San Lucas, Santiago, Chile.

20th January 2009
Chile, Latin Partners, PRAY

La Familia Cerón Espinoza

San Lucas, Santiago, Chile.

 

Dear friends,

We are at the beginning of a very special year and are convinced that God has great things prepared for us, in spite of the current crisis! He is real, and will show the world his beauty and faithfulness as we proclaim Jesus in our home countries.

 

There is a lot going on in Chile and we would be very grateful if you would join us in prayer for the things set out below:

 

Our family now has a new member – our daughter, Jacinta Lael, was born three months ago. She is a beautiful, calm baby and has made us very happy. Alejandra is rather tired, so we would ask you to pray for us to get into a healthy routine this year. In the midst of tiredness, we would like to be able to really focus on family life and continue serving God joyfully.

 

This year we will be researching the university world. In 2010 we would like to establish a university church plant in the centre of Santiago and want to find out what God’s plan and strategy is so that we can work with him. It will be a year of walking the streets, doing evangelism, praying and forming training teams. Please pray that God will give us the WISDOM AND COURAGE we need to start out in this mission work, completely new in Chile, and which we would like to do with real passion.

 

This year too will see the Urban Mission Operation, which brings together over 500 young people in Santiago, and has now spread into many different cities. It is an evangelistic mission, which I am leading and which has simply become too big for us, thanks to what God is doing to make it grow. Throughout Chile many young people are making a commitment (and also in Argentina and other Latin American countries). Pray that this passion for evangelism will continue to grow and that these urban mission projects will be led by HIM in the different cities where they are taking place. The goal is that by 2010 we will be able to celebrate a National Urban Mission Operation when all the young people can go out in their own cities during the same week to share the good news of Jesus. Pray too for us, so that the power of God will be manifest in Chile as we preach the gospel of his Son!

 

Thank you for your continued support and wishing you many blessings for the coming year.

 

 (Cristóbal, Alejandra, Belén y Jacinta).

Paraguayan Chaco

13th January 2009
Paraguay, PRAY

 

The following request has just arrived from Beryl Baker in the Paraguayan Chaco:

“Please pray for Liberato Cabanas, the Health Promoter from Sombrero Piri, who has suddenly gone blind and no physical cause can be found.”

Prayer Line

13th January 2009
PRAY

Please remember in your prayers Pat Blanchard and her mother.  Pat is currently over in the UK from her Lima parish accompanying her mother who has suffered a stroke.

 

Although it’s still mid-summer in South America, the administrative staff of FEISA teacher training college in Asunción, Paraguay, will be back at work on Thursday 15th.  Please keep them in prayer as they begin another challenging year of work helping to meet the diversity of Early Years needs in the country’s education system.

 

On Saturday the week-long Youth Camp begins at La Caldera, near Salta, in Northern Argentina.  Pray for René Pereira and the leadership team, as well as all the young people coming from different parts of the diocese.

 

One of the churches planted by Alf Cooper’s congregation in Santiago, Chile, is in the neighbourhood of Vitacura.  This Saturday Guillermo Martínez is ordained as deacon to be its new minister.  Pray for Guillermo, and also for retired SAMS mission partner John Cobb who will continue to coach him for the next few months.

 

There’s a mission exodus from the UK on Monday 19th with Efraim Vilella and the Kirk family leaving these shores.  Efraim returns to Brazil after a month here, leaving his wife Ruth to continue UK ministry before joining him a month from now.  Daniel & Ellelein Kirk, along with young sons David and Joshua, fly off to spend a month in Ellelein’s native Mexico before taking up their ministry in Chile.  Please remember all these friends as they prepare, travel and readjust to Latin America.

 

Finally, next Tuesday 20th members of CMS GB vote on whether to merge with SAMS GB.  Please pray for this meeting in Oxford.

2009 Prayer

7th January 2009
PRAY

2009 Blessing

 

May you be blessed, as you consider the challenges that lie ahead.

May you be blessed as you engage with others, as you find the time to participate and give others the chance to do the same.

May you have the courage to create and take risks, and may you find your rest in God.

 

May you be blessed, as you acknowledge your weaknesses and accept God’s grace in 2009.

May others see that you are fragile and may your fragility bless them.

May you understand the importance of being broken, as it enables wholeness.

May you understand the value of brokenness.

 

May you go to the places that scare you.

May you deal with anger and with sadness.

 

May you be blessed because you are perfect in your imperfections, as you are forgiven.

May you be blessed, as you accept yourself as you are, at times broken, wounded, and hurt.

May you be aware at all times that you are loved, but especially in this coming year.

Amen.

Prayer Update

7th January 2009
PRAY

Thank you for your prayers for the appeal made to the Supreme Court of Argentina by representatives of the Wichi people and settlers calling for a halt to deforestation in the Chaco area of the Province of Salta.  Last Monday the Court upheld the appeal, pending a public hearing on 18 February.  The ruling applies to permissions to deforest given by the Province of Salta from the last quarter of 2007.  Chris Wallis of ASOCIANA thanks us for our prayers and for this sign of God’s kingdom and his justice.  Please continue to pray.

 

Next week SAMS GB holds its annual conference for overseas and home staff at Dalesdown in Sussex from 5-8 January.  Pray for these days of Bible study, presentations, discussion and fellowship.  Remember especially Interim Executive Director Bill Lattimer who completes his service with SAMS on Friday and his replacement, Bishop Henry Scriven, who has just taken on his new post of Mission Director of SAMS GB.  Among others present will be Peter & Sally Bartlett as they prepare to serve in Paraguay; Peter’s consecration as diocesan bishop takes place on 29 March.

 

In Chile Pablo & Pamela Zavala ask prayer for the first Sunday School camp for the children of La Serena church, held the week beginning Monday 12 January.  This reminds us that it’s the holiday season in South America and a number of summer camps for children and young people are taking place.  Please keep the participants and their leaders in your prayers.

Greetings from Helen King – Red Box Project!

25th December 2008
Argentina, PRAY, Red Box, Volunteers

25th December 2008

To my very wonderful family and friends….

Hola from sunny (and slightly thundery) Salta!! This is my very first time bein in the southern hemisphere for Christmas and also I think the 1st time I’ve ever written a Christmas letter. (apart from those to Santa Claus)

Well as the muppets would say, there’s only one more sleep til Christmas. Although this year for me it’ll be quite different…no turkey dinner, no freezing/rainy weather, not bein with the familia , bein in a different hemisphere, there’s one thing that’s the same!!The reason we celebrate…the amazin fact that Jesus came to earth as a baby FOR US!! ‘She will have a son, and they will name him “Immanuel” which means ‘God is with us’! How excitin!!!!

They actually do most of the celebrating here on Christmas eve…today!!woohooo! In true Argentina style they start late at night and finish early in the morning!! Thats my favourite kind!! Although they don’t have church here on Christmas day, I’ve been part of a Nativity play as Mary and the other night a load of our church ones were playing CHRISTMAS CAROLS in the main plaze in town!beautiful!!

It’s going to be strange not being able to see you all and wish you Merry Christmas in person but know that I’ll be thinking of you and even if I’m enjoying Christmas here (which I’m sure I will be!) there’ll be a big part of me missing you and wondering whats goin on with each of you on Christmas day!Make sure you all enjoy some extra mince pies or roses chocolates or M&S Christmas food on my behalf!!(mmmmmm) I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and really feel God’s love and peace all around you! Don’t fofget that He is the reason we have this amazin season!!

HAPPY CHRSTMAS!!!!!!!!!

FELIZ NAVIDAD!!!!!!

I LOVE YOU!! GOD BLESS!!!!

Lots of Christmas love and hugs!

Helen xxx

Thank-You!

25th December 2008
PRAY

Happy Christmas to all who visit the SAMS Ireland web site. Your partnership in mission is valued.

Northern Argentina

23rd December 2008
Argentina, PRAY

Hugo Vergara has had many varied journeys of late. “My last and very complicated trip was to a church 120 kilometers from Juárez, deep in the Chaco, in the community of El Quemado. It took 3 hours on a very dusty road and at three o’clock in the afternoon it was 45°C. We arrived at 7am when the sun was already burning in a very blue sky. It is a town of roughly 300 people where no one knows about a global crisis. The service started two hours later and the small room was crowded with about 30 people; we sang for about half an hour and Pastor Juan from Juárez introduced me, saying Hugo is ready to preach and share about the Bible – just when I was about to faint through the terrible temperature inside the room! Pray for us this Christmas in Northern Argentina as we travel and resource the Church in various places.

Teaching Opportunities

23rd December 2008
Paraguay, PRAY, UK-Ireland

Teachers needed in Paraguay

Head Teacher Gwen Carlisle writes from St Andrew’s School in Asunción, Paraguay:“We are going to be desperate for teachers by February [the start of the 2009 academic year], especially secondary English teachers and a secondary maths teacher wouldn’t come amiss either!”
Is God calling you or someone you know to serve in this Anglican school with its firm Christian ethos? Please make a special effort to share this request. SAMS Ireland can send you a DVD of the school which gives a good overview. Why not chat to one of several teachers from Ireland who have worked in the school over this past decade. 
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