of changing the prognosis.”  Sue has just completed round 4 of chemotherapy.  We continue to pray for her and for the church.

CHILE

We pray for Alf and Hilary Cooper in Alf’s ministry as chaplain to the president, thanking God for this opportunity.  Alf asks us to pray for him as he plants a church in the chapel with 2 services, reaching the ministers and government.

Many of you know Esteban Alvarez who has recently returned to Chile after spending some years with SAMS here in Ireland.  We pray for him as he has an operation on his ankle this weekend.