From Ecuador with Hope: a book review and invitation

This post is in a series of book reviews highlighting works by SAMS missionaries. These books will be available at our SAMS Dinner in September!  You won’t want to miss it!

FROM ECUADOR WITH HOPE

Written by SAMS Missionary Cameron Vivanco
Reviewed by Denise Cox, SAMS Associate Director

From Ecuador With Hope charms the reader from start to finish. This ABC book introduces each letter of the Spanish alphabet in both Spanish and English. The book engages preschoolers, early elementary kids, and beginning Spanish learners of all ages. We explore the colorful world of the South American country of Ecuador. The underlying theme of hope points to Education=Hope, a ministry of SAMS Missionaries, Cameron and Roberto Vivanco. The ministry provides scholarships to vulnerable students in desperate and difficult circumstances.

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO JOIN US AT THE
SAMS-USA CELEBRATION
RECEPTION, AUTHOR’S BOOK SIGNING AND DINNER
Thursday September 22, 2022
Ridgecrest Conference Center
FLOOR 2 JOHNSON SPRINGS BUILDING

(Reception and book signing are in the room on the left and dinner is in the room on the right. Signs will clearly mark each event.)

4:00 PM reception where you can meet missionary authors and receive signed books.
This will be followed by dinner and special guest speakers. The event will end at 6:45pm.

The whole event, including the books, is complimentary! You may donate as you feel led to partner in the ministry of SAMS.
We look forward to visiting with you!

Immediately preceding:
The New Wineskins Global Missions Conference
September 22-25, 2022
AT RIDGECREST CONFERENCE CENTER
IN RIDGECREST, NC

Questions? Email info@sams-usa.org

Building relational bridges for mental health care

Building relational bridges for mental health care

Missionary April Sylvester shares the hope of Christ by building relational bridges through the YANA (You Are Not Alone) Foundation to support Zambian young people in their journey to mental health. The organization provides “Listeners,” makes presentations at schools, and also has a referral program for professional therapy. One person who meets with a Listener was grateful: “[My Listener is] kind and understands me. Some days I get extremely depressed and only look forward to our sessions.”  

April updated her senders recently:

“In the last few months we have been able to ramp up our programs again. At the end of 2021, we had our biggest volunteer training yet! We were overwhelmed with the amount of people that came forward wanting to give their time and effort to support and love on the people around them through volunteer counseling.

“We plan to train more volunteer counselors (we call them Listeners) this year than ever before, so that we can in turn help more people than ever before! Praise God for the wonderful volunteers that have come, and please lift up our trainings to come! Thanks so much for your consistent prayers and support!”

 

A group of newly trained YANA “Listeners”

Serving alongside the Honduran church to bring hope to marginalized kids

Serving alongside the Honduran church to bring hope to marginalized kids

  – Written by Ana Reid –

Ana is a Missionary Associate, who upon leaving her full-time work in Honduras, still continues to be increasingly active in ministry outreach in several parts of the country.  She visits Honduras regularly and is in constant communication with those she partners with and those she serves, thanks to the commitment of her senders in the United States and the abilities of technology.

One of the communities with which Ana worked during her time in Honduras was Colonia Episcopal, Puerto Cortes – coordinating medical team visits, partnering in community development, and working with the local school.  One of the visiting teams offered Ana the opportunity to open a clinic (Sloan Clinic) at this very marginalized community that sits just meters away from the city dump, which is the main source of income for many families, digging for recyclables to sell. She jumped on the opportunity, led building renovations, hired local personnel and soon the doors were open to serve the community and beyond.  Ana continues to oversee the work at Sloan Clinic, she is also deeply involved with the local primary school and with the many other schools that students move on to once they finish 6th grade.  Ana keeps track of each student’s progress, has open communication with them, with their parents, as well as with the schools. 

 During her years in Honduras Ana also worked with Osman Hope (osmanhope.org), a Christian organization that runs four day shelters in 4 different regions, offering educational and nutritional support to children in gang-infested neighborhoods. She assisted in the coordination of conferences and retreats and offered support to the directors of each shelter.

 Now Ana is a very active member of the board and is very involved with the ongoing work, with all the challenges brought by the Covid 19 pandemic.  Ana is especially active with the one shelter that was devastated with the last two hurricanes that hit the country, forcing it to temporarily close its doors. The shelter is now open and Ana is working closely with the local personnel and the church to renovate and bring the shelter to full functionality again.

 Ana’s agenda for her visits to Honduras are always full, even prior to setting foot there.  She schedules meetings with all stakeholders: Clinic personnel, school teachers and directors, sponsored students (the old and the new incoming students to be sponsored) field trips for students, dinner with high school and technical school students, meeting with local church leaders/bishop, meeting with mayor’s office personnel, meal distribution to all the primary and kindergarten students from Colonia Episcopal….and, there is always time made to be with friends, that through the years partner with her in ministry.

 

The Magnet: a book review and invitation

This post is in a series of book reviews highlighting works by SAMS missionaries. These books will be available at our SAMS Dinner in September!  You won’t want to miss it!

The Magnet
Written by Mary McDonald
Reviewed by Nita Dempsey

Dear friends, I commend this well written and heartfelt book to you. Mary takes us on the personal journey of her childhood through her adulthood and on to how Jesus redeemed trauma and used joy to form her calling as a missionary veterinarian. This is a bold and frank telling of a little girl’s losses and victimization, a teen’s rebellion and aspirations, a young adult’s disillusionment, to finally and beautifully a step into the redemption and purpose of our Lord. This is a story that will inspire you in your faith and endear you to the author. Whatever we are facing or have endured, this story affirms the power of Jesus Christ to restore us to our true selves.

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO JOIN US AT THE
SAMS-USA CELEBRATION
RECEPTION, AUTHOR’S BOOK SIGNING AND DINNER
Thursday September 22, 2022
Ridgecrest Conference Center
FLOOR 2 JOHNSON SPRINGS BUILDING

(Reception and book signing are in the room on the left and dinner is in the room on the right. Signs will clearly mark each event.)

4:00 PM reception where you can meet missionary authors and receive signed books.
This will be followed by dinner and special guest speakers. The event will end at 6:45pm.

The whole event, including the books, is complimentary! You may donate as you feel led to partner in the ministry of SAMS.
We look forward to visiting with you!

Immediately preceding:
The New Wineskins Global Missions Conference
September 22-25, 2022
AT RIDGECREST CONFERENCE CENTER
IN RIDGECREST, NC

Questions? Email info@sams-usa.org

Tania de la Cantera: a book review and invitation

This post is first in a series of book reviews highlighting works by SAMS missionaries. These books will be available at our SAMS Dinner in September!  You won’t want to miss it!

Tania de la Cantera
By Suzy McCall
Book Review by Denise Cox 

Life in a poor urban neighborhood in Honduras is complex and filled with both joy and sorrow. In this fictional story of one family’s day to day experiences, SAMS Missionary Suzy McCall vividly portrays life in a poor Tegucigalpa neighborhood. The story swiftly draws one in, as in each chapter one longs to know how the life of Tania will turn out. Her teenage mom and dad, her rough grandmother, and kind neighbor are all portrayed with realistic clarity. This fictional account provides a deeper understanding of the pressures faced by those living in poverty in Central America.

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO JOIN US AT THE
SAMS-USA CELEBRATION
RECEPTION, AUTHOR’S BOOK SIGNING AND DINNER
Thursday September 22, 2022
Ridgecrest Conference Center
FLOOR 2 JOHNSON SPRINGS BUILDING

(Reception and book signing are in the room on the left and dinner is in the room on the right. Signs will clearly mark each event.)

4:00 PM reception where you can meet missionary authors and receive signed books.
This will be followed by dinner and special guest speakers. The event will end at 6:45pm.

The whole event, including the books, is complimentary! You may donate as you feel led to partner in the ministry of SAMS.
We look forward to visiting with you!

Immediately preceding:
The New Wineskins Global Missions Conference
September 22-25, 2022
AT RIDGECREST CONFERENCE CENTER
IN RIDGECREST, NC

Questions? Email info@sams-usa.org

Apprentices of Patrick Lutalo’s ministry put finishing touches on maternity facility in Uganda

Apprentices of Patrick Lutalo’s ministry put finishing touches on maternity facility in Uganda

Missionary Bridger Patrick Lutalo recently wrapped up the first project of his ministry Teach Men to Fish. The ministry equips young people of Uganda with marketable skills along with discipleship in the Gospel. Patrick led youth apprentices in constructing a maternity facility for the community. You can read Patrick’s March 2022 report, which shares how many women and children have already been blessed by the maternity facility, here.

The official dedication ceremony took place on December 20, 2021.  Patrick reported to his senders: 

Today was the official dedication before God of our maternity facility project at Naama Health Center 111 in Mityana. We started off with spiritual mentoring from the Rev. Emmanuel Luka of St. Andrew’s Cathedral at Namukozi. He is the youth coordinator in the diocese. He is so young at heart and shared his childhood experiences, which resonated with the apprentices. He urged us all in the importance of doing what we can for one another for the glory of God. Rev. Emmanuel Lukabwe attended Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, and he is familiar with SAMS. This created a special spiritual bond for us. We are making plans for the continued spiritual mentoring of our apprentices.