A thank you from The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod for LWML Mission Grants. Originally shown at the 2021 LWML Convention in Lexington, Kentucky.
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But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed … to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:14–15).
The Mission Training Center (MTC) program provides training for lay leaders and evangelists so that they can lead worship. Some of the evangelists have the opportunity to attend seminary and become ordained.God's timing is always perfect and you, as God’s Gracious Givers, were part of His plan. In early November 2020, the first wave of the coronavirus had come through, and many African countries were beginning to relax some constraints and allow churches to gather again. This is when the 2019–2021 LWML Mission Grant #15 was paid in full — $62,650.
Project Manager, LCMS Missionary John Wolf, Africa Region, writes: “The grant offers the opportunities to strengthen pastors and evangelists in villages across Africa to better shepherd the congregations and communities God has entrusted into their care. In one particular country, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a church body desired to bring their pastors together for theological training and to encourage church members in their response to the COVID situation in their country. This church, the Evangelical Lutheran Community in Eastern Congo (ELCEC), had just requested assistance, and through the LWML grant, we were able to help.
“Located in the eastern DRC where French and Swahili are commonly spoken, the ELCEC has about 6,200 members who are supported by only 12 pastors and eight evangelists, not all of whom received formal theological training before beginning service within the church. Through this grant, 20 individuals received two weeks of training on pastoral care, Luther's small catechism, liturgy, and theology to be better equipped to ensure quality teachings in a spiritual framework to their congregations.
In December 2020, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK) requested pre-seminary training for lay leaders who often lead worship due to the shortage of pastors. “Through the gift from the LWML, we are able to support the ELCK for their Mission Training Center program, which helps cover transportation and meals, plus the provision of training material.”
“Your support came at just the right time, as many in Africa struggle with the economic impacts and school absences that resulted from COVID-19. However, people are encouraged when they learn from a pastor or other church worker about the love of God and forgiveness through Christ. Through the efforts of the LWML and the mite offerings contributed, God's hand is already at work to bring even more people unto Himself. [We are deeply grateful] for the gift of support to equip pastors and evangelists to share the Gospel with so many on this continent who need to hear about their salvation through Christ.”
For more information about this mission grant, view the individual mission grant page here.
Inspired to share His Gospel, Lutheran Women in Mission has partnered with KFUO Radio to expand its Gospel Outreach Ministry.
At the LWML 2019 National Convention in Mobile, Alabama, KFUO was awarded a mission grant of $60,000 with the purpose of improving KFUO’s current equipment and acquiring the latest technology. New technology will help increase listenership and bring the Gospel to more people around the world. This grant was PAID IN FULL in the Fall of 2020.
Upon receiving the grant, KFUO set into motion its first technology improvement project: creating a new KFUO app. This app will help KFUO’s listeners in a variety of ways.
Reaching the Younger Generation: Each new generation incorporates more and more technology in their daily routines. The new KFUO app will make God’s Word and faithful teaching more accessible to its listeners, hopefully creating a daily habit for all generations, but especially those in high school and college.
Supporting Our Military Men and Women: The new KFUO app makes the station’s Christ-centered programs accessible to people who are always on the move, including our military. Having the KFUO app on their smartphone means no need for a computer to bring great Bible teaching, sacred music, and Lutheran worship services to listeners. They will have access to God’s Word wherever their journey takes them. The app includes a feature called “Connected Car,” which enables traveling listeners to easily enjoy the KFUO live stream and on-demand programs in their car.
Helping Our Missionaries: Having the KFUO app means being able to hear the station’s programs in a simple and accessible way. They also can share KFUO with others.
Making the Gospel Accessible to the Homebound: The KFUO app on a mobile device or tablet makes live and on-demand programs accessible for the homebound. Having the app on these smart device means having Christ-centered programming at hand, even if their mobility is limited.
KFUO Radio broadcasts a variety of Christ-centered programing to people all around the world, including Bible studies, daily devotions, sacred music, apologetics, and more. “KFUO’s listenership has increased greatly since the beginning of COVID-19,” stated Gary Duncan, Executive Director of KFUO. “People want to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ now, more than ever. We are thankful for LWML and their generous grant, allowing us to stay current in this digital age.”
For more information about this mission grant, view the individual mission grant page here.
By God’s grace, and LWML faithful giving, Mission Grant #9 Wind River Indian Reservation Transportation — Wind River Lutheran Mission has been PAID IN FULL.
What dream came true with this mission grant? The dream of a new van!
With the purchase of a church building near Fort Washakie in the spring of 1978 by the LCMS Wyoming District, the mission work with the Shoshone and Arapaho Native American tribes began. A large part of this ministry is focused on outreach to the children of the Wind River Indian Reservation. Due to the distance from their homes, and with transportation options being limited, very few children are able to attend the Bible classes in Fort Washakie (an 88-mile round trip) and Crowheart (a 60-mile round trip). A 2001 Ford Econoline van with over 200,000 miles was starting to show its age, even with maintenance and repairs.
Wind River Lutheran Mission (WRLM) works with the Shoshone and Arapaho tribes and is currently the only existing full-time mission with a pastor living on site. That pastor is Rev. Gregory Sonnenschein with his ministry partner and wife, Rachel.
The Bible classes at Fort Washakie and Crowheart are the mission’s best, and in most instances, the only, opportunity to share the Gospel of Christ with the children living on the Reservation. Even when there is little active involvement from the parents in either the children’s education or church attendance, the parents grant the WRLM staff permission to pick up their children and take them to Sunday school or VBS. There, the children learn about Jesus and become Christ-bearers, shining their light and pointing their families to the Savior.
Jeffrey Snyder, Business Manager for the LCMS Wyoming District, shared, “The specific type of van required to make the weekly trips was difficult to obtain, given our remote location and few options nearby. Thankfully, the right type of van was found in Southern Utah. The Ford Transit 350 Medium cab is the perfect van for small children and also the taller children (who can be taller than Pastor and Rachel!), and the enhanced safety features are a great benefit. In our world, snow tires will definitely be needed, and new stenciling with the church’s name will be added soon. We give thanks to God for this wonderful and generous gift that should give years and years of service to Pastor and Rachel Sonnenschein and the children of the Wind River Reservation!”
For more information about this mission grant, view the individual mission grant page here.
By Linda Tape, Holy Cross Guatemala committee chairman with Cheri Fish, Mission Editor
Guatemala struggles to address the needs of its people, especially of those who are the poorest of the poor. In Zacapa, people who have lost jobs or do not have the means to support themselves live in the local landfill and try to meet their needs by rummaging through the waste.
Divine Savior Lutheran Church in Zacapa, Guatemala, is partnering with Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas, to help the children who live there. Six years ago, the two congregations developed the Lights for Christ program. Divine Savior has a tuition-based Lutheran school and, through donations from Holy Cross, 14 elementary-aged children (up to grade six) are receiving a Christ centered education — free of charge.
Many of the students begin their day early in the morning, traveling by bus to school where they receive breakfast before attending classes. They are also given lunch and then spend their afternoons with a tutor who helps them with homework. During this time, the children receive additional Christian love and education.
Last year, five of the Lights for Christ children graduated and proceeded to middle school. Thanks to an LWML grant, these children will be able to continue their education. The grant, so lovingly approved, will pay many of the costs associated with their education. Without a middle school education, these five have little chance of escaping the landfill.
Schools in Guatemala have been closed since March 2020 because of COVID-19. The Lutheran school in Zacapa sends lessons to students via text or email or by providing hard copies when families have no electronic devices. Because the children in the landfill have no electronic access, they, of course, receive the paper copies. The Director of the Lights for Christ Program, Cory Vargas, has been traveling to the landfill, taking lessons to the children, working with them, and helping the tutor who meets with them.
Having to work on lessons in the landfill has been a challenge for the students, but, through the love and commitment of Ms. Cory and the program’s volunteers in Zacapa, the students have continued to learn. Recently, Holy Cross sent more monetary donations to purchase a computer which is located at the tutor’s home in the landfill. This grant also pays for internet access.
Because of the loving and committed work of friends in Zacapa, the children in the landfill continue to learn! The Wichita Lutheran Women in Mission are thrilled to know that the five students who started with the program graduated at the end of 2020!
Thank you, LWML, for helping Holy Cross work with these children and our friends in Zacapa to provide them with a Christian education. The program is reaching them, sometimes one child at a time! We pray and hope each one will continue to learn and grow in their faith, so that, one day, they can, in turn, help their community in the landfill.
This story was originally featured in the Summer 2021 Lutheran Woman's Quarterly. Order your subscription here.
For more information about this mission grant, view the individual mission grant page here.
The Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML) continues to support missions and missionaries in Europe with a series of Bible studies translated into Russian and Ukrainian. The Bible studies, written by well-known author Donna Snow, were originally published by the LWML in English. With grants from several districts, and in cooperation with the WORDrus Mission Society, eight multi-session Bible studies are now available to missionaries and individuals as free downloads.
Below is a thank you video from the WORDrus Mission Society:
The Bible studies have been doctrinally reviewed and are accurate translations that convey Lutheran biblical teaching and doctrine. The LWML is excited to offer these materials in Russian and Ukrainian, as well as in English, to those who will benefit from using them in their native languages of heart and soul.
View LWML Bible Studies in Russian
View LWML Bible Studies in Ukrainian
Inspired by Christ’s love, you gave. Thank you! Inspired to share His Gospel story, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, is using LWML Mission Grant #19 “Making Jesus Known in U.S. Ethnic Communities” to help fund the education costs of the student/church workers enrolled in their Center of Hispanic Studies (CHS) and Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology (EIIT) ministerial formation programs. Concurrent with their distance education studies, these students, virtually all of whom are first-generation immigrants, are serving in ministry positions to share the Gospel among their immigrant/ethnic communities throughout the United States.
The mission of the CHS is to make Jesus known in Hispanic/Latino communities, and EIIT’s mission is to share the Gospel among communities comprising other immigrant groups, largely those from countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. As many of these programs’ students live amid strained financial circumstances, they have a strong need for the student financial aid that this LWML grant provides.
Andrés Valencia, a native of Santiago, Chile, is a CHS student who serves Saint Paul Lutheran Church in Mount Prospect, Illinois. He previously served in college ministry for 10 years in Santiago and in Puebla, Mexico. He serves as Saint Paul Lutheran’s full-time multicultural coordinator and leads the congregation’s weekly service in Spanish.
“I’m serving with my church to reach out to the Hispanic population around Mount Prospect,” Valencia says. “We want to bring more people to God, and we’re doing this by first fulfilling their physical needs and then talking with them about God and faith. God is calling me to build my theological knowledge and to be able to dive deeply into sharing the Word of God.”
Soe Moe is an EIIT student who serves at Southwest Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana. His parents, who are from Burma, fled that country during its long period of military rule and considerable unrest. He was born in Thailand, and his family lived for 11 years in a refugee camp along the Thai-Burma border before coming to the United States.
As a teenager, his devotion to the Lord increased considerably when he worked at a Lutheran summer camp three years in a row. “I realized how amazing God is, and that He’s always there for us,” he says. He adds that he also realized that his calling is to become a youth pastor. “I very much want to continue bringing the Good News to young people and giving them hope,” he says.
LWML Mission Grant #19 “Making Jesus Known in U.S. Ethnic Communities” for $100,000 has been paid in full, thanks to the generous giving of LWML donors who were led by the Spirit to share His Gospel story.
For more information about this mission grant, view the individual mission grant page here.
