We Plant, God Grows

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we have the privilege of sowing the seed of the Gospel. God has provided us the seeds to plant, seeds that have the potential to grow into an abundant harvest of faith.

Our willingness to plant is what matters. We are called to spread these seeds among all who will listen. Across South America, we plant seeds by witnessing in neighborhoods, educating children in schools, flying mission airplanes into hard-to-reach places, leading Bible studies, feeding the poor. We do our part – sow the seed, water, tend, and reap the harvest – but we do not make the seed take root, sprout or bloom. That happens by God’s gracious work. 

Only God can reach a person’s heart. Only He can open the eyes of the blind and give new life.  He is the forgiver of sins and the giver of faith, not us. We are merely dedicated followers so eager to see new growth that we sow seeds wherever we go.

People are reaching – more now than ever before – for God’s warm, loving embrace. Join us in praying for the seeds that we all plant. May we stand in awe at the appearance of His beautiful blossoms, His towering oaks of righteousness. All for His glory.

1. Pray for Todd and Erika Carroll. Pray for Todd and Erika as they welcome indigenous pastoral students to the Ammi Training Center in Brazil. The students live, study, and serve on the campus for eight months. Pray for the Ammi team as they train gospel workers plus handle the logistics of meal preparation, cleaning facilities, arranging classrooms, and checking on students in their houses.

2. Pray for Alas de Águila (Eagle’s Wings). Pray for Faith Bremer and Alas de Águila (Eagle’s Wings), the service organization she founded at Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center in Bolivia. Faith, a “missionary kid” and high school student at SCCLC, is organizing a campaign to send shoes to high school students in a remote jungle village of Bolivia. Pray for all the details and collaboration that she is handling for the project which engages Bolivian believers to give and reach out to their neighbors.

3. Pray for the presidential elections in Peru. Eligible citizens must vote in person during the first round on Sunday, April 11. Pray for the health and safety of their voters as COVID-19 rates are still high across the country. Pray for the candidates running on a variety of platforms. Pray for God’s peace and power to reign among the people.

4. Pray for Frank and Luz Zajicek. Praise for their new outreach to teen girls from economically struggling families in the barrio La Paz, Colombia (suburb of Santa Marta on the north coast). Pray for Luz and the other female leaders as they connect with the girls through proper nail care sessions. Pray for soft hearts and a spirit of openness as they share about life in Christ.

5. Pray for the family of Penny Storms, a retired SAM missionary, who passed into eternal life in February. In 2013, Penny included a prayer in her newsletter to friends and supporters celebrating 55 years of God’s faithfulness. Let us join her in this same prayer today: “My prayer for all of us is that we desire with all our hearts to be all that God has in mind for us to be. That we won’t look back, but leave the past with Him who forgives and forgets. That we not look forward, for God see the future, and He will face with us every trial and bear the burdens. But, let us look up into the face of Jesus. There our hearts can rest, our fears are stilled, and we have perfect peace as every hope is fulfilled.”

6. Pray for Manos que Suman, a partner ministry of Iglesia de la Ciudad. This ministry actively supports “shared pot” sites (similar to a community soup kitchen) existing within areas of extreme poverty in Lima, Peru. Pray for Steven and Jen Freund as they participate in the installation of water tanks and water filters at several shared pot sites. Pray that they have the opportunity to share the love of Christ as they meet and encourage those living within the shared pot communities.

7. Pray for our missionaries starting in their ministry locations. Pray for Micah and Haley Bittner as they join the team in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Pray for their visa application to be approved. Also, pray for their transition, especially their two young sons.

8. Pray for Craig and Mary DeLille. Pray for their leadership of Recife Redemptive Ministry which responds to spiritual and felt needs, demonstrating God’s heart for the impoverished in Brazilian communities. Praise God for the renovations that were completed at the music school. Join them in praying that the COVID situation in their area improves so students can return to in-person music classes soon, learning to make a joyful noise unto the Lord.

9. Pray for La Iglesia Nueva Esperanza in Colombia. Praise God that this church is able to hold in-person services for adults with bio-safety protocols and social distancing. Pray for the volunteers who are checking temperatures and disinfecting the building which allows the church to meet the spiritual and practical needs of His people. Pray for their grocery package distribution after services. May they continue to be a light and help in their community.

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10. Pray for John and Minori Lucas. We praise God for John and Minori who have faithfully served for 30 years in Pucallapa, Peru. Join us in thanking God for His faithfulness through all the ups and downs. Also, thank Him for the supporters who have sustained their family through prayer and financial gifts over the years. We rejoice in their continued service to the Lord!

11. Pray for the Bolivian Evangelical University. Praise the Lord that even with virtual classes, student registration numbers remain strong. These students receive both academic and spiritual education to become true leaders of change plus models of integrity, competence and Christian service. Pray for the building and refurbishing projects underway, taking advantage of the fact that not many people are on campus.

12. Pray for a new church plant in Peru. Praise God for the new church plant in the José Luis Bustamante y Rivero district of Arequipa. The new church is meeting virtually due to COVID restrictions. Pray for wisdom as Edward and Esme Zárate and Seth and Jessica Malec lead the church. Pray for the church’s vision for the Kingdom and the growth of its leaders.

Because He Lives

As we prepare for this Easter season, we remember the gift of salvation. We remember that the crucifixion of Christ leads us to the power of His resurrection. Because of the finished work of Jesus, we have hope for today and tomorrow. As believers, we are called to share this truth not just today but for all tomorrows. 

Because He lives, our missionaries and partners work to share the gospel, reproduce authentic disciples of Jesus, plant churches, train leaders, and equip God’s people to minister transformationally. We reach out to those who live without hope. We invite you to join us as bold witnesses to those who are overwhelmed with life and world events. Comfort those who face trials of every kind. Share that God is in control. Pray without ceasing.

Oh the joy of that moment, when the light of Jesus cuts through the darkness, when the impossible becomes possible, when hope springs eternal…

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

Because He lives, All fear is gone.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27 

Because I know He holds the future.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 

And life is worth the living just because He lives.

“I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” John 10:10 

1. Pray for Dan and Julie Snyder. The governor declared a state of emergency where they live in the state of Acre, Brazil. There is an outbreak of COVID-19, dengue, major flooding, and refugee concerns. Pray for the Snyders’ safety and health. Pray for their local community and friends who are personally suffering and have lost loved ones.

2. Pray for Colombia. The country continues to struggle with COVID-19, and the local government reinstates stay-at-home lockdowns often. Many churches are empty throughout the week and services are pre-recorded. Pray for our team in Colombia as they continue to minister through lockdowns and strict protocols. 

3. Pray for Kaylee and Nilton Solier. Pray that these newlyweds keep God at the center of their marriage. Pray for their next steps as they prepare for a two-year internship in Guatemala. 

4. Pray for our missionaries starting in their ministry locations. Pray for Tim and Mindy Callahan as they leave at the end of March to serve in Brazil at the Ammi Training Center. Pray that the interview for their visa will go smoothly and be approved quickly.

5. Pray for Jason and Jenna Weigner. Pray for this couple as they build sustainable, gospel-centered communities among the indigenous and rural peoples of eastern Bolivia. Pray for wisdom and patience as they raise four young boys.

6. Pray for Ken and Angela Massey. Praise God for the Massey family’s faithful service to SAM in Bolivia and the Home Office. As they transition to small business owners, we pray God’s continued provision for their family and guidance as they acquire a local business.

7. Pray for the Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center. Pray for the SCCLC in Bolivia as they develop students academically and spiritually with a vision for impacting the world. Pray for the administration and teachers as they begin virtual classes.

8. Pray for the SAMAIR Peru Hangar Project. Pray for the SAMAIR Peru team as they work to rebuild the floatplane hangar. Pray for needed materials, quick progress, and safety. 

9. Pray for Joel and Angel Ballew. Pray as they work on establishing a new business in Barranquilla, Colombia that could serve to catalyze a gospel ecosystem in that city.

10. Pray for our missionaries returning to their ministry locations. Pray for Cesar and Grace Cubas as well as Larry and Bonnie Secrest. Pray for their safe travel back to Peru and no issues re-entering the country.

11. Pray for Indigenous People Groups. Praise God that COVID-19 vaccinations are reaching indigenous people in South America. Pray for healing and peace as COVID continues to affect those across the country with limited healthcare options.

12. Pray for Jeff HAuse. Pray for endurance and strength as Jeff continues teaching virtually at the CIET (Center for Integrated Theological Studies) in Bolivia. He is teaching Leadership this semester while also pursuing his own studies for his Master of Arts in Christian Ministry through the Southern California Seminary.

13. Pray for Easter Celebrations. Pray for our missionaries and partners who will lead services, Sunday School, children and youth activities, and more during the Easter weekend. May God give them boldness to proclaim the risen Christ. May their places of worship or screens be filled with those seeking the hope only found in Jesus.

Redeemed Lives. Beautiful Churches. Transformed Communities.

Why do we long to see “beautiful” churches? Kirk Ogden says the following about the word “beautiful” as a descriptor for churches: “Beautiful offers a richer, more robust vision for the church. We are not discarding words like ‘vibrant’ and ‘dynamic’. They tell us a lot about what we hope for and work towards. But beautiful moves us to consider more than size, quantity or activity. Beautiful beckons us to consider what Jesus desires and is himself creating in his bride, the church.”

Our vision for church planting and for the establishment of church networks goes beyond the physical buildings and the detailed strategic plans. It is not enough for a church building to be constructed and for a church body to gather; we long to see bodies of believers living in God’s magnificent glory here on Earth so that others see these churches and say “let us go with you for we have heard that God is with you.” – Zechariah 8:23

This month we pray over the churches and church networks in South America that are working as one body to offer the hope of Christ to their local communities. We see God’s presence in the gatherings of believers in the lowlands of Bolivia as well as in the growing church plants in Lima and Bogotá. We also grieve for the division and heartache that many churches face in their ministries. In all things, we have hope that these local manifestations of the body of Christ can pursue righteousness and unity as Paul charged the church at Ephesus: “… to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each on of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” – Ephesians 4:22-25

CHURCHES & CHURCH NETWORKS PRAYERS

1. Pray for Iglesia de la Ciudad in Lima, Peru. As the church plant has continued to grow in La Molina, Lima, they are looking to establish a second location. The team has identified 5 key sectors in the city of Lima for church site multiplication: La Molina, San Isidro, Miraflores, San Borja, and Barranco. Pray for Iglesia de la Ciudad, that God would lead them and direct them to the location of their next church site. Ask God for an executive pastor to join their team, as this need is key to enabling their expansion.

2. Pray for Ciudad Corazón in Bogotá, Colombia.  This vibrant group of house churches is a tight-knit community actively working to bring peace and redemption to the city of Bogotá. Ask God for more house church leaders and for the expansion of his church in this city. Pray for the Ciudad Corazon team as they discern new pockets of the city for the movement to grow into.

3. Pray for the body of believers within the Ayoré people group in eastern Bolivia. The gatherings of believers within this community reflects a hunger for God’s word. Pray for the development of a church body within this people group, that they would continue to represent the grace and truth of the gospel to each other as they establish church leadership. Ask God to use their involvement in helping to build the discipleship center (Chochis, Bolivia) to inspire their believers and raise up the right people from their community to participate in theological training once the center is established

4. Pray for the Ayacucho Church Planting Team in Ayacucho, Peru. The Ayacucho team is still in the research and networking stage of church planting. Pray for their outreach efforts, particularly in cooking classes, ESL, and kids’ ministry as they continue to get to know families in the city. Ask God to create the necessary strategic avenues for the team to be introduced to influential people in Ayacucho as they look to establish a church body. Pray also for Club Exploradores, the kids’ outreach effort, as they rent out a meeting space and minister to children in the community each week, that God would bless these efforts and use this ministry to create relationships with the families in the community.

5. Pray for Las Misiones church in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Pastor Felix Pedraza has been a longtime friend and partner with SAM in Santa Cruz. Pray for Pastor Felix’s ministry as he leads the congregation of Las Misiones, and for their ministry of hosting and nurturing a primary school within the church. Las Misiones is a member of the Asociación de las Iglesias Evangélicas del Oriente (AIEO), an association of churches founded by local church leaders and SAM back in the 70s which continues to connect church bodies and pastors in the eastern lowlands of Bolivia.

6. Pray for the Lima Initiative in Lima, Peru. The Lima Initiative participates with City to City Latin America in gathering and training church planters for urban church outreach. Pray for the current pastors participating in Lima in the “Incubator”, a church-planter training program facilitated jointly by City to City and the Lima Initiative, with pastors traveling to Lima from all over the country of Peru. Ask God to raise up new church planters for the next Incubator program beginning in Lima next year.

7. Pray for INDIEWACOL, an association of Wayuu churches in La Guajira, Colombia. Pray for the current group of Wayuu indigenous pastors participating in INDIEWACOL’s pastoral training program. Ask God to raise up the future leaders of the Wayuu church to be trained and equipped through these efforts. Pray also for the current church leaders as they begin to make preparations for the association’s annual worship gathering and business meeting in December.

8. Pray for the indigenous church leaders trained at Ammi in Brazil. The Ammi Training Center’s vision is for there to be a flourishing church in every tribal group in Brazil. For 2018, Ami has seen 18 enrolled pastoral students representing 8 people groups. Praise God for the new believers who have come to faith during their time at Ammi! Pray for the current students at Ammi, as they train in their second language (Portuguese) and continue to develop pastoral skills. Ask God to protect the recent Ammi graduates who have returned to their villages and begun to share the gospel with their tribes.

9. Pray for the church plant in Gaira, Colombia. Ask God to bless their current process of applying for legal status and registration with the government. Praise God for their recent VBS in La Paz, Colombia and for the participation of so many families! Pray that God would raise up committed servants from within the church to come alongside Frank, Luz, and Fernando who currently lead this body of believers.

10. Pray for City to City Latin America’s Intensive. The first Intensive ever in Latin America will be held in Monterrey, Mexico in September 2018. The “Intensive”, a training program developed by City to City, prepares church planters to establish and multiply churches in urban centers. Pray for the 25 urban church planters from across Latin America invited to attend. Ask God to develop long lasting relationships between the attendees which will enhance church planting strategies across Latin America.

11. Pray for Dalmiro & Laura Ortiz as they have recently returned to Bolivia. Pray for Dalmiro’s service of shepherding pastors in eastern and rural Bolivia, as he continues to develop and implement theology and discipleship programs. Ask God to continue to provide resources and partners to Dalmiro’s ministry, that the churches and pastors would be blessed with an abundance of support for their growth.

12. Pray for Marcelo Robles, a friend of SAM and pastor in Buenos Aires, Argentina. As a member of City to City Latin America’s network of pastors, Marcelo is a key partner in the plans to start an Incubator church planting training program in Buenos Aires in 2019. Pray for Marcelo and his church, La Mision, as they operate in a key sector of Buenos Aires. Pray that God would sustain Marcelo as he is a bivocational pastor, and that God would use his work at the university to continue to grow the church and draw university students into relationship with Christ.

13. Pray for the church plant, El Camino, in Arequipa, Peru. TEAM missionaries Craig and Sue Querfeld began this church alongside two other couples back in 2001, and for the past four years the church has been run under Peruvian leadership, with Pastor Arcadio Vilchez as their Senior Pastor today. Pray for Craig and Sue as they continue to minister alongside this church body. Pray also for the next two church plants currently at work through El Camino with two other missionary couples: Jason and Sarah Sheets, working to see a church body established in an under-resourced neighborhood, and Seth and Jessica Malec, starting a church plant in a middle class neighborhood alongside their missionary partners Eward and Esme Zarate. Ask God to bless these efforts, that His Word would be proclaimed in Arequipa through these church plants and that the city would be transformed by the redeeming hope of the gospel.

You can download this month’s prayer guide as a PDF: July Prayer Focus

“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the world, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.” – Colossians 4:2-4

When called to ministry, we are still first called to love God and love our neighbor. The additional challenges of living in a new culture and operating in a second language can make that command seem daunting at times for cross-cultural servants. This month we continue to pray over our missionary corps, who serve throughout South America, as they face obstacles in their ministries and personal lives. Like Paul asked the church in Colossae to pray over him, we ask that God would open a door to each of our missionaries, that they may be salt and light in their communities.

Whether the trial is medical, interpersonal, financial, logistical or spiritual, we know that in all things God is righteous, just, merciful and the true source of hope to his people. The trials and hardships experienced in ministry are no easier, and often more difficult, with the added stresses of cross-cultural work. We pray over our missionaries this month with the confidence that David had: “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” – Psalm 55:22

MISSIONARY CORPS PRAYERS

1. Pray for our missionaries who are on Home Ministry Assignment. Pray for those who have returned to the US for their Home Ministry Assignment (HMA), that their time in the US would be rejuvenating to their souls and a time of blessed fellowship with their friends, family, and network of supporters. Ask God to provide the necessary resources for these missionaries to confidently return to the field. Pray also for our missionaries who are preparing for their upcoming HMA, that God would enable their remaining time on the field to produce opportunities to present the gospel, and that God would comfort them as they say goodbye and prepare to temporarily leave their ministry context.

2. Health concerns can inhibit ministry and are a hard reality for some of our missionaries. Pray for the health of our missionary corps, that God would sustain them in ministry and provide the necessary strength for their service. Ask God to heal the sick and wounded, and to guide the hands of surgeons and doctors who are currently helping some of our missionaries overcome severe health issues. Pray that our missionaries would find God’s presence and voice a true source of comfort and hope within their suffering, and that God would give them the grace to be able to minister to others from their weakness.

3. One of the difficulties in cross-cultural ministry is developing deep fellowship and community, particularly as every cross-cultural servant has left their home country and sacrificed their opportunity to remain close to friends and family back home. Pray for the friendships and partnerships of our missionaries, that God would strengthen these relationships and use them to provide stability and comfort to our missionaries. Ask that God would provide deep friendships to our missionaries who are new to their field and ministry context, or who are experiencing loneliness. Pray that God would bless our missionaries with sincere fellowship with fellow believers who speak truth and bring hope to our missionaries as they continue to serve cross-culturally.

4. Resources and funding are potential areas of discouragement for missionaries and cross-cultural servants. Pray for our missionaries who lack sufficient resources or funding to confidently serve in their current ministry. Ask God to sustain our missionaries physically and financially as they continue in service. Pray that God would provide new ministry partners who will financially invest in our missionaries and ministries. Pray also that even in times of minimal funding or resources, our missionaries would be blessed with confidence in God’s call for their ministry and his unending love for them, his children, similar to the apostle Paul who learned how to be content “in times of need and in times of abundance” (Phil. 4:12).

5. Some of our missionaries have close family members who recently passed away. Pray for those who are currently grieving, that God would be their comfort and hope in this time, especially as they are physically distant from their family and loved ones. Ask God to bless these missionaries with peace and with close friends to support them emotionally and spiritually, and to ease the pain that distance can cause. Pray that even in their grieving, they may know the depth of God’s love and be a light to those around them.

6. This month the Bolivia missionary team says goodbye to some of their missionaries who are completing their service. Pray that God protects their final moments together in ministry and fellowship, that they gain closure and feel prepared for their transitions. Ask God to bless these missionaries with wisdom as they discern their next steps, that he would make their paths straight and show them how he has prepared them for this moment. Pray also for our missionaries who remain in Bolivia this summer, that God would sustain them and bless them with deep fellowship as they continue in ministry.

7. Pray for Natalie Suff who has recently joined the Bolivia field. Thank the Lord for his provision for Natalie as she begins her missionary service. Ask God to provide her the strength and perseverance necessary to adjust to a new culture. Pray also for her initial time at language school, that she learns Spanish effectively and that she focuses on the Lord and His will amidst all of the change and transition in her life.

8. Pray for Jorge & Ginny Enciso who returned to Bogotá, Colombia this month. Early this month they completed the adoption process and welcomed an 8-month old boy into their family. Pray for the Enciso family as they continue to transition and establish themselves in their community once more. Ask God to bless their family while they care for their new son, as their children enter a new school and as they all begin ministry again.

9. Pray for Chris & Cristi Haylett as they transition out of ministry in Riohacha, Colombia, and return to the US for Home Ministry Assignment. Ask God to protect their family as they say goodbye and travel this summer. Pray that in their remaining time in Colombia, they remain healthy and that doors are opened for them to share the gospel in Riohacha. Pray for their 3 youngest children who travel with them, that God would ease their pain as they say goodbye and re-enter the US. Pray also that God would grant clear vision and direction to the Haylett family as they pursue their next ministry context.

10. Pray for Hana Kamiya who has been blessed with a fruitful and exciting experience at language school in Costa Rica. Pray for healing as she continues to seek care for health concerns, which impact her placement for future ministry. Ask God to protect her and provide for her as she transitions back to the US. Pray for clarity and confidence from the Lord as Hana discerns her next ministry context. Ask that God would be her comfort and strength during this time of transition.

You can download this month’s prayer requests as a PDF here: June Prayer Focus

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
– Luke 4:18-19

When Jesus read these words from the prophet Isaiah at the synagogue in Nazareth, he set the precedent for the upcoming years of his ministry on Earth: to proclaim the good news to the weary, to set free the oppressed and to heal the sick.

Toward the end of his ministry, Jesus articulated what it looks like to sacrificially love others: “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you… for when I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’… Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” – Matthew 25:34-36, 40

With Christ’s commandment as our guide, we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, offering them the hope we have in him and being gracious with the abundant blessings that God has given us. This month, we pray over our transformational initiatives which seek to holistically meet the spiritual and physical needs of their communities so that each person will come to know the life-giving love of God and be transformed by His power.

MINISTRY PRAYERS

1. The Recife Redemptive Ministries team responds to spiritual and felt needs, demonstrating God’s heart for the impoverished in Brazilian communities, making it known that God and His people value them. Pray for the ministry’s partner churches in Tabajara, Rio Doce, and Dois Unidos. Ask God to guide the church’s leadership teams to firm standing in God’s truth and mercy seen in Jesus. Pray for these communities of the redeemed to demonstrate God’s love, in word and deed, to the poverty stricken surrounding communities.

2. Latidos de Esperanza (Heartbeats of Hope) is a crisis pregnancy ministry based in Pucallpa, Peru, longing to see society value the sanctity of human life, bring all the unborn into this world and know Jesus as the author and perfector of life. In addition to spiritual counsel, Latidos provides vocational training through sewing classes, which begin this year in April. Pray for at least 10 women to sign up for the sewing classes, for them to learn and apply new skills in ways that provide for their families. Ask God to provide finances for Latidos to sustain its newly hired Peruvian director, and for her work boosting the morale and commitment of the ministry’s volunteer workers.

3. The Wájaro Foundation exists for the body of Christ to extend its hand of grace and mercy to the indigenous and vulnerable communities of Colombia. Pray for the leaders of ASPEWA, an association of Wayuu pastors founded with the help of Wájaro, as they build for unity of the body across the nine Wayuu denominations they represent. Thank God for providing funding for an educational initiative catalyzed by Wájaro—equipping more than 100 pastors and leaders with certified educational training from the most practical (literacy, primary, secondary, technical) to seminary level. Ask God for more funding to reach more through this educational initiative in partnership with the Colombian entity COTELGUA. Ask God to dispense his wisdom and grace as Wájaro develops an artisan program for Wayuu women that builds for economic sustainability among Wayuu communities.

4. Novō Transformational Communities exists to empower God’s people in the majority world to create spaces where hurting and broken people can find healing, wholeness and hope. Novō’s first residential community, for men who are dealing with drug and alcohol addictions, is in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, and just celebrated its one-year anniversary. SAM’s Bolivia team serves alongside Novō’s leadership. Pray that Rogelio, Antonio and Dario, Novō’ residents who completed the 9-month program on April 8th, will experience lasting freedom from addiction and abundant new life in Christ. Pray for compassion, strength and wisdom for Project Coordinator, David Salazar, and the rest of the team.

5. Iglesia de la Ciudad (IDC) in La Molina sector of Lima, Peru, embraces the community of Caritas Felices, a girls home for victims of abuse, with gospel-centered outreach and financial support as the church discerns God’s lead in building for the welfare of the city of Lima. Pray for the girls from the home who are attending a weekly discipleship group at IDC before the church meets for worship on Sunday evenings. Also, pray for a core group from IDC being sent to the Miraflores sector of Lima to plant another church this fall. Pray that as additional church plants form throughout the city, church leadership will see where the Holy Spirit has begun redemptive works in which the church bodies will be engaged.

MISSIONARY PRAYERS

1. Pray for Stephanie Edgar, member of SAM’s team in Pucallpa, Peru, as she transitions her directorship of Heartbeats of Hope crisis pregnancy center to a Peruvian friend and co-worker. Ask God to give Stephanie discernment as she continues to volunteer with and help shape the ministry of the center. Pray for Stephanie and family—Todd, Naia, Anya and Kaitlin—as they prepare for a four-month ministry assignment in the US beginning mid-May. Pray that Stephanie’s time seeking the Lord during the coming months would reveal direction for her future involvement in ministry and professional development.

2. Pray for Julio and Olga Chiang as the size and scope of their ministry in Peru grows. Ask God for grace as they balance responsibilities of pastoring their congregation in Lima, strategically planning growth initiatives, developing pastors for other congregations across Peru and pursuing professional development opportunities. Pray for the provision this year of an Executive Pastor whose gifting and skills contribute in areas of ministry that advance Julio and Olga’s visionary progress.    

3. Jorge and Ginny Enciso, and children Matilde, Maia and Matthias,are preparing to transition back to Colombia in May after 10 months in the US on Home Ministry Assignment (HMA). Thank the Lord for his provision for the Enciso family during their time on HMA, for the community they’ve been able to enjoy in the States and for the support—relational and financial—that has been raised to sustain them for the coming years in ministry. Pray for the Encisos’ leadership of Fundación Comunidad Viva in Bogotá as the team develops new ministry initiatives this year, for wisdom and for God to maximize the redemptive impact of the various initiatives.

4. In March, Craig and Mary DeLille returned to Recife, Brazil, for a new season of ministry after several months in the US on home ministry assignment. Ask God to enable their gracious and effective leadership among the Recife Redemptive Ministries team as they transition back. Pray for the DeLilles’ discernment as they pursue and for God’s provision of more Brazilian ministry partners to teach at Touch of the Master Music School.

5. Pray for Jake and Lauren Jones, members of SAM’s team based in Bogotá and co-founders of Wájaro Foundation. Ask God to grow their ministry team, specifically providing someone to nurture and care for the Joneses’ children as Jake and Lauren travel to ministry sites across Colombia and as Lauren especially seeks more dedicated time to learn Spanish. Pray also that God will lead Jake and Lauren, as the main representatives of Wájaro to support bases, to people and churches who believe in the vision of Wájaro and are willing to invest financially in the work.

6. SAM partners with Fundación Comunidad Viva (FCV) based in Bogotá, Colombia. FCV’s community center in the neighborhood of San Antonio is a vibrant place where after school tutoring and activities for kids occur in a safe environment six days a week. Pray for Janneth, a Colombian partner on FCV’s ministry team, as she seeks stamina and grace to balance her job of carefully running the community center with time for her family. Ask God to pour out his grace and mercy for continued transformation in San Antonio through the work of the community center.

You can download this month’s prayer requests as a PDF here: April Prayer Focus