January 2021 Prayer Focus

Iglesia De la Ciudad Peru

For Thine is the Kingdom: Prayer of Praise to God 

Reflection: We start a new year still in a pandemic. Therefore, our team continues to face shutdowns, restrictions, isolation, obstacles, weariness, and many questions. Through it all and into this new year, we acknowledge that our Father in Heaven, the Great Almighty, is enough. We hand over our prayers and our needs. We hold tight to faith, trust in His way, and His timing. We surrender our will. We remember that God has the power to do far more than we can imagine. Together, we pray for all things to be done to God’s glory and believe that God is faithful to answer. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

This month, we specifically pray for the 2021 plans and needs of each SAM missionary, staff, and ministry. It is our prayer that we would hold loosely to our plans with our eyes open to His presence. May we offer up praise to God as David did:

1 Chronicles 29:10-13 (NIV)

David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,

“Praise be to you, Lord,
the God of our father Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.

Yours, Lord, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.
Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.
Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name.”

1. Praise for God’s provision in providing more than enough funding to replace the SAMAIR Peru floatplane. Thank Him for the outpouring of generosity from our donors. It was truly more than we could imagine. Pray for next steps as the team begins to purchase, outfit, and import to Peru a replacement floatplane and rebuild the hangar.

SAMAIR Peru Floatplane Crushed 2020          SAMAIR Peru Floatplane

 

2. Pray for our missionaries returning to their ministry locations. Pray smooth transitions for David and Lisa Speyers and their three girls, Sarah, Emily, and Jessica, as they return to Peru in early January.

3. Pray for our missionaries starting in their ministry locations. Pray for Ryan and Jenny Dawson and their four children: Ashton, Aria, Beckham, Brendee as they leave in early January to serve with SAMAIR Peru. Pray for Ally Lee as she leaves in mid-February to support church planting in Peru.

4. Pray for our missionary kids. They are also missing their “normal” during this ongoing pandemic. Ask God to help the little eyes, little ears, little bodies, and tender souls process as best they can.

Ensico Family in Colombia


5. Pray for the parents of our missionary kids.
Renew parents’ energy as the pandemic continues. Pray for wisdom as they equip their children with the skills and habits that will disciple them through this storm and future storms. Give them discernment, patience, and great love.

6. Pray for Natalie Suff. Pray the Lord’s favor as she continues to raise support while under quarantine in the United Kingdom. Natalie is close to the amount needed to return to Bolivia as a member missionary. May God bless her and her work abundantly.

7. Pray for the next phase of South America Mission Center, Brazil. Ask God to help the team acquire 7.5 fenced acres in Recife that is already developed with facilities (a main building for events which can also sleep 30, outdoor covered chapel, pool). Pray that this space would meet current training and leadership needs as well as serve pastors, churches, leaders, and young people.

8. Pray for Steven and Jen Freund as they transition to a new home, city, culture, and community. They moved from Arequipa, Peru to Lima at the end of December. As they join the Lima team in planting a church during a pandemic, ask God to direct their next steps and plans in 2021.

9. Pray for ministry expansion in Gaira, a small town on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Ask God to help us support the growing church plant and secure physical space to meet their needs. Join us in asking God to fill the people and the area with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:11)

Gaira Colombia

 

10. Pray for our leadership team in the Home Office. As they seek to set strategy and a ministry road map for the next ten years in Latin America, ask God to reveal His will and His desires. Pray that our leadership team develops goals and timelines that match God’s plans. Also, pray that we continue to hold fast to our vision: Dynamic churches multiplied across South America that transform local communities and the world as they embody the Kingdom of God.

September Prayer Focus: Organizational Excellence

In all things, we seek to submit our actions, intentions and resources unto the Lord for his glory and the establishment of his kingdom on Earth. This is the focus of our strategic goal of “organizational excellence”; not that we in human efforts can become perfect, but in our submission as we release our human desire for control, as well as our prideful tendencies, Christ meets us in our inadequacies and strengthens us in our weakness.

We continually hope to improve, by God’s grace, our internal communications, leadership, administrative efforts, organizational systems and processes, as well as our partnerships, so that in all things it is Christ who is glorified and his ministry enabled to the fullest. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31.

Pray with us this month, that in our efforts to grow and enhance our organization God would guide us in each change and grant us wisdom in each step. Pray for our leaders, staff members, personnel and partners as we seek to surrender ourselves daily unto the Lord.

ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE PRAYERS

1. Pray for Eric Schultz, who is the newest member to join our Home Office staff. Eric’s arrival completes our Senior Leadership Team and as he steps into the role of International Staff Director, we look forward to seeing his impact on our missionary community. Pray for the Schultz family as they continue their transition to Fort Mill, SC from Arizona. Pray that their children transition well in their new school environments and that the family finds a good church community to support them. Ask God to guide Eric’s integration into the Home Office team and that God would provide full financial support for their family’s needs.

2. Pray for Melissa Weissenberger, our new Mobilization Director. Pray for her transition into this role as she releases her responsibilities in communications and begins to set mobilization goals for the remainder of 2018. Pray that God would grant her wisdom in strategy and that he would use Melissa to continue to mobilize a new mission force for the gospel. Pray also for the Personnel team as Melissa serves with our Member Care and International Staff directors, that God would unite them in their effort to serve our missionary community and cast vision for growth and wellness.

3. Pray for SAM’s goal to see our Vision embraced across our fields. Ask God to continue to provide guidance for strategy and vision in each ministry context. As we gather new missionaries, pray that they would effectively carry our Mission and Vision to God’s glory. Pray also that God would inspire our missionary community and leadership to seek the most effective ways to build towards our Vision.

4. Pray for the sale of a SAM-owned property in Peru. Ask God for his guidance over the division of assets and investment with the proceeds from the sale of this property. Pray that God would guide this sale to its close and that their would be unity amongst our team in how to invest the proceeds.

5. Pray for new opportunities for ministry in Latin America. As we continue to integrate our ministries with TEAM and through partnerships with City to City Latin America, God is taking us to new geographic regions in Latin America, expanding our influence into these places. Pray for the possibility to partner with key ministries and regional leaders in Trinidad & Tobago and in Argentina. Ask God to bless these initiatives and grant wisdom to those overseeing and evaluating ministry integration.

6. Pray for our Proven Leader Partnership program which provides further education for proven leaders through church partnerships. Partnership with key churches allows SAM to invest in further education which enhances our Latin American partners’ effectiveness in ministry. PLP funds help provide grants to key Latin American partners to study and grow in their ministry area. Ask God to provide funding for the training for leaders in the South American church.

7. Pray for financial generosity to ministry throughout the final months of this fiscal year. Ask God to provide for and fully fund our missionaries and ministries. Pray also for SAM’s Vision Fund which enables SAM to invest in new ministry endeavors, mobilization of more missionaries and the shepherding of our team. Pray that God would provide financial resources to the Vision Fund to allow our team to continue to grow and serve our missionary community well.

8. Pray for the upcoming November Leadership Meetings. This year SAM and TEAM will be participating in strategic leadership meetings together once more, collaborating effectively on strategy for Latin America. Pray for our leaders as they plan and prepare for these meetings, that they would have a common vision for their time together. Ask God to bless the partnership of SAM and TEAM as we seek to grow his kingdom in one accord. Pray that this gathering of Latin American missional leadership would be a fruitful time of prayer and vision for God’s glory.

9. Pray for SAM, TEAM, SEND, and Crossworld as they officially form a new association this month. September marks the founding of this association wherein we hope to see more effective strategies developed, leveraging our organizational strengths across our entities to continue to improve systems and visions between our like-minded gospel-centered initiatives. Pray for the wise design of the structure of this association, that it would promote kingdom-mindedness and not just create another entity to maintain. Pray that the communication of this collaboration to supporters would encourage their joy in the gospel and cultivate joy in Jesus and not in individual organizations.

10. Pray for our field administrators and our need for more missionaries gifted with administration. Ask God to provide leadership and gospel-workers gifted in accounting to bring necessary and much-needed support to our fields and the overall integrity of our field finances and strategy. Pray that God would sustain the work of our current field administrators as they balance ministry, administration and their own families.

Download this month’s prayer guide: September Prayer Guide.