If you enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving, you may have feasted on roasted turkey and gravy, with pumpkin pie for dessert. You may have spent time with family and friends and worshipped, thanking God for all His blessings.

Now let’s think of thanksgiving as a verb instead of a noun. We often give thanks for the blessings God has showered on us: our health, family, faith, friends, and even challenging circumstances that lead us to feel compassion for others. But let’s not forget about the second half of the word — giving. As we have been blessed, God calls us to bless others by giving. We can give by serving, by listening with understanding, and through donations so the Gospel message can be shared around the world.

This Tuesday is Giving Tuesday. You have the opportunity to give. Take the focus away from commercialism and celebrate our Savior by sharing His mercy and grace through LWML Mission Grants. Click here and share Christ!

In His service, surrounded by His grace,

Debbie Larson

President
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

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2019–2021 Mission Grant #20 — Music Outreach, Classes, and Resources on the Border — Ysleta Lutheran Mission Human Care, El Paso, Texas — $98,400

This project touches my heart because of my love for music. Praising my Savior all the day long nourishes my soul, especially when the tribulations of life weigh me down. Our church purchased a Mariachi San Pablo CD for our Sunday worship services, and, being a bilingual person, it brings me joy to hear traditional Lutheran hymns and contemporary praise songs in Spanish. It reminds me of attending worship services with my mother.

There is an ongoing need for music in languages other than English in our multicultural churches. The Ysleta Lutheran Mission Human Care music ministry in El Paso, Texas, has been successful in reaching out to the unchurched through music education classes, training musicians for service in the church and in the community. Mites given to this project will enable them to improve and expand their important work. Remember this mission on Giving Tuesday, December 3.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! (Psalm 100:1-2).

Angelina Jauregui

Vice President of Gospel Outreach
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

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2017–2019 Mission Grant #4 — Tanzanian Sewing Center — $25,000          

Hear, O women, the word of the Lord, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth; (Jeremiah 9:20a).

Sewing was a skill I learned at age 8 while sitting next to my mother at the sewing machine. It was just something I enjoyed doing; I never earned a living from it. However, the young women who graduate from the Bishop Makala Sewing Center in Tanzania learn how to sew, acquire life skills, and, most importantly, hear the Gospel. After graduating, they have the skills to generate an income for themselves and thus avoid a life of starvation or prostitution.

This LWML Mission Grant allowed the building of classrooms and a dormitory at the sewing center. The school’s first year saw a graduating class of 53, when the goal had been 50.

One of the rooms at the Sewing Center — it has electricity and supplies!

At the 2019 LCMS Tampa Convention, Bishop Makala tearfully thanked us for this school and for the help it provides for the young women in his country. He went on to tell us how it gives them the opportunity to share the Good News and teach life skills that the graduates then share with their families.

I now have a greater appreciation for sharing the Gospel and how learning life skills can transform a person’s life. Your mite gifts help the LWML support grants like the Tanzanian Sewing Center. Thank you for your support on Giving Tuesday, December 3.

Arlene Naasz

Meeting Manager
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

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2019-2021 LWML Mission Grant — Ministry in Motion, Trinity Lutheran Church, Mobile, AL — $58,000

“Ministry in Motion – Trinity Lutheran Church, Mobile, Alabama,” is one of the grant recipients for this biennium; $58,000 was requested to purchase a handicapped accessible church bus. Why do they need this grant?

What would you do if you knew that children in your community did not know Christ, did not have Christ-centered care, and were not able to receive these things because they could not get to where the care is provided? This grant makes it possible for Trinity Lutheran Church in Mobile to reach children who need to hear about Jesus. These children will be shown Christ Jesus and given the care that they so desperately need.

Giving Tuesday is December 3. Your mites will help Trinity reach out into the community so the children may hear of Jesus their Savior, grow in faith in Him, as well as touch the lives of their families. As you drop your mites into your box, say this prayer:

Lord God, please use these mites to bring the children of the Mobile, Alabama, community into fellowship with You. We pray that Trinity Lutheran Church will be able to purchase the vehicle that they need in order to reach these families. Amen.

Rev. Mitch Schuessler

Senior Pastoral Counselor
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

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2017–2019 Mission Grant — Christ for Veterans and their Families — $27,750

I am always amazed by the men and women who serve in the armed forces. They train, fight, and perhaps give their lives, oftentimes for people they will never know. Similarly, I will never get a chance to meet all of the people who stand ready to make sure our country is safe and protect our freedoms. We are blessed by the work of these service men and women in ways we don’t always see or fully appreciate.

They are not the only ones who sacrifice for us, however. Our military personnel live in families, many are married and have children, and so their parents, spouses, and children share their loved one with us. They, too, are in need of support while their relative serves, when they return home, or when the supreme sacrifice has been made.

The 2017-2019 LWML Mission Grant, Christ for Veterans and Their Families, was able to provide training for congregations to work directly with veterans and their families to give them support, not just in a physical way, but also with the love of Christ. Through your generosity, the LWML was able to help serve those who work so tirelessly to serve us. Your continued support of our new Mission Goal will allow us to provide care and support to others with the Gospel of Christ, that they may know His love for all. Remember our veterans as you donate your dollars on this year’s Giving Tuesday, December 3.

Rev. Brian Noack

Junior Pastoral Counselor
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

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2019–2021 Mission Grant — Teach Me Too — Preschoolers with Learning Needs — Lutheran Special Education Ministries — $100,000

One of the most incredible experiences of my life was supervising a staff who worked with exceptional children ages two months to five years old who were born with physical challenges. To support these children and their families, our staff went to their homes and assisted their parents with exercises and techniques to help them crawl, walk, eat, socialize, and learn. Research indicates that the biggest increase in improving developmental skills in children is during the preschool years. When the right strategies and techniques are employed, children learn mobility, self-feeding, how to interact with others, and become successful learners.

Missing from the agency I worked for was the ability to share God’s Word with the children and families we served. My heart leapt for joy when I learned about the Let it Shine Academy sponsored by Lutheran Special Education Ministries (LSEM)! This organization works directly with children, equipping them with the tools and strategies needed to become successful learners. In addition, the staff trains preschool educators around the country, assisting them with the strategies and skills needed to work with exceptional children. They do this while sharing the hope of salvation found in Christ Jesus.

Praise God that He moved the delegates at the LWML Convention in Mobile to support the mission grant, “Teach Me Too – Preschoolers with Learning Needs.” To learn more about this grant, go to http://www.lwml.org/2019-2021-mission-grant-2. Please prayerfully consider supporting exceptional children this Giving Tuesday, December 3 with your mite offerings.

Michelle Jenks

Strategic Plan Facilitator
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

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