: 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 50^th 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 27^th.  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.

Some News and Prayer Letters received into the SAMS office:

• Ed and Marie Brice
• Rachel Hovenden (volunteer in Peru)
• Ruth Hollingdale Vilella
• Caroline Gilmour-White
• Linn Tedman
• Juan Carlos & Penny Marces
• Paul & Sarah Tester
• FEISA Praise and Prayer for May
• Andy Roberts

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 (19^th).  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 1^st June.

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.

Some newsletters and prayer letters received into the SAMS office:

• Beryl Baker
• Charles and Lynn Barr Johnston
• Esther German (volunteer at Hogar el Alba, Buenos Aires)
• Alejandro Mesco
• Andy Roberts
• Linn Tedman
• Linn Tedman – photographs of Teachers’ Day
• Sue Woodcock

Some prayer letters received into the SAMS office:

• Rupert and Samantha Parsons
• Patrick and Rosie Butler
• Andy Roberts
• Andrew Leake
• Sandra & Walter Barrientos

First we ask prayer for folk who are travelling this week:

Ed Hornby is a short term volunteer who flies to Argentina today to work for one month at the Hogar el Alba children’s home in Buenos Aires; pray for Ed, and remember another SAMS volunteer at the home, Esther German.

Pat Blanchard from Peru and Sue Woodcock from Spain both arrive in the UK on Friday.  Pat is here until August and Sue for just over two weeks, but both have busy programmes of church visits.  Please remember them in prayer.

Felipe & Sarah Yáñez value prayer as they seek God’s direction and timing for the next step in their ministry in Málaga, Spain.  Henry Scriven and Tanas Alqassis, CMS manager for Europe, will visit them in mid-May.

Alejandro Mesco in Peru requests prayer for his wife Doris who is having treatment following investigations into a lung condition.  Alejandro has temporarily left his work in Cabanaconde, high in the Andes, to be with her at home in the city of Arequipa.

Praise God for the work of the Metcalfe family over ten years in Paraguay.  Murray & Penny, who returned with their children to the UK in December, complete their service with SAMS this week following visits to supporting churches.  Pray for God’s leading of them in the future.

Finally, a SAMS supporter has asked that the following request be included:  “As the process moves forward for an eventual link-up with CMS, let us pray especially for the Home Staff who are those most affected and whose futures are uncertain.  Pray for John Sutton, Philip Tadman, Bob Lunt, Richard Crofts and Tim Greenhalgh, and with them all the office staff as well as the volunteers who so generously give of their time and whose programmes and opportunity for service will be affected.”