First of All, Pray

The phrase, “First of All, Pray!”, inspired by 1 Timothy 2:1, is the name of our prayer ministry. It reflects the prominence of prayer within our community. It’s been a mark of our Mission for more than 100 years. The mark remains. First of all, pray—deliberately, intentionally, and in faith, with praise and thanksgiving.

As we serve On Mission Together, please join us in praying for these requests in January 2023:

1. Pray for the Peru Field. As we begin 2023, pray God’s blessing over the Peru field. Pray for ministries, relationships, partnerships, and planning for the year ahead. Our team includes Mike and Kelli Anderson, David and Stephanie Boogard, Mike and Marcy Brown, Bill and Joy Carrera, Alex Chiang, Julio and Olga Chiang, Ryan and Jenny Dawson, Matthias and Rosemary Drochner, Todd and Stephanie Edgar, Sam Fiala, Craig and Heather Gahagan, Tom and Rita Hough, Ally Lee, John and Minori Lucas, Mike and Nancy Mahon, Seth and Jessica Malec, Rick and Donna Martin, Amanda McKinney, Larry and Bonnie Secrest, Dave and Marilyn Simmons, Jason and Sarah Sheets, Phillip and Brooke Sneed, David and Lisa Speyers, and Kyle and Cristina Thomas.

2. Pray for the Brazil Field. As we begin 2023, pray God’s blessing over the Brazil field. Pray for ministries, relationships, partnerships, and planning for the year ahead. Our team includes Don and Vera Bergson, Todd and Erika Carroll, Tracey Culley, and Craig and Mary DeLille. 

3. Pray for the Colombia Field. As we begin 2023, pray God’s blessing over the Colombia field. Pray for ministries, relationships, partnerships, and planning for the year ahead. Our team includes Julian and Serina Arias, Joel and Angel Ballew, Jorge and Ginny Enciso, Kat Guild, Chris and Cristi Haylett, Jake and Lauren Jones, and Frank and Luz Zajicek.

4. Pray for the Bolivia Field. As we begin 2023, pray God’s blessing over the Bolivia field. Pray for ministries, relationships, partnerships, and planning for the year ahead. Our team includes Micah and Haley Bittner, Greg Dahl, Jeff HAuse, Daniel and Rebekah Miller, Daniel and Alejandra Netzlaff, Dalmiro and Laura Ortiz, Eric and Zola Ryan, Mike and Marina Shank, Dave and Katrina Smith, Natalie Suff, Jason and Jenna Weigner, and Dana Wilson-Pinto.

5. Pray for Guatemala. As we begin 2023, pray God’s blessing over SAM’s partnerships in Guatemala. Pray for ministries, relationships, and planning for the year ahead. Our team includes Nilton and Kaylee Solier and TEAM partners Justin and Jenny Burkholder.

6. Pray for Mexico. As we begin 2023, pray God’s blessing over SAM’s partnerships in Mexico. Pray for ministries, relationships, and planning for the year ahead. Our team includes Drew Warrick and TEAM partners Pete and Emily Johnson.

7. Pray for SAM’s Home Office. As we begin 2023, pray God’s blessing over the SAM home office staff. Pray for wisdom, unity, and planning for the year ahead. Our team includes Ellen Adkins, Serina Arias, Katherine Buehler, Stephanie Hardy, Brad and Jennie Hopper, Carolyn Mullen, Bill and Lennie Ogden, Kirk and Emily Ogden, Mark Powers, Craig and Sue Querfeld, Eric and Kymm Schultz, Paige Thompson, Stephanie Tinker, and Leah Wallace.

8. Pray for Ammi Training Center. The Ammi Training Center in Brazil celebrated graduation last month. Please pray for these seven graduates, who represent five different ethnic groups, as they return to minister in their villages.

9. Pray for Bible translation in Bolivia. Daniel and Alejandra Netzlaff are facilitating the translation of the New Testament into the Araona dialect in Bolivia. They are working with several Araona families. Please pray for accuracy as they work toward a table read in March. 

10. Pray for Craig and Heather Gahagan. Craig and Heather Gahagan have served many years in Pucallpa, Peru in partnership with SAM and Mission to the World. They have a passion for disciple men and women to follow Christ. They are both leaders in their local church, Mil Palmeras, and Craig is the director of SAMAIR Peru. Pray for the ministry of the Gahagans.

11. Pray for Nilton and Kaylee Solier. Nilton and Kaylee Solier serve kids and teenagers through a tutoring and after-school program in Bethania, a neighborhood of Guatemala City. In the past few months, they have hosted science, art, and music workshops, as well as a trip to a local farm. Please pray for wisdom as they seek to holistically serve this community. 

12. Pray for Ammi Training Center. The students at Ammi in Brazil enjoy playing soccer and volleyball, but the court has been in great need of repair. After months of planning, Ammi received donations for the materials from Brazilian supporters, and a church in Cuiaba offered to come and work alongside the students and staff to rebuild the court. Praise God for the partnership with the Brazilian church and supporters. Pray that this new court would be a blessing to the fellowship at Ammi.

Praise and Thanksgiving

I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalm 34:

Do most of our devotional times consist of asking and receiving? Are we mostly thinking of our wants, and rarely of the benefits we receive? Are we the recipients of His mercies, but rarely praise for what He has done for us? Do we even stop to praise God because He’s God?

Yes, we need to build the habit of saying “thank you” to God in response to all his gifts. Yes, we should also remember to praise God for everything He has done. Above all, we should praise God for who He is. He is worthy of all praise, honor, and glory.

This month, we are trying to focus more on praising God for how He is working in South America and our mission organization. Our praise for God grows out of our love for Him. In all these praises, we are not just showing gratitude and offering thanksgiving, but praising Him because He is faithful, merciful, righteous, and just in all things.

1. Pray for the Netzlaffs. New SAM appointees Daniel and Alejandra Netzlaff participated in a missions conference with Steele Creek Church in Charlotte, NC recently. Praise God for opportunities to share the vision for their ministry in Bolivia with the Araona tribe.

2. Pray for SAM Board Meetings. Praise God for the faithful women and men who serve on the SAM Board of Directors. They are gathering this week to discern God’s vision and direction for the mission. Pray for a fruitful time of celebration, reflection, and planning. 

3. Pray for Amanda McKinney. Praise God for the ministry to the Deaf community in Pucallpa, Peru. SAM missionary Amanda McKinney serves alongside Pastor Carlos. Carlos, beloved by his students and church, has been serving the Deaf for many years, teaching and pastoring the community at Refugio. Pray that God would bring someone to work alongside Carlos as he nears retirement.

4. Pray for Serina and Julian Arias. Julian and Serina serve at a church in Caldas, Colombia twice a month. Julián encourages the children in the congregation by giving them a worksheet each Sunday where they can draw what they hear in the sermon. At the end of the service, the children are invited to share their drawings. What a joy to see what they learned and to give them the opportunity to encourage the adults as they all grow from the preaching of God’s Word. Praise God for the gift of children!

5. Pray for Lima Initiative. Lima Initiative, in partnership with City to City Latin America, promotes gospel movements (Ecosystems) that bring social, cultural, and spiritual transformation to the cities of Peru. In the city of Lima, local leaders identified, recruited, and formed the team that will be leading the movement. Praise God for these women and men who have a vision to see churches and local organizations partner together to build the Kingdom of God. Pray for the members of this team: Francis Castañeda, Vincent Cross, Sander Verduijin, Giselle Bellido, Julio Chiang and Olga Chiang.

6. Pray for the Van Oostens in Pucallpa, Peru. We are thankful that Erik and Cristy Van Oosten and their two boys have joined the SAM team in Pucallpa, Peru. Erik serves with SAMAIR providing for our logistics needs. Cristy teaches 1st and 2nd grade at SAM Academy. Pray for their transition and team dynamics. 

7. Pray for Drew Warrick. Praise God for Drew’s work at Rancho El Camino (a ministry of TEAM) in Mexico. For the first half of 2022, the area surrounding the ranch was in a drought. Drew and the team prayed for a hurricane with lots of water but minimal wind damage, which was delivered! The dry riverbed behind Rancho El Camino was filled with rushing streams of water. Pete Johnson, the Ranch’s director, commented that he didn’t remember the water ever being that high in his decade there. Drew shared this insight and photo recently: “To me, it gives a whole new meaning to Isaiah’s imagery of God making rivers in the desert.”

8. Pray for SAM Mobilization. Praise God for the missions conference at Moody Bible Institute and Columbia International University. It was a wonderful time to interact with students who are discerning God’s call on their life. We praise God that many students are specifically considering missionary service in South America.

9. Pray for SAM Center Team in Recife, Brazil. Praise God that we have completed initial renovations on the SAM Center in Recife, Brazil. We are currently using the facility for ministry activities such as youth retreats, ministry retreats, and discipleship training. Pray for opportunities to rent the facility to local churches for their activities and to generate income to sustain the Center.

10. Pray for Viva Youth. In Bogota, Colombia many young adults aging out of state foster care institutions encounter the Kingdom of God while attending training provided by the ministry of Viva Youth. Thank God for Aula who is a newly adopted member of God’s family. Praise God for baptisms and the growing family of faith in Colombia. 

11. Pray for Kaylee and Nilton Solier. We praise God for Kaylee and Nilton’s work in Bethania, a red zone of Guatemala City. Many children there are considered “social orphans» because of the lack of adult involvement in their lives, and they have few opportunities for the future. The Soliers serve in an after-school program where kids and teens receive tutoring and learn new skills that should create more opportunities for them.