Blog

Pray for Brother David Jardine as he leads a team to Colombia from the 13 to 27 January. The team members include Ronnie Orr, Paul Shields and Stanley Gibson. Pray for health and safety in travel.  

 
Paul Tester had the opportunity to travel to the south of Peru and be part of the follow-up to the July youth mission in Juliaca. Working with Lizbeth, the diocesan youth coordinator, and the church in Juliaca, “we prepared a day’s activities for the young people there. It was great to have over thirty attend and see that the group that started after our mission trip is still meeting and growing. I was also able to be part of youth leader training and leading youth groups in Arequipa as part of the same trip. It is encouraging to see many green shoots of youth ministry across the diocese. Please keep praying!

Youth leaders from the diocese came together for the youth leaders’ retreat in Lima, including ones from Juliaca, Arequipa, Ica and Lima. We had times of teaching, ministry, games, worship and fun on the nearby beach and it has seemed to encourage youth leaders in a number of congregations where youth ministry is a very new concept! It is beginning to be taken seriously in Peru and a few of us from the youth ministry team were able to attend the “Youth Specialties” national youth leaders’ conference, which was an encouragement and inspiration for all of us.

Latest newsletters and prayer letters received into the SAMS office:

• Paul & Sarah Tester in Peru
• Daniel & Ellelein Kirk in Chile
• Gwen Carlisle and Mags Southern in Paraguay
• Walter & Sandra Barrientos in Bolivia
• Charles & Lynn Barr Johnston in Northern Argentina
• Beryl Baker (associate mission partner) in Paraguay
• Ian & Siméa Meldrum in Olinda, Brazil
• Former partners John & Linda Cobb, now retired in Chile
• Raphael & Michelle Samuel, recently returned to Bolivia after an extended period in Singapore
• Cecilia in Northern Argentina
• Janet and Alberto Mena
• Tim Curtis
• Stuart and Kathryn Broughton
• Catherine and Nick Drayson’s blog

Friday Night Live : Friday 5th February 2010 @ 7.30pm

Hosted By
Bishop Ken Clarke

Keynote Speaker
Rev Dorothy McVeigh

Special Guests
Argentina David Alanis
Brazil Gaynor & Noreen Smith & Samuel Fiuza
Chile Esteban Alvarez & Cristian Porre
Paraguay Claire Holmes
Spain Saray Martin Roca
Red Box Project Cecilia Valdiviezo

Also featuring
Beyond The Norm Volunteers
Love For Life
N. Ireland Prison Service Mountaineers
Shankill Parish Music Group

Don’t miss this unique event in Craigavon Civic Centre
Friday 5th February 2010 @ 7.30pm

Click here for travel directions

Click here to view brochure

SAMS Ireland values your support in this event.
For further information contact us at: SAMS House, 1 Irwin Crescent, Lurgan, Craigavon, BT66 7EZ.
Tel: 028 3831 0144 Email: samsirelandhouse@btinternet.com Web: www.samsireland.com

As mentioned last week, Ronnie & Nicky Irene and family move today from Bolivia to Asunción in Paraguay.  Pray for them in the move, the adaptation, for Ronnie’s family in Bolivia, especially his mother, and for their former church, Cristo Salvador in La Paz, that the leaders and members will rise to the new challenges and opportunities.

Pray too for Ruth & Efraim Vilella who recently moved to Porto Alegre in southern Brazil.  Due to delays over the processing of Efraim’s job transfer with Wal-Mart, they are still unable to move into permanent accommodation, their belongings remain in a warehouse and they risk losing the flat they hope to rent.  Please pray.

Marcus & Tamara Throup have asked prayer for their grandmothers.  Tamara’s in Brazil had surgery last week for blood clots on the brain, while Marcus’ grandmother in the UK suffered a fall and broke her hip.  Pray for full recovery for these ladies, and also keep Tamara, in Brazil, and Marcus, completing studies in Northern Ireland, in your prayers.  They will be reunited in Brazil at new year.

Finally, please continue to remember the Drayson family as they readapt to life in Northern Argentina.  Nick travels to Buenos Aires for meetings on Saturday and to meet their children Sam & Stefi who arrive from the UK on the 23 to spend Christmas with Nick & Catherine in Salta.

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

• Bishop Nick & Catherine Drayson in Northern Argentina
• Butler Family Update
• Efraim & Ruth Vilella Brazil
• ESPERANZA Update
• The Brice Family Paraguay
• The Marces Family
• The Meldrum Family in Brazil

Thank you for your prayers for Maria Leake’s passport.  Oswaldo Balvín from the diocesan office in Buenos Aires picked it up yesterday after queuing for 3 hours, so she, Andrew and the family will be able to travel to the UK this Saturday.  Praise God for Oswaldo and for the resolution of this matter.

Please pray that Juan Carlos Marcés’s visa for the UK will arrive in time for him, Penny and the family to travel here from Peru just before Christmas.  He also needs a US transit visa.

As well as the Leakes, Linn Tedman and Caroline Gilmour-White are flying to the UK this week, leaving Paraguay on Wednesday, Linn to begin UK ministry, Caroline a private visit.

In Paraguay Ed & Marie Brice report that last Thursday the whole Chaco had rain, in some places the first in 10 months, meaning that many people can start planting again.

Last Saturday a Marriage Encounter was held for the parents of children with disabilities in the Shalom project in Lima, Peru.  25 couples were expected. Pat Blanchard asks us to pray especially for the fathers, “as it is usually the mums who bring the children to their therapy and we have met very few of the fathers”.

In Olinda, Brazil, Ian & Siméa Meldrum praise God for some evangelistic meals held for couples.  As a result four couples have given their lives to Christ and some couples are preparing for a joint wedding this Saturday (12th).

Following Bolivia’s presidential election in which President Morales was elected for a second term, this Sunday (13th) is the turn of Chile, with three candidates in the running.  Pray for God’s leading of the electors.

Finally, please keep in prayer Ronnie & Nicky Irene and family who are preparing to move from Bolivia to Paraguay next Tuesday (15th).