Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Monday, November 27, 2006
Friday, November 10, 2006
Family
.JPG)
Christmas 2005 in New MexicoL to R Doug and Tricia, John Sr. and Sharon, above John Jr. and Lorena
.JPG)
Don’t they look alike! Charles and Sharon Christmas 2005 .JPG)
McCalls spend most Christmases skiing L to R John Jr., Charles, Doug, John Sr. and Tricia
.JPG)
Doug and Tricia relaxing on family vacation
2005 in Corpus Christi, TX
Tricia and Doug at John’s wedding December 2002
John, John and Charles on a boys’ trip in Colorado Summer 2005
.JPG)
Charles’ immediate family (and spouses) at the Beach 2005
L to R Brother John, wife Lorena, Parents John and Sharon, Sister Tricia, husband Doug
.JPG)
The extended McCall Clan plow through the snow in New Mexico
.JPG)
Hannah with towering cousin, Blake .JPG)
Charles and Sarah getting some birthday cake
Mary and Hannah looking like sisters more than mother-daughter
.JPG)
Brother Sam, Hannah and mom celebrate Mom’s 50th Birthday!
.JPG)
Grant and Hannah pose for the camera
.JPG)
Mom and older sis, Nancy
.JPG)
More birthday celebration
L to R: Sam, Mom, Hannah, Sarah.JPG)
Christmas 2005
L to R: Sarah, Charlotte, Mom and Hannah
Doug and Tricia relaxing on family vacation2005 in Corpus Christi, TX
Tricia and Doug at John’s wedding December 2002John, John and Charles on a boys’ trip in Colorado Summer 2005Charles’ immediate family (and spouses) at the Beach 2005L to R Brother John, wife Lorena, Parents John and Sharon, Sister Tricia, husband Doug
The extended McCall Clan plow through the snow in New MexicoHannah with towering cousin, Blake Charles and Sarah getting some birthday cake Mary and Hannah looking like sisters more than mother-daughterBrother Sam, Hannah and mom celebrate Mom’s 50th Birthday!Grant and Hannah pose for the cameraMom and older sis, NancyMore birthday celebrationL to R: Sam, Mom, Hannah, Sarah
Christmas 2005L to R: Sarah, Charlotte, Mom and Hannah
Joining the Mission
Our Love Story
Charles and Hannah met in 1995 in Hannah’s kitchen. Charles’ brother, John, and Hannah’s brother, Sam, were close friends in high school. They often stayed over at each others’ houses. John was like another brother to Hannah, since he was with Sam so often. On this particular occasion, Charles stayed over with John at Sam’s house. When they walked through the kitchen the next morning Hannah was in her pajamas eating breakfast – not expecting to meet anyone new. She briefly met Charles and both John and Sam made jokes about the two of them getting together.
A year later Charles and Hannah met up again at White Station High School. Charles was on the Cross Country team with several of Hannah’s friends. The two began to spend more time together and were best friends until February 15, 1997, when they decided to officially date. Their dating relationship continued throughout high school and their friendship grew stronger. Their senior year the two took a trip to San José, Costa Rica, to visit Charles’ sister and brother-in-law who were missionaries there at the time. They both had always had an interest in overseas missions but the trip together sparked even more interest. The two went their separate ways as they chose different colleges their freshman year. Charles and Hannah kept in contact and began dating 
again their sophomore year when Charles transferred to Mississippi State University where Hannah was already attending and playing soccer. The following year the relationship took another toll as Hannah accepted a national exchange scholarship her junior year and lived in Boston, Massachussetts, for 6 months. After Hannah’s return to Mississippi State the two decided to separate. That lasted only a few months before they decided to get back together and date seriously.
On July 28, 2002, Charles asked Hannah to marry him in Eagles Nest, New Mexico. The two had agreed that they would like to apply to do overseas missions once married. They spent their senior year planning their future together and finishing college. On May 11, 2003, Charles graduated with a degree in Landscape Architecture and Hannah in Journalism and Spanish. On May 31, Charles and Hannah got married in Brownsville, TN. They spent two weeks in the Virgin Islands on a flawless honeymoon before returning to Birmingham, Alabama, where they began their working careers.
Hannah
Hannah S. McCall
My story begins in Memphis, Tennessee, where I was born. I was the second of three. I have two siblings, a brother, Sam, and a sister, Sarah. Sam is two years older than me and Sarah is three years younger. My parents, Ed and Mary (Walton), were married in 1975.
My story begins in Memphis, Tennessee, where I was born. I was the second of three. I have two siblings, a brother, Sam, and a sister, Sarah. Sam is two years older than me and Sarah is three years younger. My parents, Ed and Mary (Walton), were married in 1975.
As a kid, I loved school and had lots of friends there. I loved going to camp in the summertime and staying with my grandmother in Brownsville. I can still smell the salmon croquettes she would make on Saturday afternoon and her facial expression when she shushed us in the library. Also, I loved summer vacations with my family. We mostly went to the beach and played in the sand but also took trips to St. Louis and Washington, D.C. And always in the month of August we went to Tabernacle, a family reunion most unique of its kind. It was the remains of a Methodist revival—we went (and still do) go to church three times a day, eat three hearty Southern meals, play ping pong, and sit on the swing drinking sweet tea catching up on the lives of family members we only see that one week of the year.
My parents were so important to me growing up. My mom would meet us at the bus stop after school and want to know every detail of our day. She would help me with homework and get me to soccer practice every day. I thought (and still think) she is the greatest mom. My dad would take my sister and me to school on Mondays and would let us pick out a doughnut at this bakery on the way. My mom would never have let us eat doughnuts for breakfast. My dad was a runner and worked out a lot, and I wanted to do those things too. I liked when he let me do sit-ups with him and jump rope in the garage. He would take us to Mississippi to see my grandparents, Bubba and Bo. It was so fun because they lived right next to a college campus and college seemed like a lifetime away. We always went to church on Sundays too. I liked my friends at church and every Sunday at lunch my dad would ask me what I learned. We also sang in the kid’s choir and on special holidays.
Around fifth grade I started noticing some family problems. A lot of that had to do with my father drinking too much, too often. Just after sixth grade, my parents divorced and my dad moved overseas for a few years. My dad had changed jobs and decided to move overseas where he could be promoted in his company. In the meantime, I started junior high and hated it. It was a new school and awkward time altogether. I didn’t know what to tell people about what happened to my family. I didn’t really know myself. I also lost a friend in a fatal car accident when I was fifteen. That kind of thing had never happened to me. I was sort of awestruck by the grief and emotion I felt for a long time about the loss. I played soccer a whole lot just to deal with it all. I was running and playing out of town competitively every moment I wasn’t in school.
As a result of some of those hidden emotions I suffered from stomach problems during this time in my life. I began losing weight as a result. That weight loss started bad habits. I had gotten accustomed to the praise I received when I was sick and losing weight and so I wanted to continue losing it. Losing weight was one way to take control of something in my life in the midst of a lot of uncontrollable things that were happening around me. I developed a number of symptoms of eating disorders. At one point I was diagnosed with disordered eating – a milder version of eating disorders. That struggle stayed with me and continues to be a challenge on a daily basis.
I continued to played soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, and ran cross country (some) at White Station High School. I loved high school. I really liked all the friends I had made from junior high and sports. I really worked hard at school and almost always made all A’s. During my freshman year I started going to Young Life with my brother. I loved it! Soon I was able to talk my friends into it. The summer after freshman year I went to Young Life camp called Windy Gap in N.C. with my two best friends. I learned all about God all over again. It was a majestic place. I remember really thinking about who I was and where I belonged that week. I decided that I didn’t really know God and if I had before I had wanted to escape him after all that had happened in my life. I talked to my Young Life leader one night when I was there and told her I wanted to know God now. I stood up the last night of camp and told everyone that I wanted to know God and wanted God to know me. I made that decision, and I will never forget that feeling.
From then on I was a new person. I told my mom when I got home that I was going to start “knowing God again.” I became active in Campaigners—a girl’s bible study through Young Life and actively sought after the Lord. After my parents divorced, we started going to a new church. I became more active in the youth group and church. I really got a lot out of the sermons for the first time. I went to my pastor’s office and told him that I had made the decision to know God. He gave me some good books to start reading and I kept him informed of what God was teaching me. I also went on my first missions trip to Recife, Brazil with the youth group. My brother and some friends from church went too. It was such an amazing, eye-opening experience. God was so gracious in revealing his people and purpose to me. I went on more trips, almost every one that church would allow me.
My sophomore year of high school I began talking to a guy named Charles McCall, who I had met through my brother. From here you can read “Our Love Story.”
My parents were so important to me growing up. My mom would meet us at the bus stop after school and want to know every detail of our day. She would help me with homework and get me to soccer practice every day. I thought (and still think) she is the greatest mom. My dad would take my sister and me to school on Mondays and would let us pick out a doughnut at this bakery on the way. My mom would never have let us eat doughnuts for breakfast. My dad was a runner and worked out a lot, and I wanted to do those things too. I liked when he let me do sit-ups with him and jump rope in the garage. He would take us to Mississippi to see my grandparents, Bubba and Bo. It was so fun because they lived right next to a college campus and college seemed like a lifetime away. We always went to church on Sundays too. I liked my friends at church and every Sunday at lunch my dad would ask me what I learned. We also sang in the kid’s choir and on special holidays.
Around fifth grade I started noticing some family problems. A lot of that had to do with my father drinking too much, too often. Just after sixth grade, my parents divorced and my dad moved overseas for a few years. My dad had changed jobs and decided to move overseas where he could be promoted in his company. In the meantime, I started junior high and hated it. It was a new school and awkward time altogether. I didn’t know what to tell people about what happened to my family. I didn’t really know myself. I also lost a friend in a fatal car accident when I was fifteen. That kind of thing had never happened to me. I was sort of awestruck by the grief and emotion I felt for a long time about the loss. I played soccer a whole lot just to deal with it all. I was running and playing out of town competitively every moment I wasn’t in school.
As a result of some of those hidden emotions I suffered from stomach problems during this time in my life. I began losing weight as a result. That weight loss started bad habits. I had gotten accustomed to the praise I received when I was sick and losing weight and so I wanted to continue losing it. Losing weight was one way to take control of something in my life in the midst of a lot of uncontrollable things that were happening around me. I developed a number of symptoms of eating disorders. At one point I was diagnosed with disordered eating – a milder version of eating disorders. That struggle stayed with me and continues to be a challenge on a daily basis.
I continued to played soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, and ran cross country (some) at White Station High School. I loved high school. I really liked all the friends I had made from junior high and sports. I really worked hard at school and almost always made all A’s. During my freshman year I started going to Young Life with my brother. I loved it! Soon I was able to talk my friends into it. The summer after freshman year I went to Young Life camp called Windy Gap in N.C. with my two best friends. I learned all about God all over again. It was a majestic place. I remember really thinking about who I was and where I belonged that week. I decided that I didn’t really know God and if I had before I had wanted to escape him after all that had happened in my life. I talked to my Young Life leader one night when I was there and told her I wanted to know God now. I stood up the last night of camp and told everyone that I wanted to know God and wanted God to know me. I made that decision, and I will never forget that feeling.
From then on I was a new person. I told my mom when I got home that I was going to start “knowing God again.” I became active in Campaigners—a girl’s bible study through Young Life and actively sought after the Lord. After my parents divorced, we started going to a new church. I became more active in the youth group and church. I really got a lot out of the sermons for the first time. I went to my pastor’s office and told him that I had made the decision to know God. He gave me some good books to start reading and I kept him informed of what God was teaching me. I also went on my first missions trip to Recife, Brazil with the youth group. My brother and some friends from church went too. It was such an amazing, eye-opening experience. God was so gracious in revealing his people and purpose to me. I went on more trips, almost every one that church would allow me.
My sophomore year of high school I began talking to a guy named Charles McCall, who I had met through my brother. From here you can read “Our Love Story.”
Charles
Charles Kimbrough McCall
Charles was born to John and Sharon McCall September 8, 1980. Charles has an older sister, Tricia, and older brother, John. He grew up at First Baptist Church in Memphis, TN. Charles accepted Christ at the age of 7 and grew up active in his church involved in World Changers, Challengers and summer youth trips.
He went to elementary school at Christ Methodist Day School, then Briarcrest Christian School until 6th grade when he transferred to White Station. Charles was also very involved in athletics, winning his age group in triathlon competitions, bike races and cross country meets. At age 15 Charles met Hannah Walton through his brother, John. After a short time the two started dating. They both enjoyed activities such as Young Life, service projects and sports.
Charles skipped 11th grade and graduated from White Station in 1999. He went to University of Tennesse at Knoxville for his freshman year where his brother was currently attending. After his first year, Charles decided to transfer to Mississippi State University where he could major in Landscape Architecture. There he spent the following three years studying architecture and heavily involved in Reformed University Fellowship. He finished the 5-year program in 4 years.
Charles was born to John and Sharon McCall September 8, 1980. Charles has an older sister, Tricia, and older brother, John. He grew up at First Baptist Church in Memphis, TN. Charles accepted Christ at the age of 7 and grew up active in his church involved in World Changers, Challengers and summer youth trips.
He went to elementary school at Christ Methodist Day School, then Briarcrest Christian School until 6th grade when he transferred to White Station. Charles was also very involved in athletics, winning his age group in triathlon competitions, bike races and cross country meets. At age 15 Charles met Hannah Walton through his brother, John. After a short time the two started dating. They both enjoyed activities such as Young Life, service projects and sports.
Charles skipped 11th grade and graduated from White Station in 1999. He went to University of Tennesse at Knoxville for his freshman year where his brother was currently attending. After his first year, Charles decided to transfer to Mississippi State University where he could major in Landscape Architecture. There he spent the following three years studying architecture and heavily involved in Reformed University Fellowship. He finished the 5-year program in 4 years.
South America Mission
Building Leaders to Build Churches
South America Mission serves in 5 countries in a variety of ministries.In the U.S. it is known as South America Mission. In Canada it is known as Canadian South America Mission.
We are an interdenominational faith mission. Therefore, we work in partnership with believers from many different churches. This means missionaries from many denominations and backgrounds serve together in biblical unity. All missionaries with South America Mission must unreservedly affirm together the ancient truths of the faith. For our statement of faith click here.
Characteristics
The strategy: We believe South America must be won to Christ by South Americans and the only way there will be enough witnessing believers to fulfill the vision is through the discipling and training of local Christians God is placing in leadership in the churches.
Therefore:
South America Mission began in 1914 with an emphasis on reaching the tribal peoples of inland South America with the gospel. Rural and urban ministries grew as missionaries sought to witness to Christ in their evolving contexts. Over the last 90 years, hundreds of missionaries have invested their lives and talents under the conviction that Jesus Christ is real hope for all nations. Today our focus and passion are unwavering. The tremendous spiritual heritage we have continues to spur us to seek God's glory in the nations of South America.
For more information on South America Mission please visit www.SouthAmericaMission.org
We are an interdenominational faith mission. Therefore, we work in partnership with believers from many different churches. This means missionaries from many denominations and backgrounds serve together in biblical unity. All missionaries with South America Mission must unreservedly affirm together the ancient truths of the faith. For our statement of faith click here.
Characteristics
- Evangelical: We are unapologetic in clinging to Christ as the only hope for the nations and to the Bible as the inerrant word of God as we work in Christian unity with like-minded believers.
- Church-centered: We minister with and through the local believers in order to strengthen the witness and faithfulness of local expressions of the Body of Christ.
- Relational: We embrace Christ's incarnational and relational ministry as a model for our partnership with each other and interaction with the host cultures we serve.
- Creative: We adopt creative, contextual approaches to communicate the gospel more effectively across a wide variety of ministry environments.
- Accountable: We seek to maintain high standards of integrity in the use of the talents and resources God has entrusted to us for ministry.
- Dependent: We humbly acknowlege that apart from Christ we can do nothing and desire to be a corps of missionaries intimately familiar with our Savior.
The strategy: We believe South America must be won to Christ by South Americans and the only way there will be enough witnessing believers to fulfill the vision is through the discipling and training of local Christians God is placing in leadership in the churches.
Therefore:
- We must focus most of our resources on the discipling and training of leaders from within those churches who will in turn repeat the process until growing, witnessing churches are multiplied across the continent. We believe especially in the early stages, leaders are best developed in the context in which they will minister.
- We emphasize smaller, highly-contextualized, local training programs, which provide theological education as an essential part of the larger process of leadership development. We believe while Biblical leadership requires knowledge and skills, it is ultimately based on character. We believe there is no substitute for relationships in developing character.
- We are committed to structured discipleship models which faithfully and effectively impart knowledge of the Bible while facilitating teacher-disciple relationships in the context of life and ministry.
- Church Planting and Development
- Discipleship
- Leadership Development
- Holistic Ministries
- SAMAIR
- MK Education and Support
South America Mission began in 1914 with an emphasis on reaching the tribal peoples of inland South America with the gospel. Rural and urban ministries grew as missionaries sought to witness to Christ in their evolving contexts. Over the last 90 years, hundreds of missionaries have invested their lives and talents under the conviction that Jesus Christ is real hope for all nations. Today our focus and passion are unwavering. The tremendous spiritual heritage we have continues to spur us to seek God's glory in the nations of South America.
For more information on South America Mission please visit www.SouthAmericaMission.org
Guestbook
Comments Page
We would love to hear from you!
So Please feel free to leave responses, comments or notes.
Since not all of us are completely comfortable with technology we have included instructions to make life easier, so happy commenting!
1. Scroll to the bottom of this page and click on “post a comment”
2. Write your comment in the text box provided.
3. Choose an identity. If you do not have a username and password please select “other” and fill in the “name” field. The web page field is optional.
4. Complete the word verification box by writing in the coloured, funny looking letters you see above. The word verification box is to guard against junk advertisers.
Keep in Touch
You don’t have to be on the mission field to send an update on what’s going on with you.
Physical Address:
Charles and Hannah McCall
South America Mission
Casilla 2010
Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Physical Address:
Charles and Hannah McCall
South America Mission
Casilla 2010
Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Email Addresses:
Charles chazymac@gmail.com
Hannah and Charles chazymac@hotmail.com
chmccall@samlink.org
To send packages, you can send them to the Bolivia address or send them to the SAM Home Office
SAM Home Office Address:
1021 Maxwell Mill Rd.
Hannah and Charles chazymac@hotmail.com
chmccall@samlink.org
To send packages, you can send them to the Bolivia address or send them to the SAM Home Office
SAM Home Office Address:
1021 Maxwell Mill Rd.
Suite B Fort Mill, SC 29708-7852
The Ayoré Ministry
The Ayoré Ministry
The country of Bolivia is today among the poorest in South America. But among the poorest in this country are the Ayoré Indians (pronounced Eye-O-Ray). The Ayoré are despised, unprotected and relatively unknown even in their own country. But God knows every tribe and nation, and God knows and loves the Ayoré.
On a gloomy, rainy night in the sordid squalor of the Indian slum on the outskirts of Santa Cruz where he lived, an Ayoré chief’s son Benial called out to God on behalf of his cousin, a pregnant young woman, who writhing with pain, was struggling in labor for the third day. Her body was wracked with pain and fever, and death seemed to hover close in the shadows.
When Benial, in desperation, finally called out to God, God answered. Miles away, in a quiet “barrio” of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, husband and wife missionary
Doctors Placido and Toni Mercado, arrived home after a strenuous day of travel. Toni felt urgently impressed to go once again to the Ayoré slum encampment. Though Placido thought going out on such a night was a little crazy, he respected his wife’s strong conviction and went with her. When they arrived so unexpectedly at the slum entrance, Benial, using earthy terms that would make a sailor blush, praised God in heaven for answering his cry. The Mercados took the young woman to the hospital and delivered a lifeless fetus. But the mother’s life was spared, and Benial came to believe in Jesus Christ: this Jesus of whom the Mercados had so often told him. Benial found that Jesus is the true God who answers prayer.
A radical change occurred in Benial. He stopped his destructive drinking and drug habits immediately. A hunger to know more about this prayer-answering God took him to the Ammi Bible Training Center in Brazil for five years. As he contemplated the greatness of God through Bible study, his language cleaned up, his arrogance faded, and a concern for his people grew. Back home after graduation, he began sharing the hope and strength received from God, who had pulled his own life out of a horrible pit. Drug abuse, prostitution and begging were normal life for the Ayoré living on the outskirts of Santa Cruz. Benial’s heart was heavy for his people.
The Ayoré were originally a nomadic group roaming the bush in eastern Bolivia and northern Paraguay. They were notorious for their “kill or be killed” relationship with ranchers, settlers or anyone who dared invade their ancestral territory. In the words of Bill Pencille, one of SAM’s first missionaries to the Ayoré:
“Like Ishmael in the Bible, ‘Their hand was against every man and every man’s hand was against them’”.
In the 18th century, Catholic missionaries attempted to establish a Jesuit mission among them, but the Ayoré disappeared into the jungle after killing the priests. In the 1930’s, SAM Missionary George Haight made a brief, peaceful contact, but was unable to establish continuous mission work. Then, in 1943, a group of Ayoré killed five New Tribes missionaries who were attempting to make contact. However, neither SAM nor New Tribes gave up. Aware of the inevitable encroachment of outsiders into Ayoré territory, these missions knew that it was only a matter of time before bullets, disease or slavery would wipe out the Ayorés. With this in mind, the Missions developed mission-owned properties, which eventually became the Ayoré villages of today. Then in the early 1950’s, God finally opened the door: South America Mission worked with the Ayoré for a number of years and established small, fledging churches in two villages.
However, by the end of the 1970’s, SAM found itself lacking the missionary personnel to maintain a permanent presence among the Ayoré. Fifteen years later, in 1995, John Depue, a soon-to-retire SAM missionary, invited Drs. Placido and Toni Mercado to visit Poza Verde, one of the Ayoré reservations. Placido, though a Bolivian himself, was shocked by the living conditions of the people. His feelings intensified after visiting Barrio Bolivar, an Ayoré camp on the outskirts of the city of Santa Cruz. The camp lacked decent housing, water and even basic sanitation. There he was greeted with the sickening smell of cocaine paste being smoked by young people lounging on the muddy ground. Young women with empty eyes stared at him, and then turned away to offer themselves to a passing trucker. The babies this lifestyle produced were left
under the visibly inadequate care of grandmothers completely unprepared for rearing children under such conditions. Without trained leadership, the Ayoré church was dead.
As a result of those first visits, Dr. Placido Mercado changed the focus of his life. He decided to dedicate his life to helping the Ayoré. Because they were doctors, the Mercados clearly saw the Ayorés’ need for physical as well as spiritual help. In 1995, even though they were both still in medical school, they began regular medical and evangelistic visits to Poza Verde and Barrio Bolivar. God placed an ongoing burden in their hearts. Later that same year, God brought a spiritual re-awakening in the Ayoré camps where they were working; the Ayoré began to come back to their own native church.
Today, the Mercados have expanded their work to include man
y Ayoré camps and reservations, concentrating on villages where no other missions work. To join the Mercados, God has raised up a group of Bolivians and Americans to help:
Dra. Sandra, Dr. Raul, Dra. Carmen, Lucy, Pablo, Charles and Hannah McCall, Ayoréos-Benial, Rocio, and Sarόn – all of whom have a heart for the poor and for those not yet touched by God’s redeeming love.
Charles and Hannah joined the team in 2005, taki
ng over major community development projects and the childrens’ ministry. Charles has started a ministry with the Ayoré men, training them as gardeners in order to better support their families. The ministry is growing and has proven very successful. The men receive training, a portion of the profit, and are exposed to the Gospel through a small devotional time with Charles. This year he plans to improve the sanitary conditions in the communities as well as design plans for government housing. Hannah, on the other hand, visits the childr
en in several villages throughout the week. She uses flannel graph, crafts, and more to teach Bible lessons to the children. Hannah also does all of the administration work at the Ayoré medical clinic. Together they lead a Bible study to young Ayoré couples who have shown inte
rest in growing their faith. In addition, each of them spend a good deal of time mentoring to growing believers that hopefully will take their place in ministry with the Ayoré.
The heart of this ministry is a passion to see Jesus transform lives as He did for Benial. Clearly the key to growth, strength and effectiveness in the Ayoré church is the development of growing, strong and effective Ayoré church leaders. To that end, the Ayoré ministry invests a large portion of its’ annual budget in leadership training. One way this is done is to send families to Ammi, South America Mission’s Indian Bible training center just over the border in Brazil. This school’s focus is on training Indian people in the Bible so they can return as witnesses to their own people. A core value at Ammi is discipleship, and we have seen wonderful results in those we have sent so far. Benial and his wife Leoncia, the first couple to go and graduate, live in Poza Verde and are in charge of the church there. They also participate in evangelistic trips to other villages where there are believers, but no trained leaders.
The heartbreak of the Ayorés’ situation naturally led to a holistic ministry. We believe that James speaks to us when he says that if someone is in need, and we do nothing about it, then our faith is dead. It is difficult to convince people of God’s love when they see that our needs and wants are provided for, but we have no interest in helping them get life’s basic necessities. Thus, healthcare, education and community development go hand in hand with evangelism, church planting and leadership training. Not surprisingly, the greatest needs are first healthcare, for the sick and the undernourished, then education so they can function in Bolivian society, and third, a means of livelihood so they can be self-sustaining. We seek to address all of these areas of real need as agents of Christ’s love.
The healthcare provided by the ministry includes basic medical assistance, aid with hospitalization, labs and medicine, counseling, and also training village health workers. We also help those who qualify to apply for free government health programs.
Our efforts in education are, unfortunately, very limited at present by a lack of personnel. However, we do provide aid in obtaining the documents and school supplies necessary for children to attend school. Many Ayorés still only speak Ayoré and not Spanish. There is an urgent need for someone to work with the few Ayore teachers to help them become effective in bi-lingual education. At this time, most of the native teachers have less than a fourth-grade education and have only meager resources at their disposal.
Community development is our third goal. We encourage the women to pursue and expand the production of their beautiful traditional woven purses, which for many is an alternative to prostitution or begging. We purchase these bags to offer for sale at our ministry office. We also encourage visitors to the villages to buy these true souvenirs of Bolivia. However, this still doesn’t generate enough money to cover a family’s basic needs.
Several agricultural projects have been successful, but have not yet proved to be sustainable and manageable by the Ayoré themselves. We continue to provide seed and basic assistance to those who have cleared land for planting. We hope to partner with another mission in developing a sustainable project specifically designed to make the best use of the natural resources available to nomadic, hunter-gatherer groups on reservations. In order to see this part of the vision fulfilled, we will need people with skills in natural resources and environmental science. The Ayoréos we asked about this project showed an overwhelmingly positive response.
God has again opened a door to South America Mission, to make His glory known among the Ayoré. Please pray for that God will raise up the people and the financial backing to keep this ministry alive. And after you pray, we hope that you will commit yourselves to keep on praying for and giving to this ministry, for a people despised and rejected by men, but loved by God: the Ayoré of Bolivia.
The country of Bolivia is today among the poorest in South America. But among the poorest in this country are the Ayoré Indians (pronounced Eye-O-Ray). The Ayoré are despised, unprotected and relatively unknown even in their own country. But God knows every tribe and nation, and God knows and loves the Ayoré.
On a gloomy, rainy night in the sordid squalor of the Indian slum on the outskirts of Santa Cruz where he lived, an Ayoré chief’s son Benial called out to God on behalf of his cousin, a pregnant young woman, who writhing with pain, was struggling in labor for the third day. Her body was wracked with pain and fever, and death seemed to hover close in the shadows.
When Benial, in desperation, finally called out to God, God answered. Miles away, in a quiet “barrio” of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, husband and wife missionary
Doctors Placido and Toni Mercado, arrived home after a strenuous day of travel. Toni felt urgently impressed to go once again to the Ayoré slum encampment. Though Placido thought going out on such a night was a little crazy, he respected his wife’s strong conviction and went with her. When they arrived so unexpectedly at the slum entrance, Benial, using earthy terms that would make a sailor blush, praised God in heaven for answering his cry. The Mercados took the young woman to the hospital and delivered a lifeless fetus. But the mother’s life was spared, and Benial came to believe in Jesus Christ: this Jesus of whom the Mercados had so often told him. Benial found that Jesus is the true God who answers prayer.A radical change occurred in Benial. He stopped his destructive drinking and drug habits immediately. A hunger to know more about this prayer-answering God took him to the Ammi Bible Training Center in Brazil for five years. As he contemplated the greatness of God through Bible study, his language cleaned up, his arrogance faded, and a concern for his people grew. Back home after graduation, he began sharing the hope and strength received from God, who had pulled his own life out of a horrible pit. Drug abuse, prostitution and begging were normal life for the Ayoré living on the outskirts of Santa Cruz. Benial’s heart was heavy for his people.
The Ayoré were originally a nomadic group roaming the bush in eastern Bolivia and northern Paraguay. They were notorious for their “kill or be killed” relationship with ranchers, settlers or anyone who dared invade their ancestral territory. In the words of Bill Pencille, one of SAM’s first missionaries to the Ayoré:
“Like Ishmael in the Bible, ‘Their hand was against every man and every man’s hand was against them’”.
In the 18th century, Catholic missionaries attempted to establish a Jesuit mission among them, but the Ayoré disappeared into the jungle after killing the priests. In the 1930’s, SAM Missionary George Haight made a brief, peaceful contact, but was unable to establish continuous mission work. Then, in 1943, a group of Ayoré killed five New Tribes missionaries who were attempting to make contact. However, neither SAM nor New Tribes gave up. Aware of the inevitable encroachment of outsiders into Ayoré territory, these missions knew that it was only a matter of time before bullets, disease or slavery would wipe out the Ayorés. With this in mind, the Missions developed mission-owned properties, which eventually became the Ayoré villages of today. Then in the early 1950’s, God finally opened the door: South America Mission worked with the Ayoré for a number of years and established small, fledging churches in two villages.
However, by the end of the 1970’s, SAM found itself lacking the missionary personnel to maintain a permanent presence among the Ayoré. Fifteen years later, in 1995, John Depue, a soon-to-retire SAM missionary, invited Drs. Placido and Toni Mercado to visit Poza Verde, one of the Ayoré reservations. Placido, though a Bolivian himself, was shocked by the living conditions of the people. His feelings intensified after visiting Barrio Bolivar, an Ayoré camp on the outskirts of the city of Santa Cruz. The camp lacked decent housing, water and even basic sanitation. There he was greeted with the sickening smell of cocaine paste being smoked by young people lounging on the muddy ground. Young women with empty eyes stared at him, and then turned away to offer themselves to a passing trucker. The babies this lifestyle produced were left
under the visibly inadequate care of grandmothers completely unprepared for rearing children under such conditions. Without trained leadership, the Ayoré church was dead.As a result of those first visits, Dr. Placido Mercado changed the focus of his life. He decided to dedicate his life to helping the Ayoré. Because they were doctors, the Mercados clearly saw the Ayorés’ need for physical as well as spiritual help. In 1995, even though they were both still in medical school, they began regular medical and evangelistic visits to Poza Verde and Barrio Bolivar. God placed an ongoing burden in their hearts. Later that same year, God brought a spiritual re-awakening in the Ayoré camps where they were working; the Ayoré began to come back to their own native church.
Today, the Mercados have expanded their work to include man
y Ayoré camps and reservations, concentrating on villages where no other missions work. To join the Mercados, God has raised up a group of Bolivians and Americans to help:Dra. Sandra, Dr. Raul, Dra. Carmen, Lucy, Pablo, Charles and Hannah McCall, Ayoréos-Benial, Rocio, and Sarόn – all of whom have a heart for the poor and for those not yet touched by God’s redeeming love.
Charles and Hannah joined the team in 2005, taki
ng over major community development projects and the childrens’ ministry. Charles has started a ministry with the Ayoré men, training them as gardeners in order to better support their families. The ministry is growing and has proven very successful. The men receive training, a portion of the profit, and are exposed to the Gospel through a small devotional time with Charles. This year he plans to improve the sanitary conditions in the communities as well as design plans for government housing. Hannah, on the other hand, visits the childr
en in several villages throughout the week. She uses flannel graph, crafts, and more to teach Bible lessons to the children. Hannah also does all of the administration work at the Ayoré medical clinic. Together they lead a Bible study to young Ayoré couples who have shown inte
rest in growing their faith. In addition, each of them spend a good deal of time mentoring to growing believers that hopefully will take their place in ministry with the Ayoré.The heart of this ministry is a passion to see Jesus transform lives as He did for Benial. Clearly the key to growth, strength and effectiveness in the Ayoré church is the development of growing, strong and effective Ayoré church leaders. To that end, the Ayoré ministry invests a large portion of its’ annual budget in leadership training. One way this is done is to send families to Ammi, South America Mission’s Indian Bible training center just over the border in Brazil. This school’s focus is on training Indian people in the Bible so they can return as witnesses to their own people. A core value at Ammi is discipleship, and we have seen wonderful results in those we have sent so far. Benial and his wife Leoncia, the first couple to go and graduate, live in Poza Verde and are in charge of the church there. They also participate in evangelistic trips to other villages where there are believers, but no trained leaders.
The heartbreak of the Ayorés’ situation naturally led to a holistic ministry. We believe that James speaks to us when he says that if someone is in need, and we do nothing about it, then our faith is dead. It is difficult to convince people of God’s love when they see that our needs and wants are provided for, but we have no interest in helping them get life’s basic necessities. Thus, healthcare, education and community development go hand in hand with evangelism, church planting and leadership training. Not surprisingly, the greatest needs are first healthcare, for the sick and the undernourished, then education so they can function in Bolivian society, and third, a means of livelihood so they can be self-sustaining. We seek to address all of these areas of real need as agents of Christ’s love.
The healthcare provided by the ministry includes basic medical assistance, aid with hospitalization, labs and medicine, counseling, and also training village health workers. We also help those who qualify to apply for free government health programs.
Our efforts in education are, unfortunately, very limited at present by a lack of personnel. However, we do provide aid in obtaining the documents and school supplies necessary for children to attend school. Many Ayorés still only speak Ayoré and not Spanish. There is an urgent need for someone to work with the few Ayore teachers to help them become effective in bi-lingual education. At this time, most of the native teachers have less than a fourth-grade education and have only meager resources at their disposal.
Community development is our third goal. We encourage the women to pursue and expand the production of their beautiful traditional woven purses, which for many is an alternative to prostitution or begging. We purchase these bags to offer for sale at our ministry office. We also encourage visitors to the villages to buy these true souvenirs of Bolivia. However, this still doesn’t generate enough money to cover a family’s basic needs.
Several agricultural projects have been successful, but have not yet proved to be sustainable and manageable by the Ayoré themselves. We continue to provide seed and basic assistance to those who have cleared land for planting. We hope to partner with another mission in developing a sustainable project specifically designed to make the best use of the natural resources available to nomadic, hunter-gatherer groups on reservations. In order to see this part of the vision fulfilled, we will need people with skills in natural resources and environmental science. The Ayoréos we asked about this project showed an overwhelmingly positive response.
God has again opened a door to South America Mission, to make His glory known among the Ayoré. Please pray for that God will raise up the people and the financial backing to keep this ministry alive. And after you pray, we hope that you will commit yourselves to keep on praying for and giving to this ministry, for a people despised and rejected by men, but loved by God: the Ayoré of Bolivia.
Bolivia
The city of La Paz, the administrative capital of Bolivia, is a manufacturing and export center. La Paz is located in the Andes Mountains. In this view of the city, the mountain called Illimani can be seen in the background. 
Few residents live in the Yungas region of Bolivia, which is northeast of the Andean highlands on the eastern slopes of the Andes Mountains. It is one of four major land regions in the country.
Source of Photos and captions:
http://encarta.msn.com/medias_761563800/Bolivia.html
Llamas serve as pack animals in the Altiplano, a high, treeless plateau stretching from southwestern Bolivia to southern Peru.
Potosí, which is situated more than 4,180 m (13,710 ft) above sea level, is one of the world’s highest inhabited cities. It is a leading mining center for Bolivia. Pictured here is a man working at the Comsur Don Diego Zinc Processing Plant in Potosí.
Few residents live in the Yungas region of Bolivia, which is northeast of the Andean highlands on the eastern slopes of the Andes Mountains. It is one of four major land regions in the country.
Lake Titicaca in northern Bolivia is the second largest lake in South America and the highest navigable lake in the world. Native Americans living in this treeless region make canoes out of tule or other bulrushes lashed together. The region around the lake contains architectural remains of early Native American civilizations; some of these remains date to before the Inca civilization.
Source of Photos and captions:http://encarta.msn.com/medias_761563800/Bolivia.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)