Brazil: forever homes

We give thanks that CMS short-termer Katharine has extended her stay in Recife to continue serving at ReVive’s safe house, supporting at-risk girls with education and to flourish as they grow in understanding their God-given value. Katharine asks for prayer for each of the girls in the safe house to find a forever home, and for herself to continue to grow in her love for Jesus.

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Latin America: new mission manager

Give thanks for CMS’s new mission manager in Latin America, Alonso Silva. Based in Santiago, Chile, Alonso will be drawing on his 20 years of experience as a missional leader and pioneer practitioner to help lead CMS’s work and support CMS people in mission in the region.

Pray for God to use Alonso powerfully in this role to empower and encourage people in mission as well as drive CMS’s Latin America work forward.

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Mission partner Tim Curtis has spent an entire generation – 44 years – in translation work among indigenous peoples in the Paraguayan Chaco region. As he retires, we take a look at how God made a way for his Word to come alive in the wilderness.

Many indigenous people groups in the wilderness Chaco region of South America have long been marginalised by the majority society who are of European descent (criollos). Deforestation has all but squeezed out Énxet speakers’ traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyle and they often have limited access to healthcare and education.

There has been a Christian presence in the Chaco region for over 130 years, but even so, speakers of the Énxet languages haven’t always had access to God’s Word. But now that the Bible has been translated into their languages, they know that they are included in God’s plan.

Called back to Latin America

The son of missionaries, Tim was brought up in Chile and sensed God calling him back to Latin America after university in the UK. “A verse that came very clearly to me from Psalm 32 was, ‘I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go. I will counsel you with my eye upon you,’” he remembers. He also had a dream that confirmed that he would be working somewhere quite remote.

Tim first went to Paraguay in the early 1980s. In 1982, when visiting the La Herencia project in the Chaco, Tim recognised the place he’d seen in his dream. This project was the Anglican Church’s response to a plea for help from its indigenous members amongst the Énxet, Angaité and Sanapana peoples in the Chaco region who had lost their ancestral lands. (By 1985, nearly 45,000 hectares of land had been secured for them.) Tim joined the project and for the next few years, he served several indigenous and government schools, commuting between the more far-flung ones on horseback.

First steps towards Bible translation

Recognising Tim’s love for the local people and aptitude for languages, the project director invited him to prepare for work on the translation of the Southern Énxet New Testament.

Tim became a missionary with the South American Missionary Society (SAMS), which later merged with CMS. He trained as a Bible translator at SIL and prepared for mission at All Nations Christian College before returning to Paraguay to focus on the Southern Énxet language.

From a New Testament to a complete Bible

In the early 1990s, a team of three indigenous translators was ready to begin the translation of the New Testament in partnership with United Bible Societies and the Paraguayan Bible Society. Chaco churches waited eagerly to see God’s Word come alive in their own language.

At the end of 1997, the revised Southern Énxet New Testament was launched and began to be used in homes and churches. In 2003, a new team began work on the Southern Énxet Old Testament at a purpose-built office in Rio Verde (made possible by a donation from one of Tim’s link churches). Over the next 13 years, they meticulously drafted the Old Testament and further revised the New Testament.

The full Southern Énxet Bible was launched in 2016 with church leaders and visitors from all over the Chaco region and the UK attending a special dedication event.

From start to finish, it was remarkable how people from different organisations, churches and institutions came together for the translation – in Tim’s words, “It was like the Lord was arranging everything.”

Accessible Scriptures for the Southern Énxet

The goal of Bible translation for any language group has traditionally been to get printed Bibles into people’s hands. Today, for many people groups, audio Bibles can make a huge difference to how many speakers engage with God’s Word. In 2016, Tim and the team worked with 25 Southern Énxet readers and Bolivian technicians from Faith Comes by Hearing to record a dramatised version of the New Testament.

The audio New Testament was put on players called Proclaimers, which can be charged using electricity, solar panels or wound up manually. Proclaimers have proved particularly popular among people who don’t have the opportunity to meet with other Christians, or who don’t read.

In 2024, Jesus Film Project technicians from Peru came to help Tim and a group of 22 readers dub the Jesus Film into Southern Énxet at the CMS-supported Anglican Centre at Rio Verde – the two-hour dramatisation of Luke’s Gospel has led millions of people around the world to Jesus.

The technicians also invited a group to Lima to record the Old Testament with Davar Audio Bibles. The full audio Bible is still being finalised, but in the meantime, people are listening to the New Testament, and parts of the Old Testament are being passed around on pen drives – people are eager to engage with God’s Word!

Another Bible translation in the works

In 2018, Tim joined the Northern Enlhet Bible translation team part-time, as a consultant. Several years on, the team have finished drafts of the Old Testament and recently completed the gospels and Romans. They hope to celebrate a complete Bible in the late 2020s.

At the same time, Tim continued providing logistical support for Bible studies in Rio Verde and working with Southern Énxet and other indigenous pastors and church leaders. He is also a member of the CMS-supported indigenous synod which was set up after the indigenous Anglican Congress in Argentina in 2022.

A hunter-gatherer people on smartphones

The Énxet people are traditionally hunter-gatherers , but their culture is changing. These days, some work on remote cattle ranches and farms and others have jobs in the towns. Many Christians listen to the audio Bible on their smartphones, and use WhatsApp to share Bible verses or prayers, and often have two or three verses as their background screen. Having the Scriptures different formats helps them keep growing in their faith and connect with each other.

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Brazil: starting a church in prison

Mission partners Andy and Kati Walsh work with local church partners in Florianópolis, sharing the hope of Jesus in challenging contexts. Andy and others have been working together to launch churches in local men’s prisons. In one prison, 20–25 believers already meet regularly, currently without any involvement from an ordained minister. Please pray for obstacles to be removed and for favour so that Andy and his team can provide further support and help more prisoners find freedom in Jesus.

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Peru: upcoming presidential elections

Mission partner Anna Sims asks for prayer for the people of Peru. Having had three different presidents in the past few months, the nation is now preparing for a presidential election on 12 April, which will likely go to a second round in June, before the inauguration in July. The high rates of corruption and extortion leading to killings continue and with over 30 presidential candidates to choose from, there is a sense of despair and discontent at the lack of a viable option. Voting is compulsory in Peru and many people are talking about spoiling their votes. Pray for God to bring the right person to power, who will lead the country with integrity.

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Guatemala: preparing to step into new ministries

Mission partners Azaria and David Pocasangre are exploring where to invest their time as they prepare to move on from working with vulnerable young people and families in a community called Bethania. Pray for Azaria and David to hear from God as to how and where he wants to use them.

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Brazil: preparing to return to the UK

After seven years of serving in Recife, mission partners Rosie and Stu Bayford are preparing to return to the UK in April. Pray for them to end their service well as they wrap up work, and particularly for their daughter, who is just two years old, as the family makes this big transition. Pray for the community market the Bayfords have started, as local leaders take over the logistics of redistributing surplus food to families and creating a space where people can build community and learn more about Jesus.

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Brazil: important meeting

Mission partner Andy Walsh requests prayer ahead of an important meeting on Friday 27 March with the Governor of the San Pedro de Alcântara Penitentiary. “We want to review and discuss our proposal to establish a regular church gathering within the prison. Please pray that the Holy Spirit would guide the discussion, giving wisdom, clarity and grace in our conversation. Ask God to open the right doors in his timing and according to his purposes.”

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Latin America: creative cafe

Anna Sims works alongside the local church in Lima, Peru, to build community and share Jesus in creative ways. She asks for prayer for the team running iCafe church – a church and cultural initiative that stands for imagination, culture, art and faith. Pray for the team running iCafe as they focus on deepening relationships, and sharing Jesus with artists and those working in creative industries in Lima. 

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Guatemala: a season of change

“Please join us in giving thanks for the years we were able to serve in Bethania, and for all the wonderful children, young people and their families,” write mission partners Azaria and David Pocasangre. Though Azaria and David have now moved on from serving in Bethania, they will continue in their roles of supporting vulnerable communities, especially young people and families, through partnership with the local church. Pray for the community of Bethania as they navigate this season of change, and for God to move powerfully through the local church.

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Brazil: landslides and flooding

Pray for people in the eastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, where at least 32 people have been killed in landslides and flooding caused by heavy rain. As people struggle to look after thousands who have suddenly been made homeless, and rescue workers keep searching for 38+ people who are missing, more rain is forecast for the coming days. Pray for the weather forecast to change, for stamina for rescue workers, comfort for all those whose loved ones are missing or have been killed, and for miraculous provision for those who need it.

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Video transcript

Hello and welcome to Hope from the Edges. I’m Andy Roberts, CEO of CMS.

In the next few minutes, we’ll bring you inspiring news from three edges in our world – stories that you are making possible through your gifts and prayers.

First, we’ll go to Honduras and hear about a young woman who went from street life to full life. From there we’ll go to South Sudan where a former cattle rustler was steered towards a better path. Finally, we’ll turn the spotlight on a mission partner who has spent two decades in challenging work that has taken her across the globe.

But before we begin, I want to take some time to acknowledge an anniversary none of us would have wanted to commemorate.

By the time you receive this video, we will have crossed the four-year mark since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and I want to take a moment to ask for your prayers for our mission partner Alison Giblett, who has remained in Ukraine this whole time, faithfully sharing the light of Jesus – despite missile attacks, freezing winters and growing despair.

This is most definitely mission at the edges. Let’s go to God together and keep praying for peace to prevail.

And now, let’s hop over to Honduras for a story of hope nine years in the making.

The country of Honduras faces huge challenges including rampant gang warfare, poverty and corruption.

Many children in Honduras suffer from abuse or neglect and are drawn to life on the streets, which can be both cruel and dangerous.

In 2017, a young girl named Johanni was one of these at-risk children.

She recalls, “When I was eight years old, I spent most of my time out in the street. My parents didn’t send me to school. No one was looking out for me except myself.”

Johanni spent much of her time hanging out with other kids at a local park. She could see no real future for herself.

One day, she met some adults who were different – kind and interested. They listened to her struggles and told her Jesus loved her.

Over time, these people, CMS mission partners Lindsey and Steve Poulson, helped Johanni and 14 other children register for school. This was the beginning of a new life chapter for Johanni as well as the start of what would become a life-changing project for many children.

This group of 15 children were the beginning of Proyecto Alas, a programme that supports at-risk children to continue in education and make good choices for the future. A key part of this programme is that each child is assigned a mentor.

Johanni says, “My mentor listens to me, encourages me and helps me make positive decisions.”

Now 16 years old, Johanni is an aspiring nail artist. She says, “Most girls my age don’t make it to high school so I’m really proud of my achievement and growth.”

The Poulsons are grateful to have walked alongside Johanni these nine years and to have seen her and others reach their God-given potential.

We now journey to South Sudan.

In South Sudan livestock is highly prized. So, cattle raiding is big business.

In recent years, raids have become more intense, more violent and take place on a much larger scale. It’s a crime with a huge cost.

Makol was a cattle raider from Warrap State, South Sudan. He knew that stealing cattle was wrong and that people were getting hurt, but he was making too much money to stop. He also knew if he was caught, he could be executed.

One day Makol was caught in the act, arrested and put in a police car. He knew his fate was sealed.

What Makol didn’t know was this: that night a peace rally was scheduled to take place, led by Archbishop Moses Deng. Drawing on training he’d received from our colleagues in CMS-Africa, the Archbishop spoke to the community on the theme of love and forgiveness.

The governor of Warrap State, General Aleu Ayieny, attended this rally. Having heard about Makol’s crimes, he had planned for him to be publicly executed at the end of the peace rally.

Evening came and Makol found himself sitting in the back of the governor’s car, waiting for his punishment, while General Ayieny listened to Archbishop Moses’ message nearby.

When he had finished, the governor stood up and addressed him:

“Your Grace Moses, I have a living dead young man in the back of my car. I have brought him here to kill him in front of these crowds and multitudes by firing squad. We have spoken a lot against this practice of cattle raiding and today we could have been making an example out of this man…but because you have spoken of forgiveness and reconciliation command I have forgiven him.”

The governor went back to his car and instructed Makol to follow him. Makol followed slowly, walking to his death.

But standing there in front of his community, hanging his head, he heard the words, “You are forgiven.”

Makol was overwhelmed at this mercy and grace. It wasn’t long before he received Jesus and was baptised.

Four years later, his cattle raiding days are behind him. He and his family belong to a local church and Makol provides for his family by working as a prison warden.

Join us in giving thanks for this life that was changed and continue to pray for all CMS people in mission involved in making disciples in areas facing violent conflict.

Last but absolutely not least we want to congratulate a CMS mission partner who is marking 20 years since she first began responding to a huge call God placed on her life.

In 2005, while lamenting the suffering of millions of girls and women impacted by the practice of female genital mutilation (or FGM),

Ann-Marie Wilson asked God: “Who will help girls like this?” 

To her amazement, the answer came back as an audible voice: “You will.”

Two decades later, Ann-Marie is still answering that call. Through her international organisation, 28 Too Many, which merged with Orchid Project in 2022, she has gathered the stories of thousands of FGM survivors and built a global movement dedicated to ending FGM worldwide.

Ann-Marie and the Orchid Project team haven’t just changed individual lives; they’ve shifted global policy and fostered grassroots change across continents.

You can discover the remarkable story of Ann-Marie’s 20 years in this vital work by going to the Stories section of the CMS website.

Ann-Marie’s journey is a powerful testament to how a single person can spark profound global change.

And it all began with a simple, radical act of daring to ask, Who will help?

Thank you for joining me for these stories from the edges and for your prayerful support, which makes them possible.

Please share this video with your church, small group or anyone you think could use some fuel for their faith.

Until next time, we are so grateful for your gifts and prayers as together we go:

With Jesus
With each other
To the edges

ENDS

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