A big Step?
For anyone with
four months free from March to June, Spring Step offers a unique opportunity
to experience mission in Latin America. This year's Spring Steppers are taking
either a gap year or a career/study break, or they're using time between jobs
as their chance to go. They'll travel in teams to Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador
and Mexico - a new destination this year - to work with churches in two locations.
1 Please join the Latin Link Executive in prayer today, as they meet to approve the budget for the next financial year and commit plans to God.
2 Two-way mission. Latin Partners' Claire Siddaway is in Brazil until the 13th, visiting friends, Bible colleges and Brazilian missions. Please pray for good opportunities to talk about Latin Partners, and that Brazilian candidates will come forward for mission training placements in Britain.
4 Innocent abroad. Anita, who works in Finance in Latin Link's London office, is a chaplaincy volunteer at Holloway women's prison. She recently met Yolanda, a Colombian mother on remand, who worked for an airline until her arrest. 'She was caught up in a money-laundering scam to do with the earthquake in El Salvador,' explains Anita, who firmly believes she is innocent. Please pray for justice for Yolanda, who is going to the Spanish-speaking prayer group, and for Anita as she forms friendships with prisoners and tries to share her faith.
6 Caring for members. 'I'd value prayer for my next trip to Ecuador (6-19) and Colombia (19-21),' says Celia Ensum, who gives pastoral support to new Latin Link members internationally.
8 New venture. 'In April we hope to start a distribution centre for Christian literature in Cusco. Please pray for us as we plan the best way to set about this, to supply the thousands of churches in the area; pray that one of my staff here in Lima, along with his family, will be willing to go to Cusco to start this project.' asks Eirwen Harris, El Inca bookshop.
10 Ecuador update. Following demonstrations last year, Indian leaders led another protest recently, aimed at overthrowing the government. The present economic crisis has led to 91 per cent annual inflation, the highest in Latin America, and only 25 per cent of the workforce in full-time jobs, according to Reuters. 'We would appreciate prayers for the situation,' ask Latin Link's Orlando and Sally-Anne Castro, 'for a peaceful settlement of all the problems caused by inflation.' Pray for Gustavo Noboa - Ecuador's fourth president in four years - as he struggles to achieve political stability.
Spring Step Teams leave
for Latin America:
13 Team 1 to Juárez, on the northern border of Mexico and the
US. Supervisor: David Frith.
14 Team 2 to Guaratinguetá, near São Paulo, Brazil.
Supervisors: John and Ann Barnett.
16 Team 3 to Machala, Ecuador.
Supervisors: Orlando and Sally-Anne Castro
16 Team 4 to Muisne, Ecuador.
Supervisors: Adrian and Alison Rimmer
20 Team 5 to Potosí, Bolivia.
Supervisors: Ian and Shirley McCammon
Pray for the Teams
- as they get to know each other
- for health and safety
- as they adjust to living and working alongside local people, whose language is Spanish or Portuguese, in Brazil, and where even church customs are different.
'Yo en ellos, y tú en mí, para que sean perfectos en unidad .' John 17.23 19
19 Bible teaching. Pray for Nat Davies, as he teaches another preaching course at Sicuani Bible Institute, in the southern Andes of Peru, from the 19th for two weeks; and for Margaret Saunderson teaching at Andahuaylas Bible Institute: 'Pray I may be a help and encouragement to these students in their understanding of the Bible.'
22 High level living. Ian and Shirley McCammon ask prayer for the Step team at Potosí, as they adapt to life at high altitude - at 13,000 feet above sea level, it's known as the highest city on earth. The team are building a children's playground. Ian and Shirley also mention their own work as Latin Link's Short-Term Co-ordinators, especially as they use their newly learned Spanish in presentations, and as Ian preaches and teaches at their church in La Paz.
Cha'lla's children: each one was given a bag containing a jumper, sandals, a toy and some sweets.
26 Free at last. 'Just a short note to tell you that Dagoberto, the nine-year-old boy snatched from a school bus almost ten months ago, was freed by his captors last week,' writes Manuel Reaño from Colombia. 'His parents, now living abroad, paid a ransom roughly equivalent to £100,000. Two days later, a combined force of Colombian police and army caught some 12 people belonging to the terrorist band. In the operation, only about a third of the money was recovered. Thank you for praying for Dago's release. Praise the Lord, and pray for his salvation and that of his family.'
28 Please continue to remember those suffering the after effects of the earthquakes in El Salvador; for churches helping people to rebuild their lives.
The Prayer Guide is designed for flexible use and the points may be used at any time during the month. For those who like to pray in a systematic way suggested dates are indicated.
More ways
to pray:
Prayer Guide, sent on request by post or email each month, is one of
a number of Latin Link prayer resources.
- Latinfile - our regular publication, with news and stories from Latin America
- Members' prayer letters - an insight into their work and country of service, as well as personal and family news - on request
- Team prayer letters - the Argentina, Brazil and Peru Teams produce their own regular prayer letters, by email only
- Prayer groups - join with others in praying for the work of Latin Link. Ask for your nearest group, or we can help you start your own.
- Prayer cassettes, with recorded news and interviews, are produced bi-monthly to provide additional material for prayer groups.
- Prayerline - call 020 7939 9018 anytime, updated weekly
- 2001 Prayer Calendar features all current Latin Link members, with a brief description of their country, their team and their work. With pages dated 1 to 31 and prayer points for each day. For further details on any of the above, please telephone or email us.
