Pray for Argentina and Paraguay on Sunday, December 28, 2014

Lectionary Selection: Isaiah 61:10-62:3

Prayers for Argentina and Paraguay:
Thank you God for your indescribable gift and your presence among the people. There is gratitude in our hearts for your presence with all of us as partners committed to the Kingdom of God. At the end of this year and on the eve of the New Year, with expectation and joy we sing the hymn of joy spoken to us by the prophet Isaiah. Within the message of restoration and salvation for people who have suffered dictatorship in Argentina and Paraguay there are still traces that continue to cause pain, scarcity and poverty.

However, we can proclaim with joy and gladness an active bi-national church, which, through ecumenical alliances, to serve the people at the level of social action. Also, we thank you my good God, for the collaborators, who are an active part of this ministry, because they are the instruments that make reality the power to continue doing the work of support, accompaniment and resources in all aspects.

We want to cry out in intercession for:

The children of limited resources, with which the bi national Church works in the different communities. That we may continue to supply the bread that nourishes the body and the soul each week.
So we can establish a scholarship or sponsorship program in the School of Nursing of Friendship Mission that are low income students.
For the first School of the Deaf of Paraguay, who also serves a low income population and provides all the educational, therapeutic and medical services.
We conclude by praying for our missionaries Pedro Carlo and Amelia Casillas, to continue giving them health, to be able to continue to serve the people.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Mission Stewardship Moment from Argentina and Paraguay:
We want to make mention the work the Disciples Church along with other two churches, have been developing with the indigenous population in Argentine Chaco and the Paraguayan Chaco:

In Argentina, the United Board of Missions (JUM) arrived to this community 50 years ago, when there were no roads, schools nor medicine. They have been working on the reclaiming of lands of the indigenous people, the struggle for human rights and indigenous rights, support to youth and indigenous women, the translation of the Bible dialect QOM, educate for the working model to combat the marginalization of the people, and promote the products of artisans and accompany organizational processes.

In Paraguay we have CIPAE which is the Committee of Churches for Emergency Aid with the cooperation of Week of Compassion we developed the ÑANDUTI project: Initiative for sustainable economic development for the Paraguayan indigenous women and their families”. It has a population of 115,944; there are 19 indigenous communities 13 of which are found in the Chaco. These are in extreme poverty, lack access to drinking water and suffer severely from the effects of drought, and so the majority are in the situation of hunger and malnutrition. Statistics show that 93% of the indigenous children do not have access to clean water, nor have basic services to the right to quality of life, healthy environment, environmental protection, equal rights, health and or work for their parents.

Their projects are aimed to strengthen organizational capacity and community management, access to drinking water and promote food security, through the generation of income and/or food. This is done through the cooperation of international agencies like DOM, through conventions and/or agreements. In five communities there are 18 villages that developed increased capabilities for the preparation of soil and planting, to which they were given seeds, sheep, cows and boxes for beekeeping; with the help of the professionals in each area. We have created five community centers with access to drinking water through the construction of cisterns, which is one of the major problems, for five communities; where there are training workshops and community sharing.

Thank you, for being a faithful collaborator, because you make this project possible.

(Mission Moment by Rev. Amelia I. Casillas and Pedro A. Carlo)

Mission Partners in Paraguay:

More information on Paraguay: http://globalministries.org/lac/countries/paraguay/

Global Ministries Missionaries in Argentina and Paraguay:
Amelia Casillas and Pedro Carlo Muniz are members of Iglesia Discipulos de Condado Moderno, Caguas, Puerto Rico and serve as Mission Development consultants with the Round Table for Mission Development of the Disciples of Christ Church in Argentina and the Disciples of Christ Church in Paraguay.