These SAMS Missionaries and their families have requested these prayers.
February – March 2026
view in the SAMS E-Messenger newsletter
Ben and Cherie Weber (Missionaries to Rwanda):
March will be a busy month for the Webers, and so please pray for Ben as he will be helping a team from America explore what it looks like to be in partnership with churches in Rwanda. It will be in a different part of Rwanda, so the Webers are praying about what their involvement should be over the long term. Pray for Shangaze. She is a lady the Webers met a few weeks ago. She has had a very difficult life. As a young lady, she was very involved in church and committed to Christ. After being very hurt she walked away from the Lord. She is newly married and her husband, Godfrey, is much older than her, but has a similar story. Pray that God will bring them back to himself.
Bob and Traci Gresser (Missionaries to Namibia):
Please lift up the Gressers who are preparing to move to Namibia next week. They depart on March 3rd. At the top of their minds are visa concerns. Please prayer warriors – ask the Lord to intervene and smooth the way for them through the changing requirements for work permits, and medical clearance forms requested at the last minute by the government. Housing and a car cannot be arranged unless the visas are settled. Praise God that a final med change for their son Andrew worked well three days ago and pray that it will continue to work. Pray that once visa issues are resolved, and a home secured, that Bob will integrate smoothly into service at Namibia Evangelical Theological Seminary.
Stephen V. (Missionary to Europe)
Stephen continues teaching English, with more frequent classes, to a student preparing for a final exam this year at a nearby middle school. Pray that the Holy Spirit gives wisdom to Stephen as he looks for ways to share Christ with this non-believer. Pray that Stephen will be asked to teach Spiritual Formation to a Christian who has contacted him about it.
Todd and Patsy McGregor (Associate Missionaries to Madagascar): Please pray for the McGregor‘s who are leading a trip with a team of 11 people partnering with Education Equals Hope to Madagascar and Mauritius from March 3-24. The team will be distributing water filters, doing leadership development, teaching clergy and lay leaders, and building a team for Miaraka: A Time to Dance, which is a musical spreading the gospel of God’s amazing love to other regions of the country. They will also be there celebrating of 10th anniversary of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral.
Logan and Samantha Gates (Missionary Candidates to Chile):
The Gates have a hearty praise and thanksgiving to offer. By God’s grace they have arrived safely in the U.S. and have had the chance to catch their breaths before Logan starts his nine-month internship at Christ Church Vienna on March 1st. Pray that they find help with childcare for Lewis while Samantha prepares for the CPA exam this June. Pray also that they finding a buyer for their car back in Canada, and help finding a car in the U.S. while they’re here.
Roger and Joanne Griffin (Missionaries to Mexico):
Please pray for Roger and Joanne in San Miguel de Allende as they shepherd two new congregations, one in English on Sundays, and one in Spanish on Wednesdays. Pray for Joanne as she teaches English in a local Christian center. Pray for the safety of all Mexican citizens and for the Griffins as well in the wake of cartel upheaval and violence.
Richard and Catherine Ranger (Missionaries to Uganda):
Lift up Catherine as she advises students in the UCU Honors College. Pray for clarity in and recognition of her role serving on the staff there, and for the time and resources to complete the Helping without Hurting in Africa training/coaching for the new parish community in the Madi-Okollo village in northwestern Uganda in support of her mentee Miriam’s ministry there. Pray that the Ranger’s weekly fellowship for the campus residential community in Tech Park may resiliently adapt to the inevitable comings and goings of student members, particularly from the Bishop Tucker School of Theology. Lift up Richard and Catherine asking for energy, focus, and good health to be able to transition mentoring relationships nurtured at UCU into longer-term relationships of friendship. Pray for our Lord’s consolation and healing within the UCU community in the wake of the murder of Ms Pamela Tumwebaze, Dean of Students, provision for her two sons Noah and Elijah, and the raising up of people here on campus to carry forward her work in a similar spirit of diligence and servanthood
Jack and Mary McDonald (Associate Missionaries in Animal Health and Int’l Student Ministry): Praise God for K., an agnostic woman who visited the Christian Veterinary Mission table at the VA Veterinary Conference and prayed to receive Christ with Mary last weekend. Pray that the Lord will ground her in Him. Pray for the Indian students who came to the Valentine’s party to come to Christ. Please pray for the Christian Veterinary Mission’s conference in Turkey and safe time there March – April. 3/24-4/17. Ask the Lord to give wisdom and direction for CVM, raise up more laborers, and that the teaching and fellowship will be rich. Pray Turkey would have a revival. Lift up the Farm Animal Refresher for Missions training in April – for more participants, safety, and Va/Md vet students to come.
Barbara Cowan (Associate Missionary to Honduras):
Pray for Bunny as she ministers in Honduras until she leaves on March 9 and her work there in the library. Lift her up for an knee replacement which will probably be in early May.
David and Patricia Ayres (Associate Missionaries to Germany):
Please pray for David and Patricia’s church planting and Christian counseling ministry in Berlin. Pray for Christ Church Berlin as they spend the Lenten Season in discipleship training that they might be faithful disciples who make disciples of Jesus. Pray for Patricia, who, in addition to her weekly counseling sessions, is teaching several classes in the coming months on various themes such post-traumatic stress disorder.
Roberto and Cameron Vivanco (Missionaries to Ecuador): Join the Vivancos in praise to God for his provision for a life-giving conference for Cameron. Pray for the well-being of their children and children in the ministries sites. Pray for their health initiatives ministry meeting, the medical needs of students in the Education Equals Hope program, and their families. Praise God for Maddie’s new-born life! Continue to pray for safe travel and good connections as they bring a ministry partner to the U.S. in March; for the two short term teams they will host; and for the for well being of the Education Equals Hope team and EFC pastoral team.
Anne Schaffer (Missionary and Language and Culture Coach):Join Anne in praying for several new and seasoned missionaries who are learning Dutch, Kazakh, and Rukiga. Please pray for wisdom and guidance for Anne as she coaches various missionaries serving throughout the globe.
Jeannie Loving (Associate Missionary to Honduras): Please lift up Jeannie’s God-daughter, Hilda, who is managing all the patients with cleft palate, club foot, and heart defects, and doing a wonderful job. Pray for her to be well, to have time for her little daughter, and for God to bless her as she works to help others.
Johann and Louise Vanderbijl (Missionaries to the Netherlands):
Please lift up the Men’s Day and the book Johann is currently writing. Continue to pray that the people of Christ Church Heiloo will grow in Christian discipleship as they participate in prayer meetings, bible studies, church services, and council meetings. Praise to the Lord for good health and a special praise that Johann was in the right place to save a woman who almost drowned on St. Valentine’s Day!
Jim and Nanci Long (Associate Missionaries to Indonesia): Join the Long’s in praising God from a blessed trip to Indonesia. One major praise is that one of the original Afghani members was recently able to get his son out of the camps in Pakistan and over to join him in Jakarta. During Jim’s final week in Karawaci, father and son came to surprise him, and the father was keen to have Jim share the good news of Jesus with his son. They met with one other refugee in a quiet corner of the hotel lobby, just beyond the Ramadan display, and went from Genesis to Revelation. Jim saw the light in the young man’s eyes, and he committed himself to Jesus as Savior and King. The refugee ministry has been severely reduced in scope because of a cut in transportation stipends from the diocese, but God continues to work. Pray for the young man, as he has only completed the tenth grade. Please pray for a suitable schooling arrangement for him, and for his baptism to be an occasion of great joy and impact. Praise God for Jim’s opportunity to teach at the Seminary there!
Kerry and Cynthia Buttram (Missionaries to the Netherlands):
The Buttram’s opportunities to serve Anglican churches in the Netherlands continue to increase. Please pray that they will be discerning and Spirit-directed in each location and that the Word of God will dwell richly in hearts. Please pray that those they mentor would grow in grace, knowledge and service in Christ. Pray also for their friends and neighbors with whom they are regularly meeting who do not yet know Jesus.
Russ and Heidi Smith (Missionaries to Chile):Please pray for the Smith’s final month of church visits. They thank the Lord for safety over the 8,000 miles they’ve driven so far and pray he will continue to keep them safe and give them “divine appointments” in these coming weeks. Also, please pray for the Rural Bible Institute 2026 class as the eight students begin studies on March 10th.