Meet SAMS-USA: Missionaries David and Mary Beth Alenskis

by | Oct 6, 2016 | Belize, SAMS-USA, The Church and Evangelism

SAMS supports over 90 missionaries. Get to know them through this blog series called Meet SAMS-USA, and discover their calling to mission, where they serve, and how you can get involved through support and prayer. 
David and Mary Beth met at the Anglican Church of the Resurrection (San Marcos), their home church. They both were in a time of growth and transition. David transitioned from being a seminarian to being a priest, to being a missionary, while Mary Beth graduated from high school, started university, and then became the church accompanist. Over the years they pastor-and-parishioner to long-distance-friends, to not-so-much-friends, to more then friends. Now they are married!

David and Mary Beth Alenskis are sent from Anglican Church of the Resurrection in California and serve together in Belize. The church in Belize needs more thoroughly-trained leaders who are willing to serve inside and outside of the church in pioneering ways, to announce the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to embody his excessive and supernatural love for sinners. David has been called to serve as the Priest-in-Charge (Senior Pastor) of St. Andrew’s and St. Hilda’s churches and as chaplain for St. Andrew’s, St. Barnabas’, and St. Hilda’s schools. Mary Beth is using her passion and gift for music as well as her heart for serving others to reach those in the church and schools.  As SAMS missionaries, David and Mary Beth are dedicated both to serving as leaders for Anglican churches and schools in Belize, and also to training up new leaders who will continue to grow and deepen the Body of Christ.

The Alenskis’ continued mission service is made possible with the help of your support and prayers. They ask you to please share in their passion for the people of Belize by partnering with them in the work of the Gospel! Consider giving to the Alenskis today.
We seek to obey Christ’s great commission by joining with Belizeans to follow him together. Pray that Christ uses us to build up his Body in the following ways:

  • To make disciples who make new disciples
  • To form leaders that make new leaders
  • To grow churches that grow new churches
David and Mary Beth

Missionaries in Belize

On the Edge: A Young Girl’s Life Saved

On the Edge: A Young Girl’s Life Saved

by | Sep 30, 2016 | SAMS-USA, Uganda, Water

Janine LeGrand is a SAMS Missionary serving in Uganda. Read about her medical ministry and how she assisted a young girl who was in urgent need of medical help.

How many times do we feel like we are on the edge? How many times have you said, “I can’t take on one more task at work, or one more thing on my plate at home”? Even King David felt drained and had times of suffering.

How many times do we feel like we are on the edge? How many times have you said, “I can’t take on one more task at work, or one more thing on my plate at home”? Even King David felt drained and had times of suffering, but he looked to the Lord for restoration. “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit” (Psalm 51:12 ESV).

As Janine LeGrand worked in the short-term medical clinic in Masindi-Kitara, Uganda a young girl not thought to be older than two years old was brought into the clinic. The young girl, Cathy*, was severely malnourished and dehydrated. “She was so malnourished when she came to us that the clinic team was not sure she would have lived through the weekend,” said Janine. So, Janine and others at the clinic who partnered with One World Health, treated Cathy who suffered from diarrhea, but the main problem was she needed to be fed. Janine made her own version of plumpy-nut, a government distributed nutritional supplement made of nuts, powdered milk, and vitamins.

“My staff showed a lot of love. We arranged transportation for Cathy and her family. We provided as much care as we could. My partner, Jimmy would even go to visit the family home and care for Cathy,” said Janine. Soon it was discovered that Cathy’s mother was thought to have passed away and she was under the care of a sick grandmother who was unable to care for her, and before that by other family members who were unable to provide.

If her dehydration and malnutrition wasn’t enough, while treating Janine discovered a severe burn on Cathy. “This burn is actually what saved Cathy’s life,” said Janine, “because we were able to get her into the Masindi hospital for treatment. If it was not for that, I have no doubt Cathy would not have made it. She was on the edge and just too malnourished.” Janine explains that today Cathy is in the process of being under new care. By the grace of God, she has been physically restored after receiving the help she needed thanks to Janine and the team at the Masindi-Kitara. Cathy’s miraculous recovery reminds us of God’s grace. He can restore us from physical, spiritual, or emotional suffering we face no matter how close to the edge we may be.

To give to Janine LeGrand, visit her missionary page. On behave of Janine, SAMS is thankful for your prayers, sending, and support of Janine, and other missionaries so they may carry out the work the Lord has sent them into the field to do.
By the grace of God, Cathy (pictured above with a clinic team member) has been physically restored after receiving the help she needed thanks to Janine and the team at the Masindi-Kitara.
Sarah Norris

Writer and Communications Specialist, SAMS-USA

You, Me, and God: Mentoring and What the Bible Says

by | Aug 30, 2016 | SAMS-USA

Date:
2016-08-30 00:00:00

Mentoring can be a significant way for us to get to know each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. When we know a person who is more knowledgeable or experienced, we can then learn from that person. Although the Bible doesn’t come right out and use the term “mentor,” we can see relationships throughout both the old and New Testament that take on this structure. We often see one person guiding another, to help them make decisions, guide them, and mold them into the people that God wants them to be. Here are just a few examples:

Elijah and Elisha:

Elijah and Elisha were two prophets in Israel. Elijah confronted Jezebel and won victory over Baal on Mount Carmel, but he still felt alone. God spoke and told him to choose a successor, Elisha. This new relationship began as a result of God choosing Elisha. “Elijah went from there and found Elisha” (1 Kings 19:19). Elisha then “set out to follow Elijah and became his attendant” (v. 21b). Elisha learned how to be a prophet of God by being with Elijah, watching him, and listening to him continually. When Elijah was taken up to heaven in a chariot of God, Elisha immediately took up Elijah’s cloak and all those watching realized that “the spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha” (2 Kings 2:11-15). Elisha went on to do even greater things than Elijah in his ministry. Part of mentoring is to teach and encourage others to accomplish even greater ministries that the Lord has planned than us.

Barnabas and Paul:

Barnabas mentored Paul to use his gifts of teaching and preaching wherever they traveled. When Luke records their travels together in the Book of Acts. Barnabas encouraged the church in Jerusalem (Acts 4:36-37), encouraged the new believers in Antioch (Acts 11:22), brought Paul along to work in Antioch (Acts 11:25-26), accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey (Acts 13:2-3). Throughout Acts they are referred to as Barnabas and Saul, (Acts 11:26; 13:2), but after their ministry in Cyprus, they are referred to as “Paul and Barnabas.”  Was Paul then looked upon as the leader of the duo from that point on? What does that say about Barnabas who poured himself into this mentoring role? His ministry was overshadowed, but his desire to see the fulfillment of Lord’s work to be done was more important.

Jesus and his disciples:

When we think of a mentorship we usually picture just two people. However the relationship between Jesus and his disciples can be the ultimate example of mentorship. Jesus let his love for God be the standard by which he loved his disciples. Jesus said, “Love one another as I have loved you. By this will all men know that you are my disciples?” (John 13:34,35). Instead of focusing on his disciples negative attributes, his lead them on the straight path. Jesus said to Peter who he knew would deny him three times, “feed my sheep” (John 21:15-17). His teaching and mentoring allowed these men to go on to be courageous leaders who would speak the truth of God around the world, and ultimately lead the growth of the Christian church.

Sources:

Newton, Gary C. Growing Toward Spiritual Maturity. Evangelical Training Association.