2017/18 Missions Trips

Samaritan Hands leads groups to Costa Rica, Guatemala and Zimbabwe throughout the year. We typically travel to Guatemala in mid/late May, Zimbabwe in late August and Costa Rica in June and again in December. We are always looking to partner with new groups and add additional trips to these various countries. Depending on the needs of the project and surrounding communities, team members may participate in VBS, construction, medical, dental, glasses and sports ministries.

If you or your church are interested in partnering with Samaritan Hands on one of our trips, please contact us!

Update from Hogar del Niño in Guatemala

May the Lord bless each one of you and I thank God for all the blessings we recieve daily. At the ¨Hogar del Niño¨ presently there are six children. Angelina who is 17 years old, Yessica who is 15 years old, Sandra who is 14 years old, Juan Manuel who is 13 years old, Samuelito who is 3 years old and Juanita who is 2 years old. We are very thankful because they are growing and in health. Juanita is going to therapy to learn to walk well and her progress is good each day. Samuelito is a very cute boy who is growing and playing each day. The older girls and boys are in school and this year they are working hard. Please pray so that they continue growing in school but most importantly in their knowledge about Jesus and His love for them. Also so that all of us that work with them and see them grow each day may have the wisdom and knowledge to guide and help them in different areas. Thank you and may the Lord bless you greatly.

Lidia Garcia

The New Horizon School in Paraguay

New Horizon Students Welcome you!

orando cNew Horizon Methodist School serves students with limited resources. We seek scholarships for the students and families who pay a small portion so they have a vested interest in their children’s education. We currently have 715 students from 4 years old through the 12th grade.  The school’s vision is to form leaders through academic excellence in order to develop integrity, discipline, wisdom, honesty, respect, and love of God and neighbor.

 Currently, all our planned buildings have been constructed but there are various smaller projects and general maintenance that need to be attended to. However, building, maintenance, and construction are just a small part of our needs. We are looking for teams that are interested in joining our older students, school staff, and parents to visit local schools and poor settlements in our area and around Paraguay to do Evangelism projects. Also, we would like groups that can lead Bible studies, vacation bible school, leadership trainings and other seminars. Since the completion of our multipurpose building, we are also looking for teams that can help us conduct sports camps and tournaments, art programs, music and dance programs and plan theatre productions and concerts as community outreach programs for children, youth, and adults.

 

For more information, check with the School’s General Director:    sue@paraguayschools.org

Medical Mission Team to Haiti

The medical mission team to Haiti has been an incredible blessing to all that have gone. Haiti is
a country trying to recover from one of the most devastating natural disasters on record. The country
has very little in the way of medical support. Taking medical supplies and providing basic medical
treatment helps protect the community from basic infections to providing daily vitamins.

The things we take for granted are virtually unavailable to most Haitians. Children and prison
inmates are the most susceptible to infections, rashes, worms, bacteria and STD’s. Women suffer
especially with STD’s, infections and female problems.

It is through this outreach that hundreds and thousands of lives are changed and encouraged. I
wish that there were a problem with their being too many people willing to travel and help on medical
missions to Haiti. God calls each of us to be servants and there can no greater love than serving in
outreach.

-Allen Garrett

Miracles in Zimbabwe!

I have been to Zimbabwe many times over the years and it never ceases to amaze me. Here is a
country that used to be the bread basket of Africa. Their bountiful farms supplied food for the entire
continent and their exports kept the country awash with prosperity. That has all changed. In the last
25-30 years AIDS has wiped out most of the middle of the population leaving thousands of orphans
and children with nowhere to go for food and shelter. The country slid into abject poverty. The once
prosperous economy went into a complete collapse. The monetary system was wiped out due to
incredible inflation where their money became entirely worthless (a loaf of bread, if you could find
one, was being sold for $3.3 trillion Zimbabwe dollars). In fact this is the only country to actually print
a $100,000,000,000,000 bill! It is now a collector’s item as the country finally gave up and went to the
American Dollar as the standard currency within the last two years.

Despite these upheavals, God is alive in Zimbabwe! Maria and Bill Humbane, the missionaries in
Mutare, Zimbabwe, have established Ishe Anesu*, a project where children can come and get free food,
school supplies, medicine, and can be taught the love of God. In Zimbabwe you must pay to go to school
and you must have enough money to purchase the school uniforms and school supplies. Samaritan
Hands, Fairview UMC, and Holston Conference’s generosity makes this happen. The money, food
buckets, backpacks, school supplies, and clothes sent to Zimbabwe supports these children. The meal
they get from our food buckets may be the only meal they get on any given day. The money is used to
pay for school tuition and uniforms. I cannot describe the overwhelming joy and gratitude these children
have when they are at the “project”. This small oasis built through the hard work and determination of
Maria and Bill supported with the donations from you, provide the children a place to study, eat, play,
and now with the addition of the first orphanage home, a place to live!

And nowhere is the Spirit of God more alive than in their Sunday worship. It starts at 9 AM and finishes
about three to four hours later. It is a worship of incredible, spontaneous music, reading of the Bible,
and continuous, faithful energy! The church overflows with about 3000-4000 people every Sunday.
They built an addition onto their church to allow more people to attend; however, it is still too small to
accommodate everyone who desires to worship! The church is literally packed every Sunday. You can
feel God in every corner of that church! Praise be to God!

*Ishe Anesu means “God is with us”. Go to the website www.isheanesu.com. You will see pictures of
the children, the Ishe Anesu project, and Maria and Bill Humbane. They also have newsletters.

God is working miracles in Zimbabwe!