Prayer Line

27th May 2009
PRAY

From yesterday the Diocese of Uruguay has an Assistant Bishop: please pray for Gilberto Porcal who was consecrated in a service last evening in Montevideo.

 

Last Sunday Anderson Sánchez was ordained priest in Lima, Peru.  Anderson is married to Isabel Montoya who runs the Children’s Daycare Centre in the parish of Holy Trinity where her parents, Julio & Norma, are pastors.  Pray for Anderson in his new responsibilities and for the whole family in their loving care and outreach into the local communities.

 

This weekend

 

the Diocese of Argentina holds its Synod; pray for Bishop Greg Venables and the ordained and lay representatives as they gather over two days to discern God’s leading for the diocese.

a course for leaders of the Toba churches of Northern Argentina takes place;  pray for René Pereira and the leaders gathered in the community of Rinconada.

in northeast Spain Bishop Carlos López visits on Sunday the Església de Crist, the church in Sabadell pastored by Sue Woodcock; pray for this special service.

 

Finally, on the UK front Mary Rollin has begun her new job with CMS as Personal Assistant to Bishop Henry Scriven, Mission Director for South America.  And on Monday Jo Hazelton takes up her new post as Regional Personnel Officer for South America.  Both are based in the CMS offices in Oxford; please keep them in your prayers

Prayer Line

20th May 2009
PRAY

 

Alf & Hilary Cooper in Chile ask prayer for their organizing of a massive rally of evangelical churches outside the presidential palace in the main square of Santiago.  The rally is held on 30 May and “could be a major breakthrough in the cause of revival”.

 

A number of events deserving our prayers take place this weekend:

 

the 50th Diocesan Synod of the Spanish Reformed Episcopal Church (IERE) in Madrid.  Pray for the Diocesan Plan to be well received and also for Sue Woodcock, just back from her UK visit, in whatever diocesan role God has for her alongside her work in Sabadell and as an archdeacon.

 

the annual Paraguay conference of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI).  FEISA Teacher Training College will run two workshops for early years teachers on behavioural problems in children and on planning projects to fit in with the Ministry of Education’s new early years curriculum.  Pray for these workshops, for Gloria de Álvarez and Ana Demestri leading them, and for all who attend to be blessed, encouraged and challenged to become better teachers.

 

also in Asunción a Marriage Encounter weekend.  Pray for its leaders and the participating couples, for healing, renewal and enrichment of marriages.

 

a regional training course for indigenous church leaders held in Santa Teresa in the Argentine Chaco.  Pray for coordinator René Pereira and all involved.

 

Finally, please remember Ian Meldrum who arrives for UK leave on Wednesday 27th.  His wife Siméa and the family continue their work in Olinda; she and two of their sons will come here in late June.  And John Wigfield completes his short lecturing tour in Brazil and Paraguay, setting off home on Sunday.

Brazil (from Tearfund’s weekly World News Watch)

18th May 2009
Brazil, PRAY

Brazil 
 
Severe flooding has displaced many tens of thousands of people in northern and north eastern Brazil and killed dozens of others.

Weeks of torrential rain have affected several Brazilian states, especially the ones in the semi-arid region, leading to at least 200,000 people becoming homeless.

Some of the worst affected states were Pará, Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará and Paraíba, which are among the poorest in the country.

Tearfund’s Country Representative for Brazil, João Martinez da Cruz, said, ‘The recent torrential rains were a real surprise to the local people. Temperatures are always high and it normally only rains for a few months during the year.’

Tearfund partner ACEV (Evangelical Action) reports in recent weeks many houses were practically submerged by water in a neighbourhood of Patos, the town where they are based in the state of Paraíba.

Sacha Medcraft from ACEV, said, ‘The rescue services could not cope with the demands and we had to mobilise a large number of volunteers to help out. In three hours, it rained more than in four months.’

ACEV has mobilised local church volunteers and members of the community to help provide basic provisions for those forced from their properties.

Other regions of the country have been severely affected by floods in recent months, especially the states of Santa Catarina in the south, São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro in the south east.

  • Please pray for the rains to ease and the flood waters to relent.
  • Pray for the Brazilian government and local authorities to effectively coordinate rescue and disaster relief efforts.
  • Pray for Tearfund partner ACEV and local churches as they help affected people.

Prayer Line

13th May 2009
PRAY

 

In recent weeks we’ve asked for prayer for rain in the drought-ravaged Paraguayan Chaco.  Yesterday we received from Tim Curtis and Chris Hawksbee good news of 60mm having fallen in some communities (50mm in Río Verde where Tim works).  The wells are all but full so people have life-saving water.  “We praise our Heavenly Father for his provision”, writes Tim.  Thank you to all who have prayed.  Chris says they need a further 150mm to start filling the water holes/reservoirs, so please continue to pray.

 

Still in Paraguay Caroline Gilmour-White is visiting fabric shops and factories seeking donations of cloth to share around the sewing workshops set up to help people in needy communities.  UK churches have already given material.  Please pray for success for Caroline and that shops are willing to give.

 

On Friday John Wigfield moves from Brazil to Paraguay for a week of teaching on Old Testament social ethics and to talk with Bishop Peter Bartlett on how SAMS might help his diocese in provision of theological education.  Pray for this visit.

 

Bishop Henry Scriven and Tanas Alqassis of CMS are in the Málaga area of Spain this week visiting Felipe & Sarah Yáñez and Juan & Carol Zamora.  Pray for God to guide in conversations regarding the next step for these couples and their ministries.

 

Finally, in the next stage of the merger with CMS, SAMS’ personnel office in Loughton, Essex, closes next Tuesday (19th).  Pray for John Sutton, who will leave SAMS in mid-June, as he seeks God’s plan for the future; and also for his PA, Jo Hazelton, who will move to the CMS team in Oxford to take up the post of Regional Personnel Officer for South America from 1st June.

SAMS Prayer Line for the week beginning Tuesday 5 May

5th May 2009
PRAY

 

On Friday SAMS Theological Resource Consultant John Wigfield flies to João Pessoa in northeast Brazil to teach a course on applied Old Testament social ethics, especially its relevance to the current economic situation.  Pray for this week-long visit, John’s time with Marcus & Tamara Throup and the plans for a regional theological seminary.  John will spend a similar week in Paraguay afterwards.

 

Over this weekend are a number of events which merit our prayers:

 

a conference for indigenous women from Friday to Sunday in the township of Potrillo in the Argentine Chaco

 

a follow-up meeting on Saturday in Asunción, Paraguay, for the young people who attended the very encouraging EJE (Youth Encounter in the Spirit) weekend a fortnight ago

 

a Confirmation Service on Sunday evening for people from the St Andrew’s Cathedral evening congregation in Asunción.

 

Please continue to pray for rain in the Paraguayan Chaco.  The situation is desperate for everyone; Tim Curtis may have to send home his Enxet Bible translator colleagues if no rain falls in Río Verde.

 

Finally, some weeks ago we asked prayer for Barry Tomlinson, ex-SAMS missionary in Chile.  Praise God he came through a very delicate brain operation at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and is much better.

 

Thank you so much for all your prayers.

Pray for nurse Beryl Baker

29th April 2009
Paraguay, PRAY

Pray for nurse Beryl Baker who offers the only hope of medical treatment to around 18,000 indigenous people in the Paraguayan Chaco. She has dedicated nearly 30 years of her life to this area and describes herself as ‘orderly, gynaecologist, midwife and dentist’, treating anything from TB to gunshot wounds and snakebite. Government funding provides some medicines but offers little else in the way of support. The needs are considerable and alongside meeting daily health challenges Beryl trains indigenous health promoters to meet some basic community health needs.

PLEASE PRAY

  • For the provision of financial and practical resources to enable Beryl to serve and treat those who are suffering, so that deaths can be prevented.
  • For the provision of funds to provide fuel to get desperately needed water into the communities.
  • For Beryl who ministers in a complex, dangerous and demanding environment.
Transport for clinic patients

Transport for clinic patients


Couple with TB

Couple with TB


Wound from spider bite

Wound from spider bite

Boy with fractured collarbone

Boy with fractured collarbone

Damiana Galeano with chronic arthritis

Damiana Galeano with chronic arthritis

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