September 7, 2013
Issue 13.9
  
SAMS Messenger  
 A Door of Hope 
 
"I feel like a door has been opened that

allows us to enter and participate and grow" 

 

Jeremias, a local fisherman by trade, is the senior warden at San Fernando Rey Church in Omoa, Honduras. He is a highly committed member who longed for things to change and for the congregation to come alive. The congregation was in great need of assistance at all levels, the buildings and grounds required cleaning and repair and the church had no sense of purpose or mission. The scarce members, though committed to attending the Sunday service, expressed feeling abandoned, discouraged, disempowered, and resigned to that condition.

 

While I was excited about my new role at San Fernando Rey and my great desire to help, I was conscious of my American mindset to be efficient and get fast results. Working with the poor is certainly a lot more complex than we like to admit and much long-term harm has and can be done with very good intentions, so I often have to examine my thoughts and actions as I approach working with communities. I have found that the place to begin is with relationships. Instead of relying on my self-sufficient American side I find it more fruitful to incorporate my warm and friendly Latina side in building relationships.

 

Along with Jeremias and the other church members we became an... read more

                                     

 

SAMS missionary Ana Reid is serving the Diocese of Honduras in the small coastal town of Omoa.     

by Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert
 
How to alleviate poverty without hurting the poor and yourself. 

 

You may find the above resource helpful as you and your church minister in your local community and across cultures internationally.  Ana, other SAMS missionaries (short- and long-term), and several of the bishops we partner with in the Anglican Communion have found this resource valuable in their work among the poor. 

    Praise Report:

 

 

Join with SAMS missionary Susan Morris as she gives praise to God that she was able to come home from Uganda to be with her mother as she passed from this life into the next.

 

  

  

 

Grant and Wendy LeMarquand, serving in Gambela, Ethiopia, give thanks to God for four days of lay reader training held recently (two days in English and Nuer and two days in English and Anuak). Pray that the ideas and skills learned would be applied in the churches.

  

Praise the Lord with SAMS missionary Shirley Morris, whose treatment is working well and enabling her to be stronger.  Give thanks to God for the generosity of Ascension church members in providing prayer, food, and support, and for the movement of the Holy Spirit at the Family House, Pittsburgh, and for the faith that is alive there for all in treatment and their families.

 

Chuck and Beth Bradshaw are praising God for new  prayer partners and financial supporters who have joined their support team. They are also thankful for the efforts of their sending congregation, the Church of Our Father, and for the generous reporting about their mission in the local newspapers.

  

Give thanks to God for SAMS missionaries, Heidi and Gregory Whitaker serving in Cambodia having the blessings of good language teachers, for Gregory's installation as Missionary Priest at Church of Christ our Peace, International Congregation, Sept 1st, and for several good connections for Heidi to explore in the local medical field.

 

  

  

Join in thanksgiving with SAMS candidates, Johann and Louise Vanderbijl for their home quickly selling and for their finding the perfect apartment to live in that is close to work and classes.

  

 

 

Praise God with Brian and Mary Jane Dennison for five wonderful years of ministry in Uganda, and a time of refreshing for Mary Jane and the kids this summer.

 

  

  

Prayer Requests:

 

 

We ask your prayers for SAMS missionary Sharon McCririe serving in Paraguay.  She suffered a stroke yesterday which has left her left side paralyzed. Please pray for healing. 

 

 

 

Jeannie Loving, SAMS missionary serving in Honduras, asks us to please pray that all the children in San Lorenzo will be enrolled in school in 2014.  Pray for peaceful and just elections in Honduras.

  

 

 

Lift up Roberto and Cameron Vivanco as they come to the United States for their Home Ministry Assignment with 16-month-old Graham and Cameron's  mother, Margaret, Sept 10-Dec 3. Pray for safe travels and a fruitful and productive visit. 

 

 

 

Join with SAMS missionaries, Grant and Wendy LeMarquand in praying for a man who tried to commit suicide just outside their compound and for his family, that this event will lead to some openness to the gospel among our neighbors. Pray for the clergy of their diocese who are facing many trials and tribulations both physically and spiritually.

 

Shirley Morris asks for prayers for her return home to Florida in October and for God's grace while she regains her strength.

 

Join with Veronica and Dennie Flowers, SAMS  missionaries in Honduras, that God would raise up a couple of missionaries to send to Holy Trinity Episcopal School in La Ceiba to boost their work for His kingdom.

 

Chuck and Beth Bradshaw ask your prayers for all the preparations for their September 11 departure. Pray that they will arrive in Uganda ready for the transition ahead; and that God will help them with learning their new language, Luganda.

 

Please pray for Gregory and Heidi Whitaker to learn the language in Cambodia, for building local friendships, and for the development of ministry teams.

 

Johann and Louise Vanderbijl ask your prayers for their sending church, Resurrection Fellowship, as they go through a transitional phase with Johann stepping down as Rector.  Pray that our Lord will provide the right person to fill the role as rector. Also pray for Louise as she attends a Missionary Medical Intensive course in October in North Carolina and finally for open doors as they seek to raise partners.

 

Lift up SAMS missionaries, Mike and Linda Chapman serving in Peru, as they move to Huancayo and also pray for finances and safety for travel times.   

 

 

  

John and Ninfa Dixon, SAMS missionaries in Spain, ask prayers for their neighbors to be more open to the Gospel. They ask especially for prayers for Carol and Toni who just got married after living together for several years and for many people from their church who own small struggling businesses that the Lord would bless their work.

 

Please pray for Ron and Debby McKeon for travel mercies  for as they travel to Virginia twice in Sept. for deputation as full time missionaries in northeast Brazil.

 

 

 

Please pray for Brian and Mary Jane Dennison that they would continue to keep up their level of support.

 

SAMS missionaries, Joe and Tina Rhodes, would like prayers for St. Mary's Episcopal School students, teachers and staff in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. 

 

 

 

Thank you for praying for SAMS and your missionaries!

 
A Door of Hope
"When Helping Hurts"
Prayer Requests

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