Pray for nurse Beryl Baker
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
Couple with TB
Wound from spider bite
Boy with fractured collarbone
Damiana Galeano with chronic arthritis
Caroline’s News – Paraguay
April 2009 South American Mission Society
This was our big day, Sunday 29th March, the consecration of Peter Bartlett as Anglican Bishop in Paraguay. It was warm and sunny. The Cathedral was packed. Bishops from all over South America came, as well as supporters from England. It was wonderful to celebrate communion as a big family. There was a party atmosphere, everyone looking forward to the new growth and changes that Peter may promote.
For praise
- I thank God for the welcoming generosity of the churches I visited early this year and for the support you give to my ministry in Paraguay. Just now, several sewing workshops are working well under Paraguayan leadership. There is positive interest and support for two fundraising initiatives I’m involved in – a retreat house for the churches on a lovely piece of land and the development of a diocesan library.
- In 2 weeks, I’ll have a replacement of the identity card which was stolen with my purse in December. I was dreading the process. It can be long, drawn out and not very pleasant but new President Lugo’s reforms in the police, schools and hospitals are taking effect. Every department is more efficient and pleasant to deal with. Taxi drivers, who know everything, say there are visible signs of improvement in all three areas.
For prayer
- The heat is tremendous. There has been little rain. The situation is becoming quite desperate in the arid Indian areas. No rain now means no reserves in the dry months ahead. Please pray for rain
- There has been a lot of unrest in the country as the recession is biting hard. Lugo’s government is being blamed for all the problems. The country people have been marching and demonstrating in front of the Congress building in town most of the past week and hundreds are camped in a city square. Riot police have been on standby. The sesame producers have been up in arms about poor prices for their seed and have been demanding subsidies from the government. Please pray for peace here and that Lugo`s government can resolve the difficulties satisfactorily. Also that they would press through other improvements
- Easter is very near. My Bible reading notes talk about Jesus on the road to the cross like a person going into a dark situation handling it by taking one step at a time. Because he is the Light of the world (John 12:34-36) and paid for our redemption, we have the firm hope of salvation to hold onto through all circumstances. This is Easter thinking that lasts all year through.
With love in Him, Caroline
Consecration of New Bishop in Paraguay
Peter Bartlett was consecrated as Bishop of Paraguay on 29 March at a service held at the cathedral church of San Andrés in Asunción. It was a warm and sunny day and the Cathedral was packed. Bishops from all over South America came, as well as supporters from Europe. Pray for Bishop Bartlett as there are many dimensions to the challenges which are faced in Paraguay.
New future for theological education in Paraguay
In 2009, there will be new theological leadership training opportunities available for clergy and lay leaders in the Anglican Diocese of Paraguay
New English Bishop, Peter Bartlett, arrives on 23rd March 09 with a mandate to strengthen theological training across the diocese’s city, urban and rural churches. He will be preparing the way long term for national leadership of the church. Recently retired Bishop John Ellison established an excellent foundation to build on through weekly training in the capital, Asuncion, and a cascade system in the widespread and isolated indigenous churches.
A Paraguayan graduate from the Anglican theological centre in Santiago, Chile, which serves the Anglican province of the southern cone, has a vision for church youth training. With 2 centre congregations, 6 urban and 10 indigenous churches in the diocese, the potential for leadership growth is enormous. Already there are two students in the church wanting to pursue the theological degree course at the Mennonite Evangelical University. The course is popular but there are not enough key study texts to go round. The Anglican Church is keen to provide for its own students and future key workers so that it can become a more integrated part of the wider South American theological community.
Fresh challenges for St Andrew’s School
Gwen Carlisle and Mags Southern, Head and Deputy Head of St Andrew’s School in Asunción, Paraguay, recently visited the UK. They shared a number of developments:
A new generation of independently-minded young people are growing up who never experienced the Stroessner dictatorship which dominated Paraguay for 35 years. This poses fresh challenges for the school in discipline, moving with the times and instilling in the pupils a love for their country.
Three ex-pupils recently stood for important positions in government, one being successful. This is encouraging and helps meet one of the school’s objectives: to see its Christian ethos make an impact on society.
The Chacarita is a poor area of Asunción where St Andrew’s Annexe School is situated. Increased use of drugs and alcohol are turning the Chacarita into a more dangerous place and, on Head Víctor Santa Cruz’ advice, a no-go area for St Andrew’s pupils.
Thanks especially to the ministry of Patrick Butler, ex-pupils of St Andrew’s are leading evening services at San Andrés church.
St Andrew’s hosts daily Bible studies for its pupils, together with monthly services, assemblies and camps. But parents are asking for even more Christian input, as well as higher standards academically and in sport.
There is a desperate need for a Secondary English teacher to prepare pupils for Cambridge exams.
Beryl Baker in Paraguay
After a long time without hearing from Beryl (server failure at her end, probably), we are pleased to report her latest news. At the moment of writing this, her complaint – “we desperately need many heavy falls of rain as the lack of it is causing all the plantations to shrivel and the water that remains is being evaporated with the intense heat. The daily temperatures remain well above 40” – might not attract the sympathy that it ought. Nevertheless we must always be aware of this difficulty.
Mission Paraguay 2009
Plans are currently underway for the visits of volunteers from Churches in England and Ireland to work for 3 weeks on a variety of projects organised through the Anglican Church in Paraguay and in association with the South American Mission Society (SAMS).
July Group
This group will be based on the outskirts of Asunción, the capital, and visit a number of different communities in the area. It is planned that the activities will include:
• involvement with the sewing and knitting workshops;
• assisting with a new building project to provide facilities for work with children and young people and for outreach into the local community;
• assisting with basic home improvements in some of the poorest areas of Asunción;
• working with children and young people in a number of communities.
It is anticipated that this group will spend a few days in the Chaco to visit some of the Indian communities where Mission Paraguay has previously worked.
August Group
Some members of the August group will be based in Concepción and it is planned that they will:
• work with Claire Holmes and her team amongst the children and young people in Concepción and the surrounding area;
• undertake some small scale building work and painting;
• visit Yvapovo which is about 2 hours drive from Concepción where Mission Paraguay is funding the construction of a small church for a growing congregation.
Other members of the August group will work in the Chaco. Their activities will include:
• assisting in the completion of the building of a church begun in 2008 at Rio Verde;
• involvement in a variety of home improvements such as the construction of new corrugated metal roofs on Indian homes to replace those made of logs and plastic sheets;
• assisting with a water storage project. In 2009 we hope to be able to fund the building of at least one aljibe (£1,500) which is an underground storage tank for rainwater collection.
As in previous years the July and Chaco groups will have the opportunity to work with FEISA the Anglican Early Years Teacher Training College which operates a mobile toy library and undertakes groundbreaking training and development work in some of the indigenous schools in the Chaco.
All planned projects are dependent upon the available funding at the time of the visits. The cost of the work and activities undertaken are all met from donations from the UK and Ireland. All donations are channelled to Paraguay through the South American Mission Society (SAMS), or Burscough Outreach Trust (Charity No: 1089034).
If you would like further information about how you may support the work of Mission Paraguay or if you wish to take part in a short-term mission trip to Paraguay in 2009, please contact the Co-ordinator, David Orritt via samsirelandhouse@btinternet.com
Please pray that God will direct the plans and arrangements currently underway for the Mission Paraguay programme for 2009. Please also pray for the ongoing work of the Anglican Church in the Chaco, Concepción and Asunción and particularly for Rev. Peter Bartlett who will be instituted as Bishop of Paraguay in March 2009.
Mission Paraguay Report 2008
Our Mission
Mission Paraguay works through the Anglican Church in Paraguay to provide funds and a volunteer work force to assist with practical projects, usually buildings, which the local church would find difficult, if not impossible to provide themselves. Through the Church we also fund activities with children and young people and a range of community based work to relieve need and hardship.
Each year groups of committed Christians of all ages travel to Paraguay to live and work in the community so gaining a unique opportunity to experience another culture; to see how the local church is working and growing; to share fellowship, laughing and sometimes crying together; to receive and show the love of God. People return home feeling that they have gained far more than they give. Many find that the experience deepens their Christian faith and for some it gives a new direction for their life as they review their priorities.