Prayer line

1st October 2008
Chile, Paraguay

The SAMS GB Prayerline:

Please have in your prayers Assistant Bishop Abelino Apeleo and his wife Paty. After a lifetime in southern Chile, they move, officially from tomorrow (1st), to the capital, Santiago, to allow Abelino to support Diocesan Bishop Tito Zavala and to pastor a new church in formation. Pray for them as they leave behind elderly parents, Mapuche churches and William Wilson School where Paty taught for 26 years.

Meantime, in southern Chile an evangelistic campaign takes place from Friday to Sunday in a neighbourhood of Temuco, with the three Anglican congregations of the city involved.

Thank you for prayers last week for Associate Mission Partner Janet Mena in Chile. Praise God that after successful surgery, Janet is on the road to recovery. Another AMP, Kathryn Broughton, needs our prayers. She has had successful surgery in London for total knee replacement on both knees, but has not been well since. Please pray for Kathryn and husband Stuart, who is also in the UK from their ministry among Portuguese-speakers in Sydney, Australia.

This week is half-term at St Andrew’s School and the Annexe School in Asunción, Paraguay. Pray for refreshment for staff and pupils, many of whom will face important exams during October.

Prayer line

10th September 2008
Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, PRAY

Among the many parts of the world enduring extreme weather conditions is southern Chile, where floods have caused considerable suffering and loss. Please pray for the people of that area, and include in your prayers Bishop Abelino & Paty Apeleo, the Anglican churches and the two schools – William Wilson School in Chol-Chol and the School for the Deaf in Temuco. (Photos may be viewed on the diocesan website www.iach.cl.)

In Olinda, northeast Brazil, Ian & Siméa Meldrum have put their house on the market and want to move to a smaller place which will meet their needs and be safe. Pray for them in this, alongside their very busy ministries among the poor.

Praise God for answered prayer for Alejandro Mesco’s visa which arrived in time for him to travel to the UK, where he’s now visiting churches and telling of his pioneer ministry in Peru’s Colca Canyon. Please continue to uphold him.

Finally, three prayer points from Paraguay:

On Thursday (11th) the third Alpha Course begins in the centre of Asunción, involving the folk of St Andrew’s Church and the San Andrés morning and evening congregations. Pray for all involved, including pastors Agustín Maidana and Patrick Butler.

This weekend FEISA’s final indigenous nursery project visit to Yatnata, in the Paraguayan Chaco, takes place. Pray for Samantha Parsons and all participants.

Next week (15th -) is Youth Week at St Andrew’s School with a number of special activities. Pray for everyone involved.

Prayer request from Paraguay

10th September 2008
Paraguay, PRAY

Beryl BakerAt the moment there is an epidemic of vomiting and diarrhoea in the Chaco area where SAMS nurse, Beryl Baker is based. Beryl has placed an urgent request for medicines to distribute. These are expensive and funds are low. They are still waiting for the government to declare it an emergency zone.

The cause of the epidemic is probably the use of dirty water from ponds as the wells become empty. We need to get water into the communities with our water tanker to avoid people from dying of dehydration….. again an expensive task, especially with the low exchange rate.

PLEASE PRAY that the Lord will provide all the resources, financial and practical, to help Beryl to treat those who are suffering, so that deaths can be prevented.

PLEASE PRAY for the provision of funds to provide fuel to get desperately needed water into the communities.

Prayer line

2nd September 2008
Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, PRAY

The latest prayer line from SAMS GB:

SAMS Latin Partner Alejandro Mesco is due to arrive on Friday from Peru to spend much of September in the UK visiting his link churches. Pray for his visa, yet to arrive, for his time here, and for Doris and the family back home in Arequipa.

In João Pessoa in northeast Brazil Archdeacon Souza is suffering from an infection in the ureter which may necessitate the removal of a kidney. His colleague Marcus Throup asks us to pray for his recovery, and also for Marcus himself with extra preaching responsibilities each Sunday.

Meantime in Asunción, Paraguay, Linn Tedman is recovering from a broken toe. Uphold Linn in prayer in this and in her teacher-librarian work at St Andrew’s School.

Linn highlights again the need for more teachers at the school, particularly for the Secondary section. Please pray for this, and keep Head Gwen Carlisle, Deputy Mags Southern and all the staff in your prayers.

SAMS Prayer line

19th August 2008
Argentina, Paraguay, PRAY

The latest prayer line from SAMS GB:

Praise God for the appointment of Bishop Henry Scriven as the new Mission Director for South America. Pray for Henry and Catherine as they prepare to rejoin SAMS in January.

This week the second Mission Paraguay team completes its voluntary work there. Let’s give thanks for their three weeks of practical and spiritual service and for the leadership of coordinator David Orritt, who will be returning to the UK on the 26th.

Also coming from South America will be Ed & Marie Brice from Paraguay and Daniel & Ellelein Kirk and their two sons from Chile. Both arrive this weekend and will be here for 4-5 months. Pray for their refreshment, church visits, and for the fruit of their Bible teaching ministries in South America.

While they come, Bishop Greg & Sylvia Venables fly back to Argentina after an extended time in the UK. Give thanks for their visit and pray for their return to a huge and varied workload.

Letter from Paraguayan Chaco

13th August 2008
Mission Paraguay, Paraguay

Peter Hunter is on the Mission Paraguay team in the Chaco.

Rio Verde, The Chaco, Paraguay
As I write this on Friday morning, the sky is overcast, wind blowing and temperature about 25 degrees Celsius…. very pleasant.

After a day in Asuncion and a Sunday service in English (and a refreshing cup of tea and relax with Linn) we headed out to the Chaco (the country), saying goodbye to Laura, Debbie and Mike as they left for the coach to Concepcion. We had a 4-5 hour Landrover trip along the only tarmac’d road to reach Rio Verde where the local garage is also the local store, hardware shop and cafe.
Either side of the road are various homes. Some are of brick, a few official places like police barracks, quite smart……. others small and made from corrugated iron and local trees. The local trees are very hard.

I’ve spent 31/2 days finishing an Indian family’s home. They were slowly making the room from pieces of wood and ‘chapas’ (corrugated iron)…..  all held together by wire and a few nails…. a great example of recycling, with the additional factor that most of the wood is so hard that it bends nails! 3 or 4 of us were working on it. Every time we stopped for a break some of the family gathered around. They are very friendly and we try communicating by sign language, or singing!! The smallest girl was astonished when 2 of us joined in humming ‘Old MacDonald had a farm’.

Luke has been with another group working in a different church community, repairing water reservoirs and building a meeting room. All the team are really friendly and the banter through the day is great.

Whenever we come across Paraguayans there is a very sociable greeting and exchange. Most people in the Chaco in Indian communities have very little, if anything. But they are very friendly and smiley. It has been lovely to see the impact on the family of the house we completed. It is more than a building, it is a gift of hope.

The Lord has kept us safe, which is a real gift here where the opportunities for accidents and injury are legion. Thursday there was a huge storm with hailstones, the size of golf-balls and very high winds……… fortunately not where we are. David Orritt, Tim Curtis and I went 3 hrs towards Concepcion to visit another Anglican community where the church roof had been ripped half off and 30 houses had lost part of their rooves. The damage will take a while to repair. It will need outside funding…….. but the people appear not upset.

Thanks for your prayers.

Love Peter

Prayer line

12th August 2008
Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, PRAY

The latest prayer line from SAMS GB.

Let’s give thanks for the life and service of former SAMS missionary and home staff member Derek Hawksbee, who died on Sunday. Please remember his family; they hope to hold a short family service before son Chris returns to Paraguay on Thursday (14th), with a memorial service possibly next week.

Derek and his wife Betty also served in Paraguay, and that country reaches a milestone on Friday when ex-Roman Catholic bishop Fernando Lugo takes office as president of the republic. He’s the first president for 61 years who is not of the Colorado party. Pray for him and his new government as they carry the hopes of the nation in their promised fight against corruption, poverty and lack of jobs.

The Anglican mother church of Makxawáya in the Paraguayan Chaco lost half its roof in a storm last week. 30 Indian homes also suffered damage. Please pray for the community as they recover and rebuild.

On Thursday (14th) the three-day Alcançando International Youth Conference begins in Recife, Brazil. SAMS Latin Partner Josias de Souza asks us to pray for this event, with speakers coming from the USA as well as other parts of Brazil. Pray for the groups from Espirito Santo church, where Josias is Youth Minister, as they speak and perform; pray many young people will come and that God’s Spirit will move in their hearts.

Finally, tomorrow a group of ten people from St Michael’s Church, Newton, Chester, fly to Northern Argentina to visit and work with their link mission partners Hugo & Techi Vergara. May God richly bless both visitors and visited, as well as the diocese there through these 2-3 weeks together.

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