Sandra was living what she calls “a dark life”. Then one night she had a dream that was impossible to ignore.

Sandra is a thoughtful, quiet woman from the Toba people group and lives in Vaca Perdida, a small town in the Chaco region of northern Argentina. The Chaco is home to the indigenous Wichí, Toba and Chorote communities among others, who have long been marginalised by the majority society who are of European descent (criollos).

Life in this vast rural area is tough. The indigenous people are traditionally hunter gatherers, but with the forest depleted through deforestation livelihood is more dependent on the nearby towns, reached on roads that are often impassable due to flooding or tremendous heat.

And life seemed to have dealt Sandra a particularly difficult hand.

Broken romance, violent revenge

As a young woman, she fell in love with a man from a rival family. Despite strong opposition from her own family, Sandra and the man persisted in the relationship and she became pregnant – but then the man denied the child was his. Left alone to raise a child, and to try to rebuild the relationship with her parents, Sandra moved on.

But when she was engaged to a man from the majority criollo community, the father of her child decided he wanted to be with her. After some soul searching she left her fiancé and got back together with the man who would become her husband. Sandra’s jilted fiancé was furious. He bought petrol and burned down Sandra’s father’s house where she and the family lived. They lost everything: the house, all their possessions, all their documents.

Starting afresh, Sandra and her husband had four more children, but more pain was still to come. The eldest of these children died aged four after an accident at school and the third died at the same age when she was given the wrong injection by a trainee nurse. Both are buried at Sandra’s home.

In the midst of this suffering, God seemed distant and irrelevant.

Since the turn of the 20th century there has been an Anglican presence in this region, first through the work of SAMS missionaries walking with the marginalised peoples of the Chaco in northern Argentina and neighbouring Paraguay.

Generations of people in mission have campaigned alongside indigenous people to keep their land, translated Scripture into native languages and shared the love of Jesus, resulting in many church congregations across the region.

But this meant little to Sandra – while she participated in the local church, she didn’t really feel a part of it. Sandra kept away from people, feeling very ashamed as she had lived a “dark” life.

Finding forgiveness

One night in 2016, Sandra had a dream in which she saw two possible options, to follow others like a now deceased pastor, whom she recognised, who were calling her to the light. The other option led down to hell. This prompted her to look for God at church, but she didn’t get much from the service.

Soon afterwards she went to a meeting of AMARE, an Anglican women’s network affiliated with Mothers’ Union. AMARE gathers women together and helps them understand God’s love for them so that they can love and serve others.

This network began in northern Argentina with support from former CMS mission partners Shelley Stokes and Catherine Le Tissier, alongside a team of local women from different ethnic backgrounds and Bishop Nick Drayson (Catherine’s husband) who firmly believed in the potential of women.

At this meeting, organised by Catherine and the AMARE team, women from the community explored the subject of forgiveness. Sandra heard about the importance of learning to forgive, and the release that could bring. The night after the session, 14 August 2016, Sandra and her husband both woke unexpectedly at 3am. They both felt that it was the Holy Spirit waking them, and they were prompted to spend that time talking about all that they had gone through, their pain and struggles. That night Sandra and her husband were finally able to forgive each other for the ways they had each caused pain.

They wept as the Holy Spirit brought the power of God’s forgiveness into their lives in a way they had never felt before. Sandra remembers that John 14:6, where Jesus says “I am the way, the truth and the life”, was so important to them. They decided to put Jesus at the centre of their lives going forward.

No longer left behind

Since that day, thanks to God’s work and the involvement of AMARE, Sandra’s life has been transformed as she follows Jesus. She has found a new peace in Christ, and a new strength for each day. Catherine, along with others including CMS local partner Mirna Paulo and the AMARE team in the Diocese of Northern Argentina, listened to Sandra and helped her to move forward, putting her faith into action.

Sandra’s involvement in AMARE has grown over the years, and she is now a strong, consistent and respected leader. Sandra is the coordinator of AMARE in Vaca Perdida, helping other women in her Toba community to discover how Jesus can transform their lives too. And beyond Vaca Perdida, Sandra helps to lead AMARE across the Diocese of Northern Argentina – part of a team of local women who now steer the group after Catherine returned to the UK in 2023.

Sandra’s whole life is now different. Her family are united in a way they never were before, with Sandra and her husband encouraging the whole family to play music and sing to worship God. Her husband is wonderfully supportive and collaborative. He often does the cooking, and acts as a chauffeur on his motorbike to ensure that Sandra gets to where she needs to be, in a culture where women are often left behind.

Sandra’s faith has awakened and strengthened her desire to help other people in her community in different aspects of their lives. Alongside her involvement in AMARE, Sandra leads the work of a non-governmental organisation that helps over 160 women to sell their traditional weaving handicrafts, providing them with an important source of income. Sandra manages four workshops producing items to sell. That role even took her thousands of miles away to Italy to share and learn with others from around the world.

Learning and leading

Though many women her age in her community are resistant to new things, Sandra is keen to learn, including mastering technology that can help communities connect and thrive. She cares about her people, and seeks to learn in order to find the best for herself and for them. Sandra is very keen to help young people take part and lead, and supports young and old to make this possible, as youth participation is still new. She asks for space for the young people to take part and includes them whenever she can in church and community life.

Sandra’s commitment to the church continues – and her role as a trusted leader was recently emphasised as she was chosen to be part of the commission seeking a new bishop to follow on from Nick Drayson when he retired in 2023.

After a century of mission presence in the Chaco, more and more efforts are being led by indigenous people like Sandra, with CMS continuing to walk alongside these communities. Sandra now represents the Toba people on a newly developed indigenous synod that helps map a new future.

What a difference – a woman who lost everything, in a remote community not noticed by the wider world, bringing the hope and light of Jesus to change lives around her! Jesus never gave up on Sandra – and he doesn’t give up on all those like her who are pushed to the margins.

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Narin* felt invisible, unnoticed by those living around him in Chiang Mai, the largest city in northern Thailand.

Since losing his home after conflict with his family and overwhelming pressure at work, he had slept in a tent through sweltering heat and monsoon rains for two years, with just plastic bags to hold his possessions.

Each morning he rose before 6am to pack up his tent from his regular spot on the pavement before the rest of the city woke.

He applied for many jobs, but kept on being rejected. Yet throughout this difficult time, Narin was not invisible to God.

Early starts

In spring 2023, CMS mission partner Tracy Day felt God prompt her to change her daily routine. Specifically, she felt God was calling her to go for a walk around her Chiang Mai neighbourhood at 5am each day.

Not sure why, though thinking it might be for her health, she duly changed her routine and started walking her familiar route at this new time.

On the first daily walk, Tracy noticed a tent on the pavement that she hadn’t seen before, just five minutes from home.

The next day she saw Narin as she walked past.

As the walks continued, Tracy kept her distance but exchanged a smile with Narin, said hello and discovered Narin spoke fluent English.

As the days passed, Tracy continued to chat to Narin as she went by.

Discovering where he went after 6am, she and her husband Jason started a rhythm of checking in with him near a local petrol station or at a nearby supermarket, having a chat two or three times a week.

Once they had established this rhythm, Tracy’s sense of needing to walk early in the morning stopped.

Trying church

Jason and Tracy heard a little about Narin’s life, and were also able to talk about the Bible when relevant.

They invited Narin to church, but initially he said no – this would be quite a step from his Thai Buddhist roots, but he had been friends with Christians in the past and also been reading the Bible on and off long before Tracy and Jason got to know him.

Sometime later he decided that he would go to church with them after all.

Narin liked church when he came along, and decided to come again. Initially he went with Jason and Tracy, but then started going independently.

Over the summer, Jason and Tracy were back in the UK, so couldn’t accompany Narin to church. Nonetheless, Narin didn’t miss a week.

Ups and downs

One afternoon, Narin shared that he had a job interview, this time for a role as a translator.

Many people had been praying for him to get a job, so Jason and Tracy were thrilled when he told them later that day that he had!

He started work the following Monday translating books and websites and took on the challenge of a new role.

Sadly, soon afterwards he was knocked off his pushbike on his way back from work to his spot on the pavement, injuring his arm. Jason and Tracy took him to hospital where the doctors said Narin’s arm was fractured and gave him a sling.

Although Narin was scared that his injury might mean losing his job, he was able to type and so keep working.

Together with friends, Jason and Tracy found Narin a room to stay in for a few weeks while he recovered.

Through this, Narin was able to get used to living in a safe place, sleeping in a bed and having his own bathroom again.

As his arm healed, and with his new income, Narin looked for a room to rent and managed to find one not far from Jason and Tracy or from work.

Tracy comments, “It was a wonderful day to see him move in and begin a new, more settled life and we were glad that he was in our area so that we could continue our friendship and help him if he needed it.”

A much better place

Narin continues to work and to rent his room – though it is taking time for him to feel more secure, with the trauma of two years of homelessness leaving him feeling unsure of the future. And he continues to attend church.

Narin decided to be baptised in December and shared that he had been in a very dark place but God had brought him safely into a much better place.

Jason and Tracy are hoping to start working through some Bible study material with Narin, as he continues his journey with Jesus.

Tracy reflects, “This isn’t about a quick turnaround – there has been transformation in Narin’s circumstances, but there is still pain and struggle for him, but we are hopeful for what God will do.”

*Name changed

Pray together

Pray for Narin as he continues in this new chapter of his life. Pray also that God will show you if there is someone he is calling you to walk with in your life.

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On Saturday night, a group of around 12 pray-ers from different churches gather online to hear from mission partner Alison Giblett in Ukraine and pray together for an hour. This isn’t a one-off. In fact, they have been meeting weekly for over two years.

Everyone joins from their own home and some of them have never even met in person, but being able to see each other on a screen is the next best thing to being together. Some say it feels like having a group of friends in their living room.

Getting started and growing

Their first meeting was held in spring 2022, after Russian forces entered Ukraine.

Though most missionaries and expats returned to their home countries for their own safety around this time, Alison felt called to stay, as Ukraine had been her home and community since God had called her to Kyiv in 2004.

Alison and about 40 others from her church, the Tabernacle of the Living God (TLG), travelled together from Kyiv and stayed in village locations, away from the attacks.

It was against this backdrop of crisis that Alison offered to host a Zoom meeting for some of her supporters from City Hope Church Bermondsey, to tell them more about what was going on and pray together for Ukraine.

Participants found the first meeting helpful and soon enough, it became a weekly event and was drawing supporters from several of Alison’s link churches as well as others who wanted to join in prayer.

The prayer group has followed Alison and her church community from their weeks on the road, through returning to Kyiv and figuring out how to do and be church in wartime.

The group has had the privilege of standing with Alison and her church in prayer as they have offered practical, spiritual and emotional support to people whose lives were and are torn apart by the war.

They have prayed for Alison and others as they have travelled to villages to help rebuild infrastructure and restore hope.

The prayer group allows these committed supporters to connect with a particular part of Christian ministry in Ukraine on a weekly basis.

“Hearing specific details about everyday life from people on the ground brings the reality so much closer,” shares John, a former missionary himself.

News from the ground

Every Saturday when they meet, Alison joins the call from Kyiv and shares updates from on the ground. She shares about the type of thing reported in the media – bombings or being under rocket attack – but also how they as a church have experienced God’s protection, love and care for them.

The faithful pray-ers get to hear about the church’s ministry, for instance last year when the church partnered with YWAM to build new homes for people who had lost everything, and ran children’s camps during the summer.

Sometimes the group welcomes a Ukrainian guest or two from TLG, including local partners Valery Alymov and Anya Manchuliak. Alison interprets back and forth between Ukrainian and English.

Valery, pastor of TLG and a former military serviceman, shares about his chaplaincy work with soldiers, many of whom are exhausted and desperate for the hope Jesus offers.

The chair of the meeting asks specific people to pray for specific things and the group works its way through the prayer requests.

Wider impact

At each meeting someone takes notes, which are later transcribed and circulated via email to other churches to enable others to pray too.

Many of those in the prayer group are also part of a larger group which is connected via the messaging app Signal. Here, notes from the Saturday meetings are shared with about 80 people, who also receive day-to-day updates, prayer requests and occasional photos.

Attending a prayer meeting every Saturday night – albeit in one’s own home – might seem like a big commitment. So what has kept the group continuing to meet for two years?

Some group members describe the gathering as the highlight of their week. Personal connection is a major factor – wanting to show support for Alison because they know her is a big part of what keeps people turning up week after week.

Alice and Keith, from a church supporting Alison, comment, “It is a huge privilege to be a part of this group of godly people.”

The war in Ukraine is such a challenging thing to pray for that it’s hard to know where to start. For this group, hearing from people on the ground gives them specific things to pray about, making it easier to engage with what’s going on and pray for the situation.

The group has meant a lot to Alison: “The fact that there are a group of people who care and understand at quite a detailed level has really helped me…. For me the prayer group has been a main form of support.”

And as war continues, so does this valuable support.

Pray together

We are so grateful for CMS supporters faithfully praying. Prayer is central to all we do. Find the latest prayer resources and sign up for weekly updates: at churchmissionsociety.org/pray

Pray with us

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A new partnership with the government is helping an organisation led by local partner Helen Avadiar-Nimbalker support young people in Thailand.

The organisation, which supports women who have chosen to leave sex work, saw increasing numbers of young people referred to them by women in the sex industry after the young people had been recruited by traffickers.

Many of these young people had fled to northern Thailand from the conflict in Myanmar and were vulnerable to exploitation.

Through this new partnership, Helen and her colleagues have been able to help eight young girls get back to school.

The group is also helping with medical expenses, counselling and assisting in housing for the girls who do not have caregivers.

Helen shares, “This is a testimony for us because these young girls come to us very dissociated and we are able to witness (in a short time) a glimpse of hope in their eyes, that life is going to be safe again for them.

“We also witness the women in our programme step up as mentors for these young girls.”

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A member of a community market in north east Brazil has turned his life around and no longer needs this support providing food.

Carlos grew up in Aguazinha, then a landfill site in the city of Olinda, with his family.

Their living came from scavenging on the landfill site, but Carlos’s mum had an accident that limited her mobility.

Carlos suffered throughout his life, and as an adult in this community (now adjacent to the landfill site) he lost two sons to gang warfare.

Carlos has struggled with alcohol for years, though he gave it up for a time when he first met CMS mission partners Rosie and Stu Bayford at a community market they started with Agua Viva church.

When his second son was killed, Carlos started drinking again.

A few months ago he went to a church weekend away and decided to turn his life around.

A local vicar was touched by Carlos’s story and offered him a job as caretaker of a church, which gave Carlos a new purpose.

Carlos has stopped drinking again and is much happier and healthier. Because of all this, Carlos no longer needs to come to the market.

Rosie and Stu dream that many more people will have opportunities to work and find their way out of poverty through this project.

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Three men in a rehab centre in Israel led by CMS local partner Wilhelm have made great steps forward.

Andy (name changed), who had been drinking heavily on and off since his youth in the Soviet Union, had tried three different rehabs at different stages in his life.

He has been living in Wilhelm’s rehab for over a year, and is doing well so far. He works as a security guard at a supermarket and is not tempted by the alcohol on sale near his work station.

He said that the rehab was initially like a refuge, but is now his home and family thanks to Wilhelm, who Andy sees as a mentor, friend and father figure.

Alexei finished the programme successfully, left the rehab centre to live independently and restored a good relationship with his wife. He is still attending services with the congregation connected to the rehab.

Alexander only spent four months in rehab, got better, found a job and went to live independently in a rented apartment.

It will be a real challenge for Alexander to remain sober and strong, but so far he is doing well and keeps attending church and rehab meetings.

Please pray that these three men continue making good progress and grow spiritually.

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On 12 April 2024, CMS marked its 225th birthday. Here are some snapshots of 225 years together.

12 April 1799

Firm foundation

CMS was founded by members of the Eclectic Society as The Society for Missions to Africa and the East.

The Eclectic Society gathered around a teapot as they discussed starting a mission society.

1801

The Society had over 100 subscribers in its first full year.

Those giving one guinea per year to support the work were members, and were also encouraged to pray for the Society.

1804

The first missionaries

In 1804 the first CMS missionaries, German Lutherans Melchior Renner and Peter Hartwig, were sent to Sierra Leone.

Members and supporting clergy were encouraged to take collections for mission at churches, “exciting a spirit of prayer” alongside giving. Collections were often taken following a sermon preached for the occasion.

1805

First gift in will

The Society received legacy bequests for the first time.

1811

Malta

Mission work begins

1813

India

Mission work begins

1814

Aotearoa / New Zealand

Mission work begins

1818

Ceylon (Sri Lanka)

Mission work begins

1819

By 1819 there were more than 170 local CMS associations in Britain.

Local associations were formed to support the work of CMS through prayer and fundraising – including through a “penny a week” subscription scheme.

By 1819, CMS publications to share stories and information from missionaries had become an important part of encouraging those supporting mission.

1820

Two single ladies

The first single women, Mary Bouffler and Hannah Johnson, began mission service, both in Sierra Leone. They were the first women to be listed in the own right as missionaries. Mary would only survive five months in post.

1822

Canada

Mission work begins

1826

Egypt; West Indies

Mission work begins

1830

Abyssinia (Ethiopia)

Mission work begins

1837

South Africa

Mission work begins

1844

South American start

The Patagonian Missionary Society (later SAMS) had its first meeting, led by Captain Allen Gardiner.

Mission work begins in what is now Nigeria and Kenya.

And the first CMS missionaries go to China.

1849

Palestine

Mission work begins

1851

Gardiner leaves living legacy

Allen Gardiner died on a beach in Tuerra del Fuego but mission work grew in his memory.

1869

Persia (Iran)

Mission work begins

1875

Japan

Mission work begins

1877

Uganda

Mission work begins

1878

Tanganyika (Tanzania)

Mission work begins

1899

100 years together

By 1899 CMS had sent out 1,556 men and 550 women in their own right.

Centenary celebrations recorded in The Gleaner included reflections on the importance of the “patient labour” behind the scenes from volunteers and office staff to make mission possible. Churches also planned special collections and fundraising activities.

Mission work also began in Sudan in this year.

1911

Chaco mission

SAMS began work in the Argentine Chaco among indigenous peoples – work that continues today.

1916

CMS Australia and New Zealand CMS

Two new autonomous CMSes were founded

1926

Ruanda Mission

A new mission founded under the umbrella of CMS to work in SW Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda. It later becomes Mid-Africa Ministry and fully integrates with CMS in 2002.

1951

Malaya (Malaysia)

Mission work begins

1954

Foundation of United Mission to Nepal

1999

200 years together

As part of the bicentenary celebrations, CMS staff and volunteers undertook a sponsored walk from Oxford to Cambridge with a camel!

2008

CMS-Africa

African-led independent CMS launched in Kenya

2010

SAMS integration. Training innovation.

CMS and SAMS came together into one organisation.

Pioneer Mission Training launched at CMS – since then, almost 1,000 students have been equipped for mission at the edges in the UK and more recently around the world through online training.

2012

Asia-CMS

In Malaysia, another sister CMS is born.

2020

Pandemic: no panic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, CMS supporters gave over £170,000 to an appeal to ensure people in mission could continue their work – and former mission partner and staff member Canon John Harwood (above) went on 94 walks for his 94 years, raising more than £15,000.

2021

222 with you

Staff and supporters took on sponsored challenges themed around 222 years of CMS – from painting railings to staff exceeding their aim of a cumulative 222 miles on a sponsored walk.

2023

Jesus never gives up. Neither should we.

Last year, thousands of people were part of the mission journey through giving to CMS. They supported over 200 people in mission in more than 50 countries.

2024

Thank you

Thank you for being part of our mission journey.

Come with us into the next chapter of our mission story by giving today.

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For decades, violent conflict has tormented parts of eastern Africa. Joan Busolo, CMS manager for Africa, believes peace is possible. But to achieve it, she says, we need to follow Jesus and listen to women.

Interview with Naomi Rose Steinberg

Naomi: Joan, thank you for talking with me about this topic, which is timely given the continuing violence in Sudan, South Sudan and DR Congo. Can I ask, do you think that for the most part women have been left out of peace-making in those contexts?

Joan: Actually, it’s not they are left out of peacemaking; they are often left out of everything, even just making decisions about themselves. So, we have to start there.

Naomi: But it’s women who suffer most during war?

Joan: Yes, even apart from sexual violence which we know occurs…I’ve listened to many stories from women who were pregnant during times of war – imagine a pregnant woman having to run, to hide, to go without food for many days because of what’s going on around her that she never asked for. She may have children looking to her for help. They are the last people who want to see wars. Many of them say it would be easier to have peace and go hungry than to have plenty amid war. Women will be the ones to receive and care for the wounded, they will bear the brunt of those who are angry because they lost the battle. And it’s on that front where their peacemaking begins.

The key players in peace

Naomi: So, women in eastern Africa have a vested interest in bringing about peace – tell me how they can do this from a marginalised position?

Joan: It’s important to understand that many women are peacemaking. They are doing it already. They’re key players in peace. It may look small. It may be ignored. It may look like they are just doing their wifely or motherly duties. But they are peacekeepers.

Women spend 90 per cent of their time with the family, in community. Now that’s crucial. So, what they tell their children when they are fighting, goes beyond just a little fight. It’s a bigger thing. What they say even to their own husbands when there is a dispute with a neighbour or a complaint about one community or another – her voice may come in very quietly, but it can move and change a difficult situation. So, at a grassroots level, they are impacting. They are impacting right from the roots. Truth be told, they prepare the ground for the bigger decisions.

Give women more space!

Our cry in CMS is; give them more space to do that, allow them to come out even more strongly. So, when we run women empowerment programmes in conflict zones, or trauma healing programmes, women are given an opportunity to speak out and to recognise themselves as the peacemakers that they are and can be.

Naomi: Can you tell me about some women peacemakers you know?

Joan: The first person who comes to mind is CMS local partner Regina Lueth in South Sudan. This woman has gone beyond borders. Talk about ministry in hospitals, Regina is there. Talk about counselling, Regina is there. Talk about going to schools to say to young people, you don’t need to carry guns, you can relate and resolve issues by speaking to each other…she is there. She carries a lot. She is an example of how women are accelerating everything we are doing in terms of wanting to make disciples of Jesus in areas of armed conflict.

There is also Annette in DR Congo who leads the Graceful Warriors programme in Goma; their core business is trauma healing especially with children and young people. They also share the gospel and are supporting some Muslim-background believers who are facing persecution.

Those are just two examples of women who are helping bring about peace.

Shifting expectations

Naomi: Do you think more men will start listening to women and respecting their potential as peacemakers? Can the Church play a part in this?

Joan: It’s true that women are the majority in the Church, though there are very few in leadership. However, we recently helped run a consultation about bringing peace in Wau, South Sudan. There were women and men present, church leaders and their wives. We had lots of questions and discussion around how to best end violence and promote peace. I noticed that for the most part the women would just smile and go along with what was being said in the groups. The men were making the presentations; the women stayed seated. I spoke with my colleague Karobia at CMS-Africa and said, “Do you see what I’m seeing?”

So, in the afternoon we separated the women and men and I sat with the women and suddenly they felt freer to open up and share their own thoughts. They had very deep and moving things to say about being a woman in conflict contexts. About how women are often treated as children or viewed as property, more or less. How they are not expected to have a voice. How in church they are expected to be quiet and not challenge.

Naomi: Were those things shared with the men? How did they respond?

Joan: None of them objected or said there was anything untrue in what the women were saying. The men were looking at their wives with love and respect.

We have to understand that culture change is a journey. Bit by bit. We have a saying: “You can take a man out of his village, but you cannot take that village out of the man.”

But with Jesus, we can begin to see the miracle of change. It is only through Jesus that peace can come and so the Church has a vital, leading part to play as peacemakers. And listening to and including women is a big part of this.

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