Window Fall 2010

8/8/2019 Window Fall 2010

1/16

a publication ofSouth America Missionwww.southamericamission.org

on South America all 2010

M

any

eans

by

God is transforming

communities in South

America through

His church


2/16

on a Missionary JourneyYears of grassroots efforts to build relationships

through teaching and simply being with people has brought

the professional class church-planting team in Santa

Cruz, Bolivia, to this point: the formation of a

community of people who meet on a regular basis

to worship, grow in learning and take steps to

impact their world for Christ.


3/16

www.southamericamission.org 3 window | fall 2010

Gods work in the world is expansive and ar-reaching,

even to the ends o the earth. Te strength or the task

the power o the Holy Spiritis limitless. Sometimes in

the breadth o the geography and the awesome magnitude o the

power, we lose sight o our role. But there it is, sandwiched in the

middle o Acts 1:8, You will be my witnesses.

Tis issue oWindow on South America is about being witnesses

to the risen Jesus in any way we can. We are compelled by Christs

love and by the conviction that His love is good news or all peoples.

When I consider the many means our missionaries use to share

the Gospel and apply the reality o the resurrection in a broken

world, Im taken aback. Airplanes. Radio stations. Christian

schools. Medicine. Food pantries and house construction. Boats.

Motorcycles. Crisis pregnancy counseling and drug rehab. Art.

God is using all these things to give witness, to build leaders to

build churches through South America Mission!I hope your reading will lead to prayer and praise. Tats where

these stories take me. But they also lead me to ambition or more.

Call me greedy, but when I hear o the eternal impact o our

missionaries, when I consider the great heritage we have in ministry,

I long to see the Kingdom inuence expand.

SAM 2020grows out o that ambition. I praise God or the ruit

we have seen over many years. And I long or even greater ruit in the

years to come. Sel-satisaction will not get us there. SAM 2020is our

proactive eort to ensure South America Mission will be available,

obedient and useul in the uture.

Heres a road map o where we are headed:

2010-2011: ReectionListening and Dreaming

2012-2013: Retoolingraining and Implementation

2014: RejoicingCentennial Celebration

Right now, I want to invite you to join us in the rst stage,

Reection. Over the next year and a hal, we will invest our energies

and resources into hearing rom God and exploring opportunities.

Where do we need to grow? Change? Repent? What would make

SAM missionaries more eective? How can we delight our great God?

I cannot overstate how important this process o renewal is.

Teres a lot o research and analysis and planning ahead. But mostessential is listening to God. We need more than distant memories

o encounters with our Father to drive us orward. We need a

renewed experience o Gods presence and power.

As you read about the ways SAM is building the church and

bearing witness to Jesus today, will you pray with us about

tomorrow? I believe that we only have a glimmer o the possible.

May God use us and renew us or His glory and delight.

by Kirk Ogden, Executive Director, SAM

YOU WILL BE

MY WITNESSES

How can we build on the oundation o a century o ministry and apply

lessons learned so that we can be even more efective in a world changingaster than we can understand? How can we delight our great God?

twenty


4/16

www.southamericamission.org4 window | fall 2010

No Longer Just a Mechanic

Neat rows o well-dressed mourners, acing

the ags and photos o a military uneral,

crowded the hangar. om Trossel and his

wie, Janine, sat quietly grieving the deaths

o our o oms coworkers. At that point,

ve years in the United States Coast Guard

had not prepared om or this loss.

Serving through search and rescue

missions over the cold water o the northern

Pacic is what they loved to do. It was what

they elt called to do. Rescue swimmers,

pilots and crewmen alike risked their own

lives to save the lives o others. Now, our

had ollowed that to a conclusion that

seemed unthinkable. Teir helicopter had

crashed in search o stranded sailors.

Many at the service that day talked about

the sacrice o these our men. However,

one man spoke o a greater git. Te

chaplain spoke o Jesus Christ and how

these men reected, in their sacrice, the

ultimate sacrice that Jesus made. Te

our knew what they were risking and yet

chose to lay down their lives or someone

else. Chie Rescue Swimmer, Pete Leeman,was among the men who died that day. He

knew what it was to be on the receiving end

o that git. He knew what Christ had done

or him. In act, it was what Christ had

done or each o them.

Te rst time om Trossel heard about

missionary aviation was rom Chie Leeman.

He was working as a helicopter crewman in

the USCG, ministering to peoples physical

needs. He wanted, though, something even

biggeran opportunity to minister to

spiritual needs as well. om didnt know,

however, how to use his skills and training

to minister when he was just a mechanic.

Pete Leeman attended a church that

supported a missionary pilot and his wie,

Mike and Kay Libolt, in Bolivia, and he

arranged a dinner or everyone to meet and

talk. om was intrigued. Could God really

use an aircrat mechanic as a missionary?

Mike and Kay invited om and Janine to

go to Bolivia with them that February. Te

Trossels accepted the invitation.

One encounter on that trip was lie

changing or om. Marv Fluger was an

aircrat mechanic in Bolivia, using his skills

and abilities to serve God. He ministered

to the physical and spiritual needs o the

people o Bolivia. His vehicle or ministry

was the aviation ministry o South America

Mission, called SAMAIR. om had ound

his place to go and serve.

Airplanes, Pilots and

Mechanics Fulflling VisionTe ways in which an airplane can meet

a persons physical needs are oten very

apparent. At SAMAIR in Eastern Bolivia,

they airlit victims o arming accidents and

car accidents, children with hemorrhagic

dengue ever and old men with cancer. Tey

receive calls to carry women who are

delivering babies in crisis as well as babies

born with birth deects. Tey rescue snake-

bite patients and people cut o rom ood

by oodwaters. In those ights, it is easy

to see how they are helping. ownspeople

honor SAMAIR and even the local news

sometimes eatures their stories.

But there is so much more to the ministry

o SAMAIR Bolivia, rich in history with

over 33 years o service. Te ministry is

about more than healing broken bodies.

It is about the healing and redemption o

broken souls, and the building up o the

worldwide church o Jesus Christ.

SAMAIR is passionate about aviation

ministry because o the unique opportunities

it brings to minister to spiritual needs. Tey

pray or and with passengers on every

ight. Tey simply share the Good

News o the gospel with those they are

transporting. Tey console people who are

scared or have lost someone dear. Tey y

pastors out to villages to preach, or preach

in the villages themselves.

Another reason SAMAIR is passionate

about aviation ministry in Bolivia is because

o the key role it plays in the ruition

o the SAM vision: Multiplied dynamicchurches spread across South America that

transorm local communities by embodying

Kingdom-o-God values.

How exactly does SAMAIR contribute to

this? SAM missionaries such as Drs. Placido

and oni Mercado y to reach remote

villages like Zapoc where they encourage

and train people like Humberto, one o the

ew evangelical pastors among the Ayor

Missionaries have always had to travel, at times over great distances and by various

modes, to do the work of building the church. The apostle Paul, for example, traveled

by boat across the sea. South America Mission, through SAMAIR, travels by Cessna 206

across the southern sky at 3000 feet. This is the story of how God uses ordinary

missionaries to multiply churches in hard-to-reach communities in South America.

transforming local communitiesBY AIRin South America


5/16


people group. Missionaries like Je Orcutt

and Je HAuse, working with SAMs

leadership training institute in Bolivia

CIEuse SAMAIR to reach communities

like Robor and San Ignacio de Velasco to

hold extension classes or people eager to

grow as leaders in the church. Katie Wells

travels by air to get to the remote village o

San Fernando where she lives, working in

the local church encouraging and discipling

local women. Janine Trossel ies to isolated

places to minister where children and Sunday

School teachers have no access to educational

tools and conveniences like bookstores, copy

machines, email or the Internet.

All o these missionaries join those

o years past in using SAMAIR to give

wings to Gods Word. One o the biggest

blessings at SAMAIR, however, is not only

helping SAM missionaries reach out by

air, but helping Bolivian brothers andsisters whom SAM missionaries have helped

train to reach out as well. Sandra Jaldin, a

Bolivian medical doctor and partner with

SAM, ies to administer medical care in

places like Florida de Velascoa place in

the Amazon jungle where ew people will

ever go. Youth groups rom local SAM

churches and students rom CIE travel

with SAM missionary Dana Wilson out

to Santo Corazon, where they preach the

Gospel and simultaneously grow in their

own aith, becoming leaders in the Bolivian

church. Alonso Aguilar, a pilot who trained

at SAMAIR or ten years and who desires

to be a missionary to his ellow Bolivians,helped plant two churches in places barely

accessible by land. It is exciting to be a part

o a ministry that touches so many lives and

contributes directly to the growth o the

church in South America.

Seventeen years ater that rst visit to

Bolivia with Mike and Kay, om is still just

a mechanic. Yet, God uses him. He also uses

oms missionary colleagues, pilot Greg Dahl

and mechanic David Mozombite. He uses

SAMAIR in a unique way and He shows

that there is no better place to be than in

the center o Gods will, which has SAMAIR

ying across the Bolivian sky, aiming to

touch down in a world being redeemed byGod through His church.

Te Trossels have served with South America

Mission since 2003. om is the program

manager and lead mechanic o SAMAIR

Bolivia. SAMAIR currently ministers in Bolivia

and Peru, with six missionary pilots ying

ve Cessna 206s sustained by our dedicated

missionary mechanics and administrators.

top: A remote community ocks to welcome SAMAIR touching down. above let: SAM missionary

Dr. Placido Mercado (center) and SAMAIR pilot Alonso Aguilar (right) prepare to y to Zapoc

with three Bolivian indigenous church leaders. above right: om Trossel, SAMAIR program

manager and mechanic, samples some dried bee at Katie Wells place in San Fernando.


6/16

6 window | fall 2010 www.southamericamission.org

transforming local communitiesBY RIVERin South America

She was in her 40s and was a bit hard looking. She had

obviously made an eort to dress up and was a bit more

daring in her get up than the other women rom the

communities along the rivers who came to receive medical care

that year. As she recited her symptoms, SAM missionary and

medical doctor oni Mercado elt strongly impressed to say, Creo

que lo que usted tiene es angustia del almaI think what you

have is angst o the soul. Te womans ace crumpled. She sobbed

and said that her husband had just let her or a younger woman,

though she had begged him to stay. Her kids were mostly grown.

Her name was Soledad and that was how she elt, completely

alone. oni prayed with her and then asked Mery, a team member

rom Guayaramern, to continue to pray with Soledad and oer

counseling. Merys story is very similar to Soledads. Mery led

Soledad into a relationship with Christ that day.

Tis year in June and Julythe sixth year o sailing the rivers o

the Benioni asked Mery about Soledad. Mery said she is living

with her son in the big city, and still ollowing Christ. Tere is no

more angst in her soul. She is not alone. Christ lives in her.

Te Mamor River at dusk. Photo by Jason Weigner.


7/16

7 window | fall 2010www.southamericamission.org

SAM missionaries, Bolivian ministry

partners, and volunteers rom the States

and Canada set sail each summer on El

Misionero (see photo above and ront cover)

to minister to the spiritual and physical

needs o the people who live along the rivers

in the Amazon Basin in northern Bolivia.

Te vision o this ministry is that the

ullness o Jesus Christ through His body,

the church, will radiate among the river

communitiessome so rural and isolated

that the proverbial ends o the earth come

to mind upon setting oot on their shores.

Medical outreach with prayer andcounseling as a critical component, bible-

school teaching and games or children,

and movie nights and preaching to

youth and adult audiences are the primary

strategies employed to build the church

through this ministry. North American

missionaries and also key Bolivian partners

o SAM carry out the work. For example,

Enoel Suarez, pastor and missionary rom

Te Beni, is the key player in the planning

and logistical operation o the trips. Enoel

is an evangelist as well; he is the primary

speaker who preaches the gospel message in

the large-group events held in the villages.

Te captain o El Misionero, Jonathan,

and his wie Patricia, both Benianos rom

Guayaramern, do more than just guide

the boat down river. Jonathan always

wears his guitar strapped to his back or

leading worship, and Patricia helps with

the childrens ministry and is available or

counseling and praying with women.

Tis year, God worked in a proound waythrough two Bolivian-christian brothers

who joined the work. Te trips started in

June and ended 30 days later. On day six

o the initial voyage on Te Mamor River,

Csar Surub, an indigenous church leader

rom the Chiquitano people group, and

Humberto, a pastor among the Ayor,

agreed to be let in a village in order to

set out even deeper into the jungle to visit

people who live too ar rom the shores to

be reached in a one-day stop. Humberto

heard that there are Ayor people in the

jungles there, and he wanted to reach

them with Gods message o redemption.

Csar and Humberto both are key partners

with SAM; they have both participated in

SAMs leadership training programs. Teir

willingness to sacrice to reach their own

people is a testimony to their commitment

to see the church grow in Bolivia. Te Beni

rivers ministry team picked up Csar and

Humberto on the return voyage some 15

days later.God is using this ministry prooundly

to reach the ends o the earth. As people in

the Beni continually respond to redemptive

outreach eorts, the vision or seeing

Gods church multiplied becomes more

compelling. Like Soledad, people are nding

comort and hope in Jesus. And like Mery,

Enoel, Cesar and Humberto, Bolivians are

impacting their world or Jesus.

top l to r: Pre-medical clinic worship; Enoel Suarez; Night lie on the boat; El Misionero sailing, drying provisions o bee on the roo. bottom l to r: Boat

captain, Jonathan, leading worship; Bolivian missionaries charting their course; ypical thatched-roo home along the river; Ayor pastor, Humberto.


8/16

Students of La Esperanza SchoolSanta Marta, Colombia

God is transforming communities in

South America through His church.

What is the church? The beautiful

community set apart by obedienceto Christ and called to change

the world.

Creatively, and in the fullness

of Christ, SAM is engaging this

continent with a single vision:

to see the transformative, dynamic

church inuencing the entire land

from the Colombian Coast to the

tips of the Andes Mountains.

Manyeansby

TheDayoftheIndianAmmiTrainingCenter,Chapada,Brazil

ProfessionalClass

ChurchPlanting

SantaCruz,Bolivia

Drilling for Water in FUA, an Ayor Indigenous CommunitySan Jose de Chiquitos, Bolivia


9/16

TeachaMantoRaiseFishAmmiTrainingCenter,Chapada,Brazil

Chapada

Asuncion

Santa Cruz

La Paz

Pucallpa

Guajira

Mazamari

BRAZIL

PARAGUAY

BOLIVIA

PERU

COLOMBIA

Recife

The children of the Santan ChurchAsuncion, Paraguay

TheWayuuIndianRadioStat

ion,Oasis

TheGuajiraDesert,Colombia

omesforthosewhohavenoShelter

DoisUnidosRecife,Brazil

ServantDay,SantaCruzChristianLearningCenSantaCruz,Bolivia

PregnancyCenter,LatidosdeE

speranza

Pucallpa,Peru


10/16

www.southamericamission.org10 window | fall 2010

I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.

(1 Cor 9:22b NIV)

transforming local communitiesBY LANDin South America

The apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians

9:22, writes about his method

o giving up certain liberties

or comortsin Christ to appear more

Jewish, so that the gospel would be more

attractive to the Jews. Tis and some o

his later interactions with the Gentiles

are moving examples or missionaries. In

Peru, Motociclistas por Cristo, aka MxC,

uses this same principle to minister to the

motocross community on their turthe

motocross racetrack.

Motocross is very popular in Peru. Large

groups o peopleracers and their amilies,

event coordinators, mechanics, spectators

and their supporterstravel throughout

the country to participate. Te racers are

typically proessionals, oten successul

business owners who can aord to leverage

the investment and risks that motocross

requires. Te motocross community in Peru

also, or the most part, views Christianity

as boring and legalistic. In general, they are

not church goers nor do they have much

interaction with evangelical Christians.

MxC ministers at races and sees two

mission eldsthe spectators in the

grandstand and the racers and their amilies

on the track. o reach the spectators, MxCusually brings a group o trained, passionate

evangelists to share the Gospel. Oten

they oer puppet shows and ace painting

or the kids and clear one-on-one Gospel

presentations or the adults using selected

Bible verses and questions rom the booklet

Sharing Your Faith Without Fear. Sometimes

the race coordinators give MxC access to the

main PA system; these are great opportunities

to share the good news o Jesus

boldly, or everyone to hear.

Almost all o the MxC evangelists

are Peruvians rom Mil Palmeras

Church in Pucallpa, a church

planted ve years ago behind the

vision o SAM missionary Julio

Chiang, a ormer Latin American

motocross champion.

Te ocus on the racers is a lot less

direct, but no less intentional. Unlike

the spectators, these people attend each

race and they orm a community, a

brotherhood o sorts. MxC desires to share

the gospel with the racers in the same way

they would with their own amilies or co-

workersthey work to get to know them,

to develop a genuine love and care or them

that is unique in their lives. MxC goes

alongside the racers, sometimes literally

when they rev up their own motorcycles

and join the race. MxC also helps to meet

the tangible needs o this community

to make their events run smoothly, by

oering ree mechanic services, emergency

medical treatment, and providing young

people rom Mil Palmeras to serve as saety

aggers during the races.

Trough the development o personalrelationships, MxC is making a real impact

in the motocross community. Currently

two Peruvian national champions are

Christians through the direct involvement

o MxC.

Tere are also many others who know

Christ now because o this outreach. Te

entire community expresses their respect or

this ministry. MxC, based out o Pucallpa

MOTOCICLISTAS X CRISTO


11/16

11 window | fall 2010www.southamericamission.org

and born out o Mil Palmeras church, is

having a proound impact or Christ in a

community with little witness to Jesus.

One amily impacted by MxC is the

Odicio amily. Freddy and Julie and their

two sons Cesar and Freddy Jr. became

Christians through the work o SAM

missionaries at Mil Palmeras. Tey are the

owners o a motorcycle parts business in

Pucallpa, and Freddy Sr. and the boys race.

At one time Freddy Jr. was the national

50cc champion. Tey are a well-respected

amily and they are not shy about being

witnesses or Christ. Besides being involved

in the training o uture leadership at

Mil Palmeras, Freddy occasionally races

with MxC and sells motorcycle parts at a

discounted rate through the mechanics

tent at races. Julie plays an integral role

in the evangelism outreaches at the races.

Te Odicios are trustworthy co-workers in

reaching Peru or Christ.

Another amily impacted by MxC are the

Listros, SAM missionaries serving their rst

term in Pucallpa. In July, Christian Listro

and his son Gabe were able to participate

in their rst races. Tey got to meet and

race with a man rom Pucallpa named

Alan who has been racing his whole lie

and isnt a ollower o Christ. Alan invited

Christian and Gabe (and their motorcycles)

to travel with him to the national race in

Oxapampa. Christian wasnt planning on

attending this event, much less racing, but

with an invite rom Alan he accepted. Te

trip to Oxapampa normally takes 15 hours,

14 o which are on a dirt road. In the rainy

season, this road is impassable. Tey set out

or Oxapampa at 3:00 am one morning and

suered a at tire in the rst three hours.

Not long aterwards they encountered a

ew rivers to traverse; their truck stalled

which necessitated some creative engine

starting techniques. Once they had to stop

and remove a allen tree blocking the road.

About 12 hours in, they lost all o the lug

nuts on one o the wheels and had to wait

or a mechanic to deliver new wheel studs

in the middle o the jungle. Tey nally

arrived at the hotel in Oxapampa at 10:30

pm, 20 hours ater departing Pucallpa.

Te race with Alan was a wonderul time

at a beautiul track in a beautiul setting.

In the last practice run, Christian launched

crookedly o a jump and crashed hard. Alan

was right behind him and ran over his leg

causing a huge lump to swell on the outside

o his right shin. By the end o the evening,

the lump was the size o a graperuit and

Christian couldnt stand up because o the

pressure. But with some rest and lots o anti-

inammatory drugs, he was able to race the

next day. Tey headed home ater the race,

this time through the night over a short,

15 hour trek. Christian returned home and

began to ask himsel: Was it inconvenient?

Was it painul? Was it worth it? And an

emphatic yes was his response to all o

those questions. It was a blessing to suer

to get to know Alan better.

For SAM missionaries and the brothers

and sisters at Mil Palmeras, those long jungle

road trips and crazy motocross crashes

provide the context or the ormation o

meaningul relationships that gloriy God

and strengthen the church.

acing page: SAM Peruvian missionary Julio

Chiang pops a wheelie and shares the Word

o God. below: youth saety aggers rom Mil

Palmeras; Christian Listro (center) with ellow

MxCers; Mil Palmeras parishioners pray and share

the gospel at the races; raceday extreme action.


12/16

1021 Maxwell Mill Road, Suite B, Fort Mill, SC 29708 | (P) 803-802-8580 | (F) 803-548-7955

[email protected] | www.southamericamission.org | 501(c)3: 59-0662279

The Proven Leader Partnership (PLP)

Grace ChurchRacine, WI

Reston Bible ChurchReston, VA

Calvary ChurchCharlotte, NC

Trinity Presbyterian ChurchCharlottesville, VA

First Baptist Church of Indian RocksLargo, FL

Memorial Presbyterian ChurchW. Palm Beach, FL

First Presbyterian ChurchN. Palm Beach, FL

South America Mission

and US partner churches

focused on equipping

proven national leaders

and pastors to carry the

Gospel forward in

South America

THE PARTNERSHIP PURPOSE

South America Missions (SAM) leadership training

and development programs have identied leaders

and given them the basic tools of ministry. The track

records of these proven leaders give us the

condence that we are investing where Gods Spirit is

already at work. As these leaders have been faithful

to the message we have brought, we now want to be

faithful to them in further developing and equipping

them for the leadership roles thay have taken on.

We are seeking strategic partnerships with churchesthat will enable these leaders to take the next step.

20@2000 is our goal, that is twenty churches

committed to investing $2000 per year in this

partnership program. This investment will strengthen

the foundations and raise high the pillars of the

South American church. For more information, please

contact us using the information below.

PROVEN LEADER UPDATE SEPT 2010

Rosimeire Bakairi, Brazil

Multiplied dynamic churches spread

across South America.... Those are the

rst words of SAMs vision statement.

In Brazil, at the Ammi Training Center,

a more contextualized statement might

read, Multiplied dynamic churches spread

across 340 people groups speaking 181

different languages.... This is the world that Rosimeire pro-

cesses as she grows in leadership through the PLP program.

Rosimeire graduated from Ammi in 1999 and returned to her

village. But pressure to marry an alcoholic forced her to ee.

Ammi invited Rosimeire to return to work in the kitchen. She

quickly developed a ministry to the single women on campus.

In 2005, Ammi invited her to explore teaching in the classroom

while she continued her womens outreach.

Today, in 2010, Rosimeire is still teaching, and leading. The

PLP program is currently supporting her study of linguisticsand anthropology at ALEM, a Wycliffe Bible Translators afliate

in Brazil. Her goal: to return to teaching and leading at Ammi,

better equipped to build leaders to build the diverse and multi-

lingual church in Brazil.


13/16


Six months into my time here in Santa Marta, Colombia, God is

reassuring me everyday that missionary service is His calling or

my lie.

When I was 17, on the brink o going to college, I prayed to God,

I dont want to just blindly ollow you, Lord. I want to choose

you over all else. Even i upon graduation I have the opportunity

to pursue the Asian Dream (not very dierent than the American

dreama good job that provides nancial security), but I dont

believe it is o you, I want to pursue what is o you. I that is a call

to missions, then I want to choose missions.

Over the ve years it took me to nish my studies, I tried at times

to orget that prayer I prayed at the age o 17, but thank the Lord,

He did not orget. Missions conerences came and went during my

time in college and I had built up a box o brochures and articles

rom various mission agencies that I had contacted.

Sure enough, on the eve o my last college exam, my boss at the

bank where I was working called me into her ofce. She oered me

the Asian Dreaman opportunity extended to only two people in

my area each year. Tat night, I went to a local coee shop to study

with a riend. It was there that God presented me with the choice

I prayed about ve years earlier. I received an email rom South

America Mission, Sam, we still have your inormation in our

database and are contacting you to see i you are still interested in

serving youth in South America. I so, here is urther inormation

on how to take the next step in your application process.

Tere were two distinct options beore me. Among other

things, one presented a picture o nancial success, the other

an opportunity to rely on the Lord to provide nancial support

through the people o God.

I shared with my riend my story ater he questioned the change

in my demeanor ater reading the email. He smiled and said, You

know what you need to do. Te Bible talks about perect peace that

comes rom God; I had it in that moment o making my decision.

As God continues to blow me away here in Colombia by

opening my eyes and heart in new ways through the stretching

o all that He has created me to be, that peace is still with me. Its

a peace that comes rom knowingundeniable experience ater

undeniable experiencethat the God I serve is the one true God

and the hope and lie that He oers is or all. Tat hope and lie

is why I am here in Colombia, and it is the message I take to the

youth with whom I work.

Sam se is rom Vancouver, British Columbia, and is serving in Santa

Marta, Colombia. His outreach eforts are to youth and young adults in

the university, as part o the ministry o La Esperanza Church.

As you pursue God and sense a call rom Him to serve in overseas

missions, we want to talk to you. Please read below to see how we can

begin to engage you regarding serving with South America Mission.

Sam TseSanta Marta, Colombia. A vision for South America born out of service to God, and sacrice.

South America Missionis not looking for perfect people. We are looking for those God is calling andequipping. Together we can work to multiply dynamic churches across South Americachurches that

transform local communities through the embodying of Kingdom of God values. To begin a conversation

with us about serving, please email us, Go South on our website, or follow us on twitter and facebook.

[email protected] www.southamericamission.org @ SAMSouthamerica

SAM missionary perspectives


14/16

14 window | fall 2010 www.southamericamission.org

The Ammi Training Centerin Brazil is unique. First, every student

is indigenous. Tey come rom all over

Brazil, representing many dierent tribes

and languages. Second, while Ammi is

certainly a Bible instituteoering a ull

range o Old and New estament courses,

theology, doctrine, preaching and teaching,

etc., it is more than this. It is a disciple-

making institute, a transorming-local-

communities institute. Ammi teaches

in areas as diverse as spiritual ormation,

missions, agricultural development, and

Christian educationshaping well-rounded

members o the body o Christ, people well-

suited to lead a growing church among the

tribal peoples o Brazil.

It is said, Give a man a sh and he eats

or a day. each a man to sh and he eats or

a lietime. eaching that makes a dierence

or liethat osters sustainability in all

areas o livingis a priority at Ammi.

Steve White, SAM missionary in Brazil,

recalls ormer SAM executive director

Bill Ogden saying, You dont know what

you know. In other words, you may not

realize what your education and experience

have taught you, but the reality is you have

knowledge and skills which many tribal

peoples in South America could benet

rom. (Te same is true, o course, in the

reverse; we must always remember this as

we engage the world). Bill went on to give

an example o his maxim being true rom

his time serving in Peru. Everybody had

chickens, he said, but they didnt have much

chicken to eat because so many o the chicks

became lost. So Bill introduced a simple cage

o encing to put over the chicks to protect

them rom their wandering-o tendencies.

Suddenly there were more chickens than ever

beoresometimes you dont know what

you know that can make a real dierence.

Recently, a summer work-team rom

the First Baptist Church o Indian Rocks,

Florida, came to Ammi with a plan to

raise sh. eam member Charlie oney

had learned on a prior trip to Brazil that a

common lack o protein in the diet causes

the hair discoloration oten seen among

the indigenous. Charlie raises tilapia back

home in Florida and thought, Lets take

this to Ammi. Lets introduce a source o

protein in the villages. Te arm-raised

tilapia project is underway at Ammi and the

students are participating, eager to make a

long-lasting impact in their communities.

In addition to a sh arm, there is a garden

inside a ence at Ammi, teeming with many

dierent vegetables: carrots, cukes, lettuce,

collards, tomatoes, spinach, and green beans.

Tere is also a compost pile inside the ence.

Te garden is easy to cultivateit never

changes location ater slash and burnand

the vegetables are delicious.

Ammi recently started a chicken project

as wellwith a coop at its centerwhichraises and provides 100 chickens to Ammi

every six weeks. Te total cost or Ammi

to raise and provide chickens is less than

the cost o buying them in the market.

Ammi is modeling prudent, sel-sustaining

development that its students witness and

take home to implement in their villages.

Roland Bunch in his book, wo Ears

o Corn, says that the developing world is

littered with the rusting hulks o the rst

worlds misguided help projects. Tis is

not just cynicism. Its reality that calls or

missionaries to be better listeners, more

in tune with dierent cultural traditions.

Te tilapia project is wildly popular among

Ammi students. Fish is a major source o

ood in Brazil, and indigenous people love

it to boot! As Steve White directs the tilapia

project at Ammi, working alongside the

students, he constantly asks, How will you

do this in your villages? Tere are certainly

impediments to overcome, but as the

students realize the potential and are also

aware o these hurdles, they are developing

an important oundation or sustainability.

A garden, a chicken and a sh project

at Ammi. What do they have to do with

taking the gospel to the nations? What do

they have to do with building leaders at

Ammi to build the church in Brazil? Gods

redemptive work extends to all o creation,

to every need spiritual, and physical. Ammi

teaches that God ullls all o our needs, and

our own development eorts reveal God

at work in this way. And as the students at

Ammi grow into leaders and transorm their

communities, the transormation is holistic,

with evidence o Gods goodness seen in theblessings o spiritual and physical provisions.

Give a man a sh and he eats or a day.

each a man to raise shand he learns

how to take the Gospel to the nations.

Teach a Man to Raise Fish

Ammi is modeling prudent, self-sustaining

development that its students witness and take

home to implement in their villages.


15/16


It really doesnt matter where you

go these days. Even i you are trying

to hide rom it, the economic news

generally dominates the headlines.

Consumer condence is a measuring

tool that we use to determine how well our

economy is perorming. When people are

condent in the economy, they will spend

money. I there is little or no condence

then people tend to save, cut back, or hold

their money or a rainy day. Saving and

cutting back are not inherently negative,

but when done collectively and to a very

large degree, the impact on a nations

economy can be negative.

I have been thinking recently about

measures o condence in the worldwide

church and in missions. Are there church

condence indicators that we can look

to or measuring the health o the church?

Is the church giving or holding back itsresources o money and personnel? Are

more missionaries, or ewer, being sent to

the elds?

As we attempt to measure church

condence, lets rst o all consider a

command and a promise rom God. First,

God gives us a directive to make disciples

o all nations. Tis is an ongoing charge and

is not dependent on how much money is

in the bank. With God the resources are

endless. In act, God says that He is the

owner o the cattle on a thousand hills.

Second, in Pauls letter to the Philippians,

he states, But my God shall supply all your

needs according to his riches in glory by

Christ Jesus. Among the key words here

are all your needs.

Under the authority o such commands

and promises as these, the church can move

orward in its ministries, in accomplishing

its goals, and ultimately in sending

missionaries. Our church condence

should be very high and certainly less

dependent on economic conditions. We can

indeed give cheerully in all situations; and

love, which compels us to service, always

transcends the economics o ones nation.

We can give and go, in ull aith and trust,

as we strive to ulll the great commission.

I recently came across an articlesummarizing a recent Gallup poll.

Te summary stated, But among the

major institutions in American lie,

Americans ranked their condence in the

church or organized religion as ourth

behind only the military, small business,

and the police. Te poll shows that 48% o

Americans have a great deal o condence

in the church. Tat number was at 52% a

year ago. We should always be concerned

when we see indicators o declining

condence in the church. Tis, however, is

not a reason or us, the church, to retreat.

We can move orward ambitiously under

the authority and peace o the commands

and promises o God.

South America Mission (SAM) has a great

deal o condence in the church. In act,

the SAM vision, mentioned throughout

this issue o Window, is church-centric:

Multiplied dynamic churches across South

America transorming local communities

by embodying Kingdom o God values.

Our primary strategy to achieve this vision

involves contextualized discipleship and

training programs that develop church leaders

o strong spiritual conviction and character.

Te Bible, in 1 imothy 3:15, states

that we, the church, are the pillar and

oundation o the truth. It is encouragingto hear this, to know that this is what God

is building through us in South America.

Wed like to invite you to join us in

showing condence in and a commitment

to the church. It is always worth it, even

in economically unstable times. We can go

orward together in partnership knowing

that we have the commands and promises

o God to stand on.

by Kenny KrestanDirector o International Sta Development, SAM

CHURCH

CONFIDENCE


16/16

Fall Issue 2010 | Volume 22 | Issue 2

1021 Maxwell Mill Rd. Suite B

Fort Mill, SC 29708

www.southamericamission.org

[email protected]

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

NON-PROFIT ORG

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

FORT MILL, SC

PERMIT #91

SAM and The Ammi Training Center ofChapada dos Guimares, Brazil, will host

CONPLEI 2012MARK THE DATEJuly 4-8, 2012www.conplei.org.br

Te National Counsel o Evangelical Indigenous Pastorsand Leaders o Brazil will bring together peoples rom

many tribes, languages, and nations or their 7th National

Congress in July, 2012. Te Ammi raining Center (a

SAM institute) in Chapada, Brazil, will host the event in

2012. CONPLEI, SAM and Ammi will work together

to hold this important event, but to meet all o the needs

we need the strength that the partnering with the wider

body o Christ provides. o fnd out how you can help,

contact us through www.southamericamission.org

Window Fall 2010

Documents

Transcript of Window Fall 2010