Church of Our Saviour Missions
Missions/Outreach Committee
The Missions and Outreach committee of the Church of Our Saviour makes recommendations to the vestry on the distribution of our missions tithe, arranges for missions-related speakers, and coordinates outreach activities for the church. We are currently supporting Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry in Ambrige, PA; Bishop Wilson Turumanya of the Diocese of Bunyoro-Kitara in Uganda, a missionary couple with Frontiers that is ministering in Tunisia, Margarita Grachen serving with the South American Mission Society in Honduras, Shepherd's Heart ministry to the homeless and needy, Anglican Frontier Fellowship, and a local crisis pregnancy ministry.
Margarita’s July Visit
Margarita Grachen, our SAMS missionary from Honduras, was with us at our 10:00 service on June 27, 2004, with her two daughters, Hannah and Gabriella. When she was here last spring, she told us that she would be working to helping the bishop of Honduras get the diocesan finances in order, doing micro-enterprise development helping poor women start businesses to support their families, and, of first importance to Margarita (but not necessarily to her bishop), starting an orphanage for the homeless and abandoned children of Honduras.
She testified that when she submitted to the priorities of her bishop, God changed the bishop’s priorities! So now she is well on her way with plans to build a day care center in Villanueva near San Pedro Sula and has land in the mountains nearby designated for an orphanage. She came to the US with blueprints in hand for the day care center to raise funds for building it.
SAMS is considering holding special short-term training for groups that want to go to Honduras to help with the project. Look for more information on that in the future. You can pick up one of Margarita’s project brochures from the table in the narthex. Please keep her in your prayers. You can find regular updates on Margarita and her project on our website.
Missionary Update from Honduras!
This is Margarita's prayer letter from June in which which gives a project update.
My dear friends and supporters,
Praise the Lord we are heading on a six- week trip and the Lord's hands are
all over it! First of all, my brother found an airfare where I could go visit my mother in Puerto Rico and then start my whirlwind mainland visit that is cheaper than a roundtrip to Pittsburgh. Next, I have packed in visiting all of my Pennsylvania and West Virginia supporting churches PLUS the Lord has arrange a three day trip to Virginia to meet and visit the Episcopal churches in Richmond. Whew! I am excited and tire just thinking about it!
So, thank you for your prayers because the trip has all fallen into place in a miraculous way! Airfare, housing, appointments, etc. Our trip starts on June 14 with a week in Puerto Rico visiting my 80-year-old mother, continuing on to Newark, New Jersey from where we will drive to Pittsburgh, Richmond and West Virginia. We will be back in San Pedro Sula on July 27th.
The project
I am on my second draft of the blueprints and it is really exciting to see the drawings. I will be bringing them with me to my church visits so that people can visualize the scope of the project. I am hoping that I can gather partners to provide financial support so that we can get the project started as soon as we get back.
The Lord always provides!
There is a new family who will soon be moving to San Pedro Sula from Texas.
He works for an American company here. I met his wife a couple weeks ago
and she is an architect and also does construction management. I spoke to
them about the project and not only are they going to try to get their home
church in Texas involved but she is willing to help us with the project on
the construction management area.
I preached at the Cathedral a couple Sundays ago and I mentioned the
project. Sara, a Honduran seminarian, came to me after church. She is a
social worker and would like to get involved in the project.
Every time I think, "Boy, there is so much to do, how will it be done?" The Lord shows me how. He brings people, ideas, and encouragement. Praise
Him for His project!
Our Life!
Hannah is graduating from Kindergarten; in here it is called Preparatoria.
They are both doing well in school and speaking Spanish very well. Well,
with the Honduran regionalism, with words like "puchica", "guacala" which
my family, for example, would not have any idea what they mean. So they
will get a kick when they see and hear them during our upcoming trip.
There are some boys that live in an invaded property near our house. They
come around asking for food. They are now our buddies. We give them food,
milk, candy. Hannah shares her toys. I was able to buy them school supplies
from a donation from one of my churches. I take them to church on Sunday.
One Sunday, there were so many of them that I had to ask the neighbor who owns a "busito" (small bus) if he would take us for a fee. I pray for them. Some of them are getting to be teen-agers and I fear that they would get involve with gangs or maras. They come from very broken families and have very little attention or supervision.
Please pray for Marcos, Johnny, Gionary, Tito, Maurie, Willy, Oscar &
Covin.
Prayer Requests
The Lord has put a lot of burdens in my heart. Please pray for:
· The above named children & my neighbors.
· The Bishop of Honduras, he has such a large task in front of him.
· For the health of the members of the Episcopal Church in Honduras. There
have been a lot of illnesses.
· Betty de Torres, she is the Rector of the school where the kids go and
she had a stroke and an operation for an aneurysm. Pray for full recovery.
· The Cathedral, please pray for renewal in the church.
· Please pray for a safe, productive and God glorifying trip.
Praises
· Give thanks to the Lord that He is teaching me to wait on Him, and I am
learning!
· Give thanks for His provision.
Thank you for being part of this team. Our work will help children
throughout Honduras to learn about Jesus. It will provide for their
physical and spiritual well-being. It will help them have hope for their
future and that of Honduras.
Thank you for your prayers and support.
May the Lord of the Harvest bless you abundantly!
Margarita, Hannah & Gabriela
Contributions to our missionary account can be made by sending a check
payable to SAMS to:
South American Missionary Society
P. O. Box 399
Ambridge, PA 15003-0399
Write for Margarita Grachen in the memo line.
Contributions to the project can also be sent to the above address and
payable to SAMS. Except write "Los Amiguitos de Jesus" in the memo line..
Funds for the project are kept in a separate account and will be remitted
to Honduras as the project progresses.
You can also arrange for automatic deductions from your bank account or for automatic charges to your credit card. If you wish to do so, please call
SAMS at 724-266-0669.
