2017–2019 Mission Grant #18: Tanzanian Sewing Center—Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT); $25,000; fully paid

An update from Tanzania: Sewing Project Graduation

We are so glad that the girls have graduated with very good results. They now know how to sew different clothes for themselves and for their  children and parents. They have learned also the life skills. We are glad that we planned to train 50 girls and we trained 53.  We got 19 girls got challenges and they did not finish. We recruited 70 of them because of the great need.

One girl got a child at the center and other 4 were taught how to nurture their children.

We pray for LWML to grow. And we thank them for this great work. We need to contunue to help more girls this year and ahed.

Thank you.
Emmanuel

The Tanzanian Sewing Center will be highlighted at the 2019 LWML Convention with a Mites in Action speaker and a special interest luncheon. Learn more about convention here.

For more information about this mission grant, view the individual mission grant page here.

2017–2019 Mission Grant: Equipping Youth to Witness for Life — Y4Life, $25,000

Y4Life — Sharing The Gospel Through Life Issues

The decision of how to confront an unplanned pregnancy faces teens and young adults more than any other age group. Out of the 1.2 million abortions that take place every year in the United States, most are performed on young, single women. At the current rate, nearly one third of women will have an abortion in their lifetime, so it is likely that Lutheran youth will come into contact with someone facing this kind of decision: possibly a close friend, family member, or even themselves.

At the same time that youth and young adults are facing these life or death situations, they are hearing the message of the Gospel less and less. Approximately 27 percent of those who have an abortion have no religious affiliation. Through this heart-wrenching situation, God provides us with a wonderful opportunity to share the Gospel.

The purpose of the Y4Life program at Lutherans For Life is to equip young people to be Gospel-motivated voices for Life. Through education, training and service learning, these young people will be ready to provide guidance and information about Life issues and will be credible witnesses of the Gospel to their peers.

The $25,000 LWML Mission Grant at the 2017 Albuquerque Convention is being used to expand the current campus ministry programs to include all who attend Lutheran high schools: Lutherans and those of other backgrounds and faiths. These programs will equip youth to be Gospel-motivated voices for Life through identifying, training, and mentoring student leaders and faculty, as well as providing ongoing support to existing Life groups on Lutheran campuses.

Since 2017, we have been laying the groundwork for future success. This has included a college-age intern who is responsible for communicating with Lutheran high schools and researching their Life ministry needs. We have also expanded our existing programs hosting our first mini-conference for students at the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. In 2018, our first year hosting the event, we had over 75 students attend, eager to learn more about witnessing to the Gospel through Life issues.

Ongoing outreach events will allow us to share our message and ministry, including our Y4LifeServant Event Program. Servant events are weekend-long trips that introduce high school students to life-affirming ministries in their own community: pregnancy centers, disabilities ministries, and senior centers. After the event, many students will continue to serve at these ministries with a newfound respect for life at all of its stages.

We also plan on adding a new full-time Director of High School Ministry to our Y4Life staff, as we currently have only one full-time staff member. Adding this new position will allow for more hands-on work targeted specifically at recruiting, training, mentoring, and supporting high school-aged leaders. We hope to officially launch the new Y4Life High School Ministry at the end of 2019.

We sincerely thank the LWML for this mission grant to enable us to reach out to answer a need by equipping young people to be Gospel-motivated voices for Life. This mission grant will provide education, training, and service learning for Lutheran students, not only to provide guidance and information about Life issues, but also to teach them be credible witnesses to the Gospel to their peers.

Download or print the story.

This story was originally featured in the Spring 2019 Lutheran Woman's Quarterly. Order your subscription here.

For more information about this mission grant, view the individual mission grant page here.

2017–2019 Mission Grant: Lutheran Children’s Books for Families Worldwide — Lutheran Heritage Foundation (LHF); $100,000; partially paid

Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML) has provided Bible storybooks for 30,000 families worldwide! You are Making an Impact through your prayers and mites for LWML Mission Grant #6 — “Lutheran Children’s Books for Families Worldwide.” Jen Bagwell of Lutheran Heritage Foundation shared, “the seeds of the Gospel are being scattered far and wide, and the Holy Spirit is causing deep roots to grow through His Word, written in a language children can read and understand.” Dr. Matthew Heise, LHF Executive Director, wrote, “...as always, we at the Lutheran Heritage Foundation are deeply thankful for the ongoing and generous support shown to this mission by the women of the LWML.” Several more titles are still to be printed with the funds from this grant, and updates will be given as the books are printed.

LWML funds have provided these books to date:

• A Child’s Garden of Bible Stories (Farsi, spoken by immigrants from Iran) — 9,000 copies
• A Child’s Garden of Bible Stories (Bahasa, spoken in Indonesia – Southeast Asia) — 5,000 copies
• A Child’s Garden of Bible Stories (Russian) — 3,000 copies
• A Child’s Garden of Bible Stories (Thai, Thailand) — 2,000 copies
• A Child’s Garden of Bible Stories (Vietnamese) — 3,000 copies
• A Child’s Garden of Bible Stories (Jingpho, Kachin — Burma, also called Myanmar) — 3,000 copies

Coming soon is:

• Lutheranism 101 for Kids (Bahasa, Indonesia) — 5,000 copies 

2017–2019 Mission Grant #18: Restoration Programs for Native Hawaiians—Lutheran Indian Ministries; $75,000; partially paid

Pictured are Kristen Kolell, LWML South Wisconsin District (SWD) VP of Mission Grants, and Jan Ladendorf, LWML SWD Recording Secretary, presenting a check on January 15, 2019, to Lutheran Indian Ministries Grant Administrator, Tim Youngeagle, for Grant #18 — Restoration Programs for Native Hawaiians. Tim stressed that there is great opportunity for ministry as the majority of native Hawaiians live in poverty which can contribute to dysfunctional behaviors in families, substance and sexual abuse, violence and suicide. You are making an impact with your prayers and mites helping native Hawaiians know the only true source of Truth, Hope, and Restoration. Tim has just returned from visiting Clarence DeLude III, a native Hawaiian, who has a Master’s Degree in Lutheran education and is enrolled in the Cross-cultural Ministry Center (CMC) program at Concordia, Irvine, CA, leading to ordination. Clarence is using various Gospel-oriented programs for youth and adults, as well as “Sacred Ground,” a healing program addressing addiction and trauma, as part of reaching out to the large homeless native population. This grant provides funds to support the outreach programs and aid in funding Clarence’s theological training

Pictured: Tim Youngeagle, Kristen Kolell, and Jan Ladendorf

For more information about this mission grant, view the individual mission grant page here.

2017–2019 Mission Grant: Mercy House for Women & Children, Flint, MI; $100,000; fully paid

Your mites have made an impact to the Women and Children of Flint, MI!  As an extension to the Franklin Avenue Mission (FAM) a future home for women and children, adjacent to the FAM Site, was purchased and the interior demolished.  Since receiving the funds for this grant, FAM has redesigned, remodeled and added-on to the structure.

From the January 31, 2019 Update Newsletter of the Franklin Avenue Mission we received the following: Mercy House chugs along towards a spring Ribbon Cutting with deck completion and landscaping as soon as the weather breaks. Photo shows, "From check in hand to spring 2019 completion."

For more information about this mission grant, view the individual mission grant page here.

2017–2019 Mission Grant: Family Scholarships for Short Term Mission Trips; $60,000 partially paid

You are Making an Impact with prayers and mites for an estimated 10,000–15,000 lives through Grant #21 — Family Scholarships for Short Term Trips. “It was a pleasure to present this partial payment for their Mission Grant!” said Susan Gruber, LWML Michigan District President. This partial payment for $20,000 will help provide scholarships for families participating in mission trips as the voice, hands and feet of Jesus. They will share their gifts and talents to help people in need by “empowering the found in reaching the lost.” Sarah DePriest from MOST shared, “We appreciate you all coming out and sharing a meal with us too … it’s always great for the board to put faces and names together and for them to know who is supporting us!”  In order for LWML members to hear “first hand” how mites are impacting lives, short term mission trip participants receiving scholarships will do post-trip presentations which include sharing their personal mission trip experiences in how the Gospel is engaging, equipping and encouraging others with the love of Jesus.

Pictured:  Sandy Hardies, Past District President (PDP); Susan Gruber, Current President, LWML Michigan District; Jan Gerzevske, Chairman of the Board of MOST; Barbara Hoffmeier, PDP; Anita Beyersdorf, PDP.  All of the Past District Presidents and President Susan have been on Mission trips through Mission Opportunities Short Term (MOST).  Sandy Hardies and Barbara Hoffmeier are team leaders.

For more information about this mission grant, view the individual mission grant page here.

2017–2019 Mission Grant: Prison and Jail Ministry Synod-wide Conference in 2018; $36,500 fully paid

I was in prison and you came to me ... (Matthew 25:36). Though you may never personally enter a prison cell, you are making an impact for those who have. This grant of $36,000 to help fund the third Synod-wide Prison and Jail Ministry Conference for 2018 has been paid in full thanks to your mite donations and prayers! Many of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) districts have or are organizing a Prison and/or Jail Ministry. This conference provides an opportunity for participants to share the difficulties and struggles for LCMS Volunteers ministering in our correctional facilities; receive training and support; and network with others in this very challenging ministry. The goal of this conference is to equip beginners, coordinators, and professional church workers and laity involved in prison/jail ministry with purposeful information through the workshops.  Attendees will also be furnished with special resources specific to this ministry from the LCMS, Concordia Publishing House (CPH), Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM), and other Recognized Service Organizations (RSOs) of the LCMS.

“We are very grateful for the generous grant monies we received from you in January, 2018. We praise the Lord for this blessing. With the use of the LWML Grant Monies, we are very busy preparing for our next Synod Wide Prison Ministry conference on August 17 and 18, 2018 at the Hilton St. Louis Airport. Our Theme and Scripture Verse is: ‘Captive Souls - Mercy for All’ from Romans 11:32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that He may have mercy on all,” shares Rev James Rivett, Head Coordinator of Prison Ministries of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Southern Illinois District.

Rev. Rivett also requests that if not attending, “please be praying about the Conference and direct others you know who are interested in or are already doing Prison or Jail Ministry to join us. It is very important that we get connected, share resources, and celebrate our Lord using us.”

From left to right----Rev. David Kollmeyer, Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Conant, and Zion Lutheran Church Pinckneyville (where the presentation was made). Pastor Kollmeyer is the Associate Coordinator of the Prison Ministry for the Southern Illinois District LCMS. Next are Mr. Jeffrey Fick, the Schools and General Executive of the Southern Il District of the LCMS; Helen Mayer, Past President of the SID LWML and Rev. James Rivett, Head Coordinator of Prison Ministries of the SID Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.

Inmates form a choir

Inmate receiving communion

At this conference is a panel discussion regarding funding - the panel includes from the left – Pastor Rivett, Pastor Kollmeyer. Pastor at Zion, Conant and one of the Southern Illinois District Prison Ministry Coordinators; Mr. Roger Smith, member of Our Redeemer Lutheran Greenville, IL. And Pr. Jeff Nehrt, Pastor of Our Redeemer and a SID Prison Ministry Coordinator.

Pastor Herb Mueller, presenting at a Conference

During the Conference: discussion time at each table.

For more information about this mission grant, view the individual mission grant page here.