Lutherans Engage the World | Spring 2022 by The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

engage U

Spring 2022

Spring 2022 Lutherans Engage the World is published quarterly by The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. © 2022 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Reproduction for parish use does not require permission. Such reproductions, however, should credit Lutherans Engage the World as a source. Unless otherwise noted, all photos are property of the LCMS. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Staff Kevin Armbrust Erica Schwan Megan K. Mertz Erik M. Lunsford Lisa Moeller Chrissy Thomas Rudy Blank

director, editorial director, design services managing editor manager, photojournalism designer designer webmaster

Cover image LCMS missionary Rev. Vance Becker teaches at Matongo Lutheran Theological College at Neema Lutheran College in Nyamira County, Kenya, on Feb. 21, 2022. PHOTO: LCMS COMMUNICATIONS/ ERIK M. LUNSFORD

We’d love for you to join us on the journey. To be notified when new issues are posted online, visit engage.lcms.org.

Stewards of the Mysteries of God

“This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. … It is the Lord who judges me” (1 COR. 4:1–4). It’s as if St. Paul were saying to those congregation members in Corinth: “It is quite a trivial thing, that my ministry would be subject to the opinions of fellow sinners. The only thing that matters is faithful stewardship of the Gospel.” How’s that for apostolic confessional nerve? Paul begs that anyone would listen to him only because he preaches the only person worth preaching: Jesus Christ. Would that the church in mission follow closely on such a pattern — that we would patiently live, love and work within the promise already ours in Baptism. The verdict that counts is the Lord’s alone; all will be completed in the day of His glorious return. Every other “judgment,” small or large, is corrupted by deficient human reason. Drop the mask and don’t be burdened with anxiety over the assessments and objections of a broken world. Abide in the perfect righteousness placed upon you by the Word. Clothe yourself in Him, the truth. Tell others about Him and watch the truth work. Do not be captivated by the conceits of those who overinflate their own worth. Allow divisive walls to be torn down in a sure-handed proclamation of the Gospel that makes the many into one, forgiven in Jesus’ shed blood. He has called us into action as His worthy servants, intensely vigilant and intent on handing over the mysteries that have been entrusted to the church and her ministry — the transformative, healing Word from His cross and the certain hope of the resurrection of all flesh — mysteries now hidden from faithless unbelievers, but soon to be revealed. In Christ, Rev. Kevin D. Robson Chief Mission Officer, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

From the Editor “It’s all about the Word,” says LCMS missionary Rev. Dr. Cory Rajek on Page 12. This issue highlights a few of the places where the Word of God is at work, including in Kenya, in California and Wisconsin, and in Germany. In this issue, we also have five articles from our missionaries about exciting projects around the world. We hope you’ll enjoy reading these stories, and we look forward to bringing you more content as we emerge from pandemic-related restrictions. Editorial Office

1333 S. Kirkwood Road St. Louis, MO 63122-7295 lutheransengage@lcms.org 888-THE LCMS | lcms.org

In Christ, Megan K. Mertz Managing Editor, Lutherans Engage the World

Feature

16 God Gives the Growth Megan K. Mertz

As East African churches experience rapid growth, the LCMS comes alongside to help prepare new pastors and church workers for service.

Feature

Teaching the Unchanging Truth to God’s Children Kevin Armbrust

‘The Word Does Everything’ Kevin Armbrust Students and staff of the Luther Academy in Riga, Latvia, gather in Wittenberg, Germany, for a week of in-person learning and fellowship.

Michael Morizio A handful of Lutherans have come together to plant the first confessional Lutheran church in Italy.

At Lutheran schools in California and Wisconsin, students of different backgrounds and abilities are taught many important things, including about the love of their Savior, Jesus Christ.

Feature

The Return to Rome

Departments 2 Q&A With Rev. James Krikava 9 10 15 19 20

Brazil: Mission Plant to Partner Asia and Latin America: Music Outreach Germany: Reaching Farsi Speakers Kenya: Training Church Workers Mercy Moment

QA Q&A

WITH

Rev. James Krikava, EURASIA REGIONAL DIRECTOR

BY C H E RY L MAG N ES S

The Rev. James A. Krikava serves as director of the LCMS Eurasia region and as associate executive director of Eurasia and Asia operations for the LCMS Office of International

Mission. In this role, he supervises LCMS work throughout Europe, Russia, the countries of the former Soviet Union, southern Asia and the Middle East. He also works with the LCMS Africa region on collaborative projects and with the Synod’s partner churches in Eurasia and Asia.

Ukraine has been in the news a lot lately. What is the Synod doing there? The LCMS has worked with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine (ELCU) for about four years. The bishop of the ELCU is the Rev. Serge Maschewski, who studied at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, in the 1990s. Maschewski led the churches of the ELCU out of a Lutheran church body in Ukraine — affiliated with the liberal German state church — when the German state church ordered them to accept women’s ordination and the LGBTQ agenda. In the last two years, the German state church, in cooperation with others, carried out a coup against the ELCU, taking over the ELCU headquarters in Odesa and seizing its bank accounts. Maschewski, his

wife and their two sons were removed from the building by force. What is the current situation in Ukraine, and what is the LCMS doing to help? The situation is grave. Before the coup, we had missionaries teaching English in Odesa and Dnipro, but they had to leave the field for health reasons. Another missionary family was slated to go to Odesa but had to be diverted to Bucharest, Romania. Now, with the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, we won’t be able to send missionaries there any time soon, but I am in daily contact with Bishop Maschewski. Funds from the LCMS are supporting the ELCU as it provides for the spiritual and physical well-being of its members. In addition to food,

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What is the church’s role in situations like this? It is the same role as always, except under extreme conditions: bringing God’s people His gifts of Word and Sacrament. I talk to people in Ukraine every day via video. They are starting to look ragged. Their fear is more noticeable. Still, their faces express the depth of their conviction and faith.

What else would you like to share about the Synod’s work in Eurasia? Our missionaries deserve an A+. First there was COVID, then persecution not only in Ukraine but against our partner church in Finland, and now this war, which is affecting so many. But our missionaries are doing well, and the Eurasia region is growing, in spite of the crosses before us. Theological education has taken a quantum leap forward with the Livonian Lutheran Project. Church planting is on the rise, especially in the Balkan-Mediterranean subregion, which includes Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal. Perhaps many are realizing the emptiness of a faith based on human reason rather than the Word of the Lord, which endures forever.

Cheryl Magness is managing editor of Reporter and a staff writer for LCMS Communications.

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The work in Eurasia: international.lcms.org/eurasia How to assist mercy efforts in Ukraine: lcms.org/ukraine

TOP PHOTO: LCMS; OTHER PHOTOS PROVIDED BY JAMES KRIKAVA

Scenes from Ukraine and (bottom right) the Romanian border, where a volunteer meets newly arrived Ukrainian refugees.

shelter and medical care, the church is providing helmets and body armor for pastors who are now ministering to the sick, elderly and wounded under fire. Our partner churches in the area are also helping. About 4 million refugees have escaped from Ukraine, and up to 6 million are predicted. The outpouring of prayers and gifts from the people of the LCMS has been miraculous.

TEACHING THE Unchanging

Truth TO

God’s Children BY KEVIN ARMBRUST

utheran schools are as varied as the students they serve and as vital as the Word of God shared there every day. Throughout its history, The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod (LCMS) has treasured its schools. Instruction in the Word of God and about God’s creation, preparing young people for their various vocations, and sharing the Good News with those who come from outside the church remain the heart and soul of Lutheran schools. On the coast and in the heartland, Lutheran teachers love their students with the love of Jesus. First and foremost, that means communicating the Good News of Jesus’ death and resurrection to every child. But that love also includes teaching children to read, write and

function in this world for the praise of God and the service of neighbor. In a world advocating worldviews foreign to God’s eternal truth, Lutheran schools base their instruction on the Holy Scriptures.

In La Mesa, Calif. “Our mission at Christ Lutheran Church and School is to develop dynamic disciples for life,” said Xavria Schwarz, principal of Christ Lutheran School in La Mesa, Calif. “And our vision is to do that through very strategic discipleship in our classrooms, a rigorous academic program so that they are relevant in the world, and then thirdly, [by building] a strong sense of community where teachers really enjoy serving together and where kids and families are known.”

The school has been educating students in the Lutheran faith for 63 years in its current location. Fewer of its 212 students are Lutheran than in previous years, but the ministry of the school remains unchanged. “The school itself is really devoted to being very Lutheran, distinctly Lutheran,” said Schwarz. “That’s why we’re so devoted to having all called teachers.” But Christ, La Mesa, is more

than just a school. The congregation works closely with the school to provide the Gospel to school families and to ensure that the families who send their children for education are connected to the church. Both pastors work closely with the school, as do the directors of Christian education on staff. Recently, the congregation moved one of its pastors’ offices to the school, so that the

PHOTOS: LCMS COMMUNICATIONS/ERIK M. LUNSFORD

Sixth-grade teacher Jacob Sitze teaches at Christ Lutheran School, La Mesa, Calif., on Sept. 10, 2021.

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tie between the congregation and the school is even more evident. Schwarz describes her working relationship with the pastors and congregation as symbiotic and of one mind. The pastors and church staff work closely with the faculty and school staff to continue to proclaim Christ to the people of La Mesa. Everyone at Christ, La Mesa, desires that the students and their families would know the love of Christ, and that no matter where they go afterward, their memories of the school would be a blessing. “When they think of Christ Lutheran School, they think, ‘That was a place I was beloved and cared for,’” said Schwarz. “And they associate that love with their Savior, whether they’re in a relationship with Him or not at that time, whether they’ve wandered or [are] walking closely with Him, that school would always be a place that they fondly love and associate with their Savior.”

In Freistadt, Wis. “Who are you?” “I’m a child of God, loved and saved by Jesus!”

“What is your purpose?” “To spread His Gospel with the world!” “How will you do this?” “By growing in His Word, serving in His world, joining in His mission — together.” This conversation is repeated hundreds of times at Trinity Lutheran School in Freistadt, Wis. Dr. Sam Seefeld, principal of Trinity, asks these questions of students at least once a week. And they all willingly respond, often shouting with enthusiasm when appropriate. These questions and responses are not just something to say. They drive the mission and ministry of Trinity’s faculty, staff and students. Trinity, Freistadt, is set amid farmland and historic buildings that speak to the school’s longevity. Many of the families of the congregation’s founding members still attend the church. Trinity was started by immigrants from Pomerania, Germany, who fled religious persecution and settled in Freistadt to freely practice their faith. This group built the first Lutheran church in Wisconsin in 1840. Trinity, Freistadt, has been a member

Math teacher Anna Armbrust leads a class activity at Trinity Lutheran School, Freistadt, Wis., on Oct. 20, 2021.

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of the LCMS since 1848 — the year after the LCMS was founded. Trinity’s history and heritage continue to mark the church and school both physically and spiritually. As its website says, “More than 175 years later, Trinity continues to support families through Lutheran education, worship services, and ministry through our Lord Jesus Christ. To God be the Glory!” One might expect that a school with deep German roots would be characterized by uniformity and staid programs. But Trinity Lutheran School may surprise those who enter. Currently, the diverse student body at Trinity is 60% Caucasian and 40% minority. In 2012, Trinity saw an opportunity to serve the refugee Karenni population, who were immigrating from Myanmar and Thailand. Trinity was one of the leading groups that helped the Karenni in Milwaukee adjust to life in America. The pastors, staff and members of the congregation all worked to help them feel at home and, most importantly, to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Trinity Lutheran School also welcomed the Karenni community. At first, the school had a grant to bus Karenni children from Milwaukee to Freistadt. When the grant ended, the congregation decided to continue to serve the Karenni families through both the congregation and the school. Though the school suffered through some years of decreased numbers, Trinity’s current enrollment of 270 reflects a 122% growth over the last three years. Currently,

Students work in class at Trinity Lutheran School, Freistadt, Wis., on Oct. 20, 2021.

A student works in class at Journeys Lutheran School, Hales Corners, Wis., on Oct. 21, 2021.

Trinity serves families from 32 zip codes across five counties. One decision that aided this diverse reach was participation in the Wisconsin school choice program, wherein families can choose to direct their education dollars to a private school. The recent growth and diversity have not changed Trinity’s mission. The school’s values and goals begin with Christ and take seriously each sinner’s identity in Him as a result of His death and resurrection. To this end, Trinity was the first Lutheran school in Wisconsin to adopt the national LCMS theological standards. Along with this important and explicit focus, Trinity seeks excellence in academics and development of the whole person. “We teach Jesus. We are unashamedly Christian. …

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Executive Director Michael Oldenburg greets students as they walk to the bus at Journeys, Hales Corner, on Oct. 21, 2021.

Fifth-grade teacher Casey Sitze works with students at Christ, La Mesa, on Sept. 10, 2021.

| WATCH | A video of Dr. Sam Seefeld, principal of Trinity Lutheran School in Freistadt, Wis.: engage.lcms.org/lutheranschools-spring-2022

We talk about how the saving grace with the Gospel is a message that will never change,” said Seefeld. “Even as many of the school districts in our area and really around the country continue to kind of ebb and flow with the tide of the changing social landscape, we will not change and our message doesn’t change, because it’s rooted in Scripture.”

In Hales Corner, Wis. “Centered in Christ,” the mission of Journeys Lutheran School in Hales Corner, Wis., is to “[prepare] students with unique learning challenges to maximize their God-given spiritual, academic, physical, emotional and social potential.” Journeys Lutheran School began in 1958 by a group of concerned parents who

desired a better education and alternative for their children with unique learning challenges. The school was first located within Milwaukee Lutheran High School and therefore had limited space and resources. God provided a school building that could accommodate more students when Hales Corners Lutheran School moved into a new building, thus leaving their old building vacant. Now located in Hales Corners, Wis., Journeys serves over 80 students who range in age from 8 to 21. Journeys fills a unique need in the Lutheran school system as the only school whose student body is comprised solely by those who have special needs. Unlike many schools that focus on a student’s special needs, Journeys provides both excellent academic teaching and

nurture through the Word of God and prayer. “Everything with Jesus in the middle,” said Kathy Siegel, who works as a music therapist at the school. “Everything with prayer.” Journeys provides specific and necessary settings for children and young adults with different needs. Teachers are trained and experienced in helping students as they encounter difficulties in learning both academically and socially. Sometimes this means providing a room where a student can go to work out anger or frustration. “They don’t come here because it’s a Lutheran school. They come here because of the needs of their children,” said Michael Oldenburg, executive director of Journeys. “But we are sharing the love of Jesus with them every day.”

Journeys cares for the whole person and encourages each student to see their potential and to know that they are loved by God through His Son, Jesus Christ. During their time at Journeys, they hear the Gospel and learn God’s Word in the classroom and in chapel services. The faculty and staff pray for their students and work to equip them for life through academic training and life skills. It’s not always easy. Yet through it all, the faculty and staff consider their role essential. Oldenburg said that the best thing about working at Journeys is “sharing the love of Jesus. It’s who we are and who we should be and who the world needs us to be.”

Dr. Kevin Armbrust is director of Editorial for LCMS Communications.

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The

Return to

Rome

BY MICHAEL M O RI Z I O

tions he had for the Eternal City were toppled by what he witnessed there. He was confronted with the church’s extravagance, corruption, monopolistic grip on the Bible (the Latin-only version, which few could obtain or even read), veneration of relics of the saints, selling of indulgences, and total neglect of the poor. Luther railed that the church of Rome had become “the most licentious den of thieves [MATT. 21:13], the most shameless of all brothels, the kingdom of sin, death, and hell. It is so bad that even Antichrist himself, if he should come, could think of nothing to add to its wickedness” (“Concerning Christian Liberty,” LW 31:336). Now in 2022, Luther is back in Rome. Not Luther himself, of course, but the confessional Lutheranism of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). Four men and one woman, living in three different regions of Italy, are enrolled in a four-year, 40-course theology program at the Luther Academy in Riga, Latvia. After finishing the program, the students will receive a Bachelor of Theology professional degree, which can lead to ordination or commissioning. The students enrolled include Luiz Roberto Lange; Lorenzo Murrone; Joshua Salas; and my wife, Nancy, and me.

ILLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES. PHOTOS: LCMS COMMUNICATIONS/ERIK M. LUNSFORD

A handful of Lutherans have come together to plant the first confessional Lutheran church in Italy.

In 1511, Martin Luther made the long pilgrimage from Wittenberg to Rome. Whatever high expecta-

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Nancy and Michael Morizio, LCMS missionaries, listen during class at the Luther Academy intensive on Nov. 1, 2021, in Wittenberg, Germany.

Back to Italy My parents grew up in Italy and later emigrated to the United States. In the late ’90s, Nancy and I tracked my family’s heritage in the Abruzzo region and met family members who still lived there. We got to know the area so well that, between 2012 and 2017, we ran tours of the area. We often shared our faith with Italian friends and family, and we were grieved that few, if any, of them could say with certainty that they were headed for heaven’s glory. While I was recovering from a medical issue in 2017, Nancy and I first started talking about becoming LCMS missionaries. Nancy had previously met the Rev. James Krikava, LCMS regional director for Eurasia, at a church event, and he wanted to bring me on as one of two Eurasia business managers and the very first LCMS missionary to Italy. The next September, we left behind our children and grandchildren and moved to Abruzzo, Italy. There was already one confessional Lutheran man living in Italy: Luiz Roberto Lange. He had been baptized, catechized and confirmed at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil in Porto Alegre and began pre-seminary studies there as a young man. But Lange did not finish his training and instead segued into studying music. He spent time in the U.S., where he eventually fell away from the faith, before moving to Padua, Italy, with his family. In 2014, through the witness of a friend in Italy, God called Lange back to the

Christian faith. He attended several different churches and eventually found a Lutheran military chaplain in nearby Vicenza. Lange attended a few services there and found himself rediscovering confessional Lutheranism. He was finally back home with the liturgy he loved, although the services were held in English. He reached out to the LCMS Office of International Mission (OIM) and was put in contact with Krikava. In 2016, Lange took the initiative to fly to Prague to meet Krikava in person. They devised a plan for the Rev. Sorin-Horia Trifa, a Romanian pastor who works with the OIM, to serve as an itinerant missionary to Italy. A couple of months later, both Krikava and Trifa flew to meet with Lange, with the specific goal of starting a church plant in Italy.

I immediately called Murrone. He told me he was baptized in the Roman Catholic Church and had attended church infrequently during his youth. During his teenage years, he entered what he describes as “a season of religious confusion.” He began studying Plato, Aristotle and other classical philosophers before segueing into early Christian history, the church fathers and New Testament studies. These courses propelled him to pursue a university program dedicated specifically to early Christian studies. Through his coursework, Murrone began to reevaluate Christianity. He did not want to return to Roman Catholicism because of its observable disharmony with the Bible. He sought solace in both Anglicanism and Pentecostalism. Though confident that Christianity was true, Pentecostalism drove him into despair with its distorted views of sin, forgiveness

and works righteousness. In 2017 at All Saints Anglican Church in Rome, Murrone met Joshua Salas, who would soon become his best friend and Christian brother. Salas is from Pakistan. A devout Christian from his youth, he attended both Pakistani Presbyterian and Pentecostal churches. He favored the Presbyterian church for its more traditional practices. Salas’ father secured a job in Rome, and eventually the whole family (mother, older sister and younger brother) moved there in 2017 and started attending All Saints. Salas and Murrone conversed about theology and shared their mutual desire to one day become ordained. However, they also realized that the theology of the church they were attending did not match their understanding of the Bible. The head pastor suggested that they should “broaden their horizons” to accept a more liberal

The Impact of COVID-19 Nancy and I were barely getting settled in Italy when COVID-19 came along. Italians were sequestered in their homes twice under Italy’s three-month lockdowns. During the first lockdown, I received a call from fellow missionary Rev. Dr. John Bombaro, who had heard about a young man in Rome named Lorenzo Murrone who wanted to become Lutheran.

The Rev. Dr. Arthur Just Jr. (left), LCMS missionary and professor at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, talks with Luiz Roberto Lange during the Luther Academy intensive in Wittenberg, Germany.

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The Rev. Tyler McMiller (left), an LCMS missionary to Italy, walks with Luther Academy students Joshua Salas and Lorenzo Murrone in Wittenberg, Germany, on Nov. 1, 2021.

since the beginning of 2020. We translate each sermon into Italian and review the sermons together before it is time to preach.

The Future of the Italian Church

adaptation of the Scriptures, but for the two young men this was impossible. It was during this period that Murrone discovered Lutheranism through YouTube. He became an avid fan of “Lutheran Satire” and the Rev. Jonathan Fisk’s “Worldview Everlasting” videos. He began corresponding with Fisk via email to inquire into Lutheranism. At the same time, Murrone and Salas met the Rev. Simone Caccamo, who happened to be the pastor at the Rome Baptist Church. Caccamo invited them to attend his church, where they became enamored by the family environment they encountered — something severely lacking at the church where they first met. Through their correspondence, Fisk directed Murrone to Bombaro, who redirected him to me. Nancy and I traveled to Rome to meet Murrone and Salas and talked with Trifa about the possibility of catechizing both of them

online. Several weeks later, Trifa completed catechesis instruction with both men, and Krikava flew to Rome to celebrate with us in their partaking of the Lord’s Supper in a Divine Service for the first time as Lutherans. Caccamo graciously offered the new members of the Lutheran church plant the use of his Baptist church building, which is located in Rome’s historic center, just 300 yards from the Pantheon. However, COVID restrictions made it too difficult to assemble in person regularly. The young church was anxious to provide a way to meet together at least once a week. We decided to

start a weekly online service. Together, we worked on translating the liturgy into Italian, along with several hymns and Luther’s Small Catechism, and began offering a weekly service on Saturday afternoons. These online services have been going on throughout the pandemic and have had as many as 24 attendees, with a core of around 14 each week. As Lange, Murrone, Salas and I go through the Luther Academy training to become Lutheran pastors, we have developed a calendar rotation throughout the month. We have been delivering sermons previously preached by selected LCMS pastors

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The work in Eurasia: international.lcms.org/eurasia

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Read more about Lorenzo Murrone and Joshua Salas on Pages 13–14.

After two years of online services, the new Rome church plant is still without a full-time pastor. Ordination is years away, so Krikava reached out to the Rev. Tyler McMiller, who at the time was completing his coursework at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, and asked if he would serve as pastor of the church plant in Rome. McMiller and his family served as missionaries in Central and South America during much of his childhood, so he was eager for the opportunity to serve in this way. Now a new chapter begins for the Italian Lutherans. McMiller and his family are making final preparations to deploy to the land where Martin Luther was sent 500 years ago. This time, McMiller is the one called to shepherd the flock already assembled there, to bring them the gifts of Word and Sacrament for the nourishment of their souls — with the help of God.

Michael Morizio is an LCMS missionary to Italy and associate regional business manager for the Eurasia region. Learn more at lcms.org/morizio.

PHOTO: JANA INGLEHART

From Mission Plant to Mission Partner

Alliance missionary Rev. Volmir Knevitz da Rocha (right) talks to Shara Osiro, an LCMS missionary to Africa, about life in Uganda during orientation in 2021. He is one of eight Brazilian pastors recently sent to serve in Latin America and Africa.

he Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil’s (IELB) long history begins with The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). The first LCMS missionaries arrived in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s southernmost state, in 1900. They prioritized the training of pastors so that just four years later, the Instituto del Buen Jesús, which later became Seminario Concordia, was established. The seminary now has hundreds of alumni serving in every Brazilian state, other Latin American countries and even remote villages on the African continent. Their zeal for mission outreach is evident in the rapid growth of the IELB. Today, the 250,000 members of this partner church body worship in some 2,000 locations across the country. Each day, 20,000 students stream into 39 Lutheran

schools. For college-bound students, the Lutheran University of Brazil provides an excellent education. From the beginning, the LCMS was methodical in its approach, making necessary logistical changes but never compromising on doctrine. Early mission work in Brazil spread to Argentina in 1905. The focus in both countries was on reaching Germanspeaking immigrant families, many of whom had come from Russia. World War II was a catalyst for change; teachers in Brazilian classrooms were required by law to teach classes in Portuguese. The LCMS embraced the change and expanded outreach to those who spoke other languages, such as Spanish and Portuguese. For over 70 years, the Brazilian church has benefitted from the outreach work of Lutheran Hour Ministries

(LHM). More than 100 radio stations carry the program “Five Minutes with Jesus.” Additionally, LHM offers Bible correspondence courses, digital outreach and in-person contacts to reach people with the Gospel and connect them to the local church. The desire of the IELB (formerly called the Brazil District) to send missionaries worldwide was apparent in the 1950s, when the church worked with the LCMS to send the first Brazilian missionary to Portugal. This work resulted in the birth of the Portuguese Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1956. The IELB partnered with the LCMS again in 1997 to send missionaries to Angola, Africa — and nine years later, to Mozambique. The Confessional Lutheran Church in Angola and Concordia Lutheran Church in Mozambique have grown from those missionary efforts. The walking together of the two church bodies has continued until the present day. Eight Brazilian missionaries, including new seminary graduates and experienced parish pastors, were sent to serve alongside LCMS missionaries in Latin America and Africa in 2021. This was a collaborative effort, with leadership from both church bodies working to prepare, support and care for these new missionaries — known as alliance missionaries — called to serve in Uganda, the Republic of Congo, South Africa, Uruguay,

BY JA N A I N GLE H A RT

The LCMS and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil have been walking together for 120-plus years.

Panama, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. The Rev. Ted Krey, regional director for the LCMS Latin America and Caribbean region, said, “Joining hands with our sister Lutheran church in Brazil to place their missionaries alongside ours shows the fruits of our missionary efforts of over 120 years. The tiny mustard seeds have grown to where Brazil is sending eight pastors to seven different countries to work alongside our missionaries. What a blessing to have these dear brothers join us shoulder to shoulder to bring Jesus and His Gospel for the forgiveness of sins to this generation and the next.” In addition, a new Lutheran hymnal in Spanish has been produced and will soon be available across Latin America. The Bible Society of Brazil, though not affiliated with the LCMS, will work closely with LCMS missionaries and church workers to distribute the hymnal to churches in various Latin American countries. We thank God for the blessings of the partnership with the IELB and the abundant fruit of the collaborative work we share. We also give thanks for the countless souls who have heard the Gospel and are now our brothers and sisters in Christ. Jana Inglehart is an LCMS missionary and communication specialist for the Latin America and Caribbean region. Learn more at lcms.org/inglehart. engage. lcms .o rg

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BY SA N D R A R H E I N

Music on the Mission Field avid’s Harp is an LCMS Recognized Service Organization dedicated to spreading the Gospel through music. It brings together musicians from across our Synod in proclaiming and promoting God’s Word faithfully through music, with a focus on reaching into communities and catechizing people of all ages. While a major emphasis has been on establishing centers for musical development in

LCMS congregations and developing print resources, David’s Harp is also having a significant impact on international outreach. From the beginning of Lutheranism, music was a vehicle for Gospel expression. Martin Luther realized this when he witnessed the spread of his first hymn, “A New Song Here Shall Be Begun,” honoring two young men who were martyred for their faith. Since then, authoring texts

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and composing music has become a major part of Lutheran mission work because texts teach people about Jesus and the music carries those texts into every corner of their lives.

Hymnal Projects A new Spanish hymnal, years in the making, will be dedicated and distributed this spring. This hymnal will serve Spanish-speaking Lutheran churches in nearly

15 countries, and plans for introducing and supporting the hymnal include offering a website of audio recordings of all the music in the book. The task of providing these recordings was formidable. Enter David’s Harp with its network of musicians, recording studio and professional audio technician. This group of faithful volunteers has been steadily recording and uploading music, ready for singers in Latin America to add vocals. This

PHOTOS: LCMS COMMUNICATIONS/ERIK M. LUNSFORD

DAVID’S HARP IS SUPPORTING INTERNATIONAL OUTREACH EFFORTS IN LATIN AMERICA AND ASIA.

“Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.” (PSALM 96:2) is a prime example of the way David’s Harp supports mission work through music. Thousands of miles away in Indonesia, there is another hymnal project in the works — this one for the Indonesian Christian Lutheran Church (GKLI). While serving on the hymnal committee, I was given a beautiful opportunity to spread the Gospel through music while in Medan, Indonesia, for a committee meeting. The wife of a committee member, who teaches at the Indonesian equivalent of a public middle school, had a request: Would I be willing to introduce and teach some music from this new book to the student body? An invitation to speak the Gospel would be unimaginable, but an invitation to teach music was welcome. In this overwhelmingly Muslim country, music opened a door. David’s Harp also will assist the Indonesian hymnal project in the upcoming year with simplified accompaniments for church musicians. The GKLI has a strong singing tradition, but musicians typically play by ear. Simplified arrangements will help in learning and teaching new hymns in their congregations.

Music Conservatories One of the objectives of David’s Harp is to plant music conservatories, and that objective is going global with a project in the city of Chiayi, Taiwan. Chiayi is the regional headquarters for the Synod’s team in Asia. The Synod’s partner church in Taiwan, the China Evangelical Lutheran Church

(CELC), owns a building that provides space for missionary housing, a chapel, offices, a sound studio, a library and guest rooms. David’s Harp is currently developing a plan in conjunction with the CELC to open a center for music in the remaining two floors. This center could serve both the local community and the broader southeast Asia region. Locally, it would serve in much the same way as the music conservatories in LCMS congregations do, by offering private lessons on various instruments and regular opportunities for performances. The objective would be to train musicians while developing relationships with the local community and introducing them to Christianity. Musicians from other Lutheran churches in southeast Asia also would benefit from training and teaching, but the huge distances pose a difficult obstacle. A center for music could be part of the solution by providing short courses on topics like the art of accompanying the liturgy, utilizing the Hymn of the Day and the music of the great Lutheran composer J.S. Bach. Along with the training, musicians would be able to worship together, encourage each other and form a church music community. Lord willing, one day soon a David’s Harp Conservatory will operate in Chiayi. “Music and language are God’s gifts to His church, to sing His praise, teach His faith and remind believers that their sins are forgiven and they are right with the Father” (EPH. 5:17–19; COL. 3:16),

Deaconess Sandra Rhein (center) chats after worship at Salvation Lutheran Church, Chiayi, Taiwan, on March 17, 2019.

| L EA R N MO R E |

David’s Harp: davidsharpmusic.org Mission work in Asia: international.lcms.org/asia

said Dr. Roni Grad, David’s Harp board member. “Music is in the blood of every Christian and a powerful tool for evangelism.” Music played a significant part in the Reformation. Luther could not imagine life without singing, and he brought that conviction into all aspects of his own ministry, from writing catechetical hymns to turning to hymns to sustain the faith in difficult times. We are a singing church. It is a part of our identity. This identity is a profound blessing in missions. Music unites across cultures and languages. It breaks down barriers and carries the Gospel message. Hymnody speaks a common language that binds Christians together around the globe, and faithful hymnals facilitate faithful worship as worshipers receive the gifts of the Gospel: forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. We pray that the Holy Spirit would keep all of us with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.

Good Christian friends, rejoice and sing! Now is the triumph of our King! To all the world glad news we bring: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! (Lutheran Service Book 475:1)

Deaconess Sandra Rhein is an LCMS missionary and a sacred music educator based in Taiwan. Learn more at lcms.org/rhein. engage. l cms .o rg

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BY K E VI N A R MBR UST

Students and staff of the Luther Academy in Riga, Latvia, gather in Wittenberg, Germany, for a week of in-person learning and fellowship.

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“I

t’s all about the Word. It was then and it is now. … Thanks be to God, the Word does everything,” said LCMS missionary Rev. Dr. Cory Rajek, a professor at the Luther Academy in Riga, Latvia. The school is the seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia, which is a partner church of the LCMS. From Oct. 31 to Nov. 6, students from Italy, Bulgaria, Latvia and Sweden gathered in Wittenberg, Germany, for one purpose: to study the Word of God in preparation for service to the church.

PHOTOS: LCMS COMMUNICATIONS/ERIK M. LUNSFORD

‘The Word Does Everything’

Study, Worship, Fellowship During this week, the Luther Academy students — who usually take classes online — met with their professors for a week of in-person education, worship and fellowship. Others came to observe and further their theological education. Reflecting the perennial and prominent difficulties and obstacles involved in international mission work and education, not everything turned out as hoped. Just days before the class began, students who planned to come from Pakistan and Africa were informed that their visas were denied by the German government. This, along with continuing COVID-19 restrictions, meant that even during this on-site intensive, some had to participate through Zoom. The Rev. Dr. Arthur Just Jr., professor of exegetical theology at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, and an LCMS missionary, led the week’s class on the history and conduct of the liturgy. During his opening lecture, Just established the reason for the church’s worship and for the Luther Academy: Christ and Him crucified. “If the liturgy is not about the Lamb who was slain and raised again, then it is not the heavenly liturgy.” God’s Word and Sacraments are vital to pastoral training, and thus they were the highlight of this week of instruction. On Oct. 31, the day the church rejoices in the Reformation, the students, professors, missionaries and others gathered in the chapel of the Old Latin School and received God’s blessed gifts of Word and Sacrament — mere steps from St. Mary’s Church, where Luther often preached. The chapel’s windows stood open, unable to contain the

robust preaching and singing, which rang out to those who had gathered in Wittenberg to celebrate Luther. Some wandered in to investigate this gathering, where Christ was fully and faithfully proclaimed in the full extent of the Law and the immense sweetness of the Gospel. Souls were set free from sin, and salvation was proclaimed by grace through

“I’m also going to be targeting the Pakistani community or Indian community so that even they can hear the Gospel, so that they can also know Christ,” said Salas. “Christ gave His life for everyone. So, why not preach the Gospel to everyone?” Most European countries view Christianity as little more than a link to their history.

His people by grace through faith on account of Christ. “We don’t have any confessional Lutheran seminaries at all in Italy, so it’s good that we have this possibility to receive a seminary education,” said Lorenzo Murrone, a student in the Luther Academy who is also from Rome. “It’s also good that we are able to meet physically here in Wittenberg

Left: Luther Academy staff member Jēkabs Jurdžs talks with guests following the Oct. 31 Divine Service at the International Lutheran Center at the Old Latin School in Wittenberg, Germany. Right: The Rev. Sorin-Horia Trifa, pastor of the Confessional Lutheran Church in Romania, listens during class at the Luther Academy intensive.

faith. And the saints gathered for the Lord’s Supper, with all the company of heaven.

‘So That They Can Also Know Christ’ One of the Luther Academy students, Joshua Salas, who is originally from Pakistan but now lives in Rome, encountered Lutheranism online. After hearing about the Luther Academy from one of its professors, LCMS missionary Rev. Dr. John Bombaro, Salas signed up for classes. Salas is now looking forward to serving as a pastor in Italy one day, with a focus on immigrants.

“Just to see a Divine Service with more than three people on Zoom, with singing and with a more robust congregation, it’s something that’s almost in a sense new for us.” Though cathedrals draw tourists and attention to many European cities, the denizens of those communities rarely gather to hear God’s Word. Those who do come often hear words and teachings dissimilar to and contrary to God’s revelation in His sacred Scriptures. Though many celebrate Luther, the Christ he preached is often absent or unwelcome. Yet, some rejoice in God’s loving actions to save

… for intensive weeks. … Just to see a Divine Service with more than three people on Zoom, with singing and with a more robust congregation, it’s something that’s almost in a sense new for us.” The dearth of faithful proclamation and the abundant need to hear God’s Word drives the LCMS to seek opportunities to plant Lutheran churches, spread the Gospel and perform acts of mercy in

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“That will mean we are teaching in the three biggest languages in the world: English, Spanish and Mandarin. This is very exciting.” these places. Though many have turned a deaf ear to His voice, the living Word continues to speak and to call people to faith. And some who have heard and believe now long to proclaim the Gospel to others as pastors and other church workers.

Expanding Theological Education

| WATCH | A video of student Joshua Salas talking about why theological education is important to him:

engage.lcms.org/luther-academy-spring-2022

Where possible, the LCMS works with local church partners and encourages them to train their own pastors when and where the means are available, such as the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church’s seminary in Oberursel, Germany. Yet most of the countries in and around the European Union (EU) have too few confessional Lutherans to have their own seminary or even a church body. Into this situation, God has provided the Luther Academy and the Livonian Lutheran Project. Working with our partner church in Latvia, LCMS missionaries have developed an accredited English-speaking academic program leading to a bachelor’s degree in theology. This provides an opportunity for people to earn a degree recognized throughout the EU to work as pastors and church workers. This is an exhilarating time in theological education. LCMS missionaries are teaching confessional Lutheran theology in the two most utilized languages in the West: The Luther Academy offers classes

in English and Concordia the Reformer Seminary in Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic, teaches in Spanish. A new opportunity has arisen to train workers in Mandarin Chinese, which will facilitate further outreach. “We are starting a confessional Lutheran seminary in Taiwan,” said Just. “That will mean we are teaching in the three biggest languages in the world: English, Spanish and Mandarin. This is very exciting.” New projects, including a catechetical video series, are currently in development. These new efforts embrace a multilingual focus, as people desire to hear more biblical Christianity. Through the distribution of digital materials, translated into different languages, the Gospel can be shared and people can be led to Word and Sacrament ministry in places where missionaries have not been able to work and where the church must worship in secret. In the early 16th century, Luther translated the Scriptures and the liturgy into German so that all the people could read God’s Word and learn it. This past fall, Lutherans gathered in Luther’s Wittenberg to preach, teach, sing and learn in English. And just as Luther said, the Word did everything. And according to God’s promise, that Word will accomplish exactly what He desires, that all might come to a knowledge of the truth, even Jesus Christ.

Top: From left, the Rev. Dr. John Bombaro teaches students Luiz Roberto Lange, Arthur Bojinov, Lorenzo Murrone and Joshua Salas about the conduct of the liturgy. Left: The sun sets over the Castle Church in Wittenberg. Right: Lorenzo Murrone studies the hymnal before chapel. Bottom: St. Mary’s Church, where Luther preached.

BY C H R I ST I A N T I E W S

Keeping the ‘Missionary Briquette’ Hot

“

A project to reach Farsi speakers energizes experts from both sides of the Atlantic.

Don’t worry, you’ll be able to preach and teach in Farsi soon enough. But we have bigger fish to fry. For years I’ve wanted to reach the millions of Farsi speakers outside of Germany — the expatriates and even the people in Iran and Afghanistan.” — Rev. Dr. Gottfried Martens

LCMS missionaries (from left) Rev. Dr. John Bombaro, Rev. Dr. Charles Cortright, and Rev. Dr. Christian and Gudula (Lula) Tiews talk during the Luther Academy intensive held in Wittenberg, Germany, in late October.

PHOTOS: LCMS COMMUNICATIONS/ERIK M. LUNSFORD

ave you ever noticed how a red-hot charcoal briquette will lose its heat quickly if separated from the other coals? But if it’s surrounded by a pile of other briquettes, it will stay hot for a long time.

After serving as an LCMS pastor in Oklahoma for over 12 years, I received a call to be a missionary in Hamburg, Germany, in early 2021. I was born in the Land of Luther and spent half of my life there, plus my dear wife, Lula, was born and raised there. So, this call made perfect sense. However, the Office of International Mission (OIM) did not task me to work with “regular” Germans. Rather, I was to learn a new language — Farsi — and share the Gospel with some of the 400,000 immigrants from Iran and Afghanistan now living in Germany. “No problem,” I thought. Languages have always been my strength. I immediately started studying, expecting to be fluent in Persian by the fall. But by October, I was not nearly as good at Farsi as I had hoped to be.

While in Berlin last October, Lula and I decided to visit our friend the Rev. Dr. Gottfried Martens, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in BerlinSteglitz, a Lutheran congregation of some 1,500 members — 1,400 of whom hail from Iran or Afghanistan. I shared with him my frustration at not being able to learn Farsi as easily as I had thought. He commiserated and said, “Don’t worry, you’ll be able to preach and teach in Farsi soon enough. But we have bigger fish to fry. For years I’ve wanted to reach the millions of Farsi speakers outside of Germany — the expatriates and even the people in Iran and Afghanistan. Especially in Iran, many people are starving for the Gospel. But most of them speak only Farsi. We need instructional videos in their own language to explain the basics of historic

Christianity. There are well over 120 million Farsi speakers that we could potentially reach if we only had such videos.” What a vision! I presented his idea to my colleagues at the OIM. As the Lord would have it, only a few weeks later several of them were planning to teach at the Old Latin School in Wittenberg, only 40 minutes away from Berlin. So in mid-November, the Rev. Dr. John Bombaro, associate director of the LCMS Eurasia region; the Rev. Dr. Arthur Just Jr., a renowned professor of liturgics and New Testament at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne; and I sat down with Martens in Berlin to discuss how we might produce such videos. Within an hour and a half, we hashed out a plan to create three 10-minute videos on Christ’s atonement, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper — key components of Christianity that resonate strongly with Persians. Our idea was to record the videos in English, overdub them in Farsi and

distribute them around the globe via the internet. OIM leadership enthusiastically embraced this plan, and our goal is to go online by late spring. We now plan to add Arabic and Urdu versions as well. The Lord has augmented my ministry and encouraged me greatly by giving me an additional project to draw together experts from both sides of the Atlantic to bring this plan to fruition. In the meantime, back in Hamburg, I am now teaching Iranian church members German, while they are teaching me Farsi. Our Lord is using the Holy Spirit to let us “encourage one another and build one another up” (1 THESS. 5:11) using His people from back home, from Germany and from Iran to keep this “missionary briquette” nice and hot. Thank You, Lord! The Rev. Dr. Christian Tiews is an LCMS missionary pastor serving in Germany. Learn more at lcms.org/tiews. engage. l cms .o rg

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BY ME G A N K . ME RT Z

God Gives the

A student listens during class at Matongo Lutheran Theological College at Neema Lutheran College in western Kenya.

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PHOTOS: LCMS COMMUNICATIONS/ERIK M. LUNSFORD

Growth

Scenes from Matongo Lutheran Theological College at Neema Lutheran College.

cross Africa, God is providing Lutheran church bodies with growth, which has created a blessed challenge: They are having trouble providing enough well-trained pastors to shepherd new believers. These church bodies are increasingly turning to The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) to help train their pastors and evangelists due to the Synod’s biblical doctrine and reputation for solid theological education. “The appeal for scholarships for men to study at seminaries is the most frequent request the LCMS receives from Lutheran church bodies in Africa,” says the Rev. Shauen Trump, director of the Synod’s Africa region. The LCMS Office of International Mission “responds to these entreaties, energized by the opportunity to exercise one of our core competencies. Year after year, about half of the resources the LCMS invests in Africa are dedicated to planting churches and preparing church workers.”

As East African churches experience rapid growth, the LCMS comes alongside to help prepare new pastors and church workers for service. dozen different church bodies. Two LCMS missionaries — the Rev. Dr. Walter Steele and the Rev. Vance Becker — serve alongside Kenyan faculty and staff to help train pastors, evangelists, deaconesses and teachers for service to the church. “Placing missionaries into this sweet spot for the LCMS — the teaching of the faith to the next generation of pastors — multiplies the impact among God’s people in villages and towns across the continent,” continues Trump. On a recent February morning, Becker, who serves as dean of chapel, rang a handbell to call students to Matins in the seminary’s tin-roofed

chapel. The facilities may seem simple by western standards, but here students learn from dedicated and knowledgeable professors and benefit from access to one of the best theological libraries in East Africa. Kelvin Lenaseyan is currently studying for his diploma at Matongo. Lenaseyan’s father was the first person in his village to be baptized when Christian missionaries came to their village in Samburu, Kenya, in 1982. Unfortunately, now many of the local men have stopped attending the church. One day soon, Lenaseyan hopes to be ordained to serve the church in Samburu. He

The ‘Sweet Spot’ One of the premiere places this theological education occurs in Africa is at Matongo Lutheran Theological College at Neema Lutheran College in western Kenya. This seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK) currently has about 80 students who come from a

looks forward to supplying ready access to Baptism and the Lord’s Supper and to the ongoing pastoral care that is so vital to a congregation.

A Thorough Education Learning takes place outside of the classroom as well. Pastoral students at Matongo receive hands-on training that will serve them well once they graduate and are sent to their own congregations. Lenaseyan recently had the opportunity to practice his preaching skills during morning chapel, and later he traveled to the ELCK’s Othoro Project 24 site to assist with worship for the 25 children who live there. The Othoro boarding facility provides a home for children from the area who would otherwise not be able to attend school due to difficult family circumstances. At Othoro, the children complete elementary school and learn life skills, while also learning about their Savior, Jesus Christ. Many of those who come to Matongo hunger and thirst to learn more about the Word so that they can better teach and care for the people God calls them to serve. Lenaseyan is studying Greek and Hebrew with Steele. Although it was not required for the course of study he already completed, he is thankful for the scholarship that allows him to pursue further education. “These languages will help you not only

The Rev. Benjamin Samwel prays during chapel on Feb. 21, 2022.

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The Rev. Frank Mdindi takes notes during class.

LCMS missionary Rev. Dr. Walter Steele discusses preaching with student Kelvin Lenaseyan following chapel.

to translate the Word, but they will help you in your ministry as a pastor,” he says. The Rev. Frank Mdindi, who graduated from the Bishop Makala Training Center outside Shinyanga, Tanzania, in 2015, is also pursuing continuing education at Matongo. After serving in Tanzania for several years, he’s seen firsthand the importance of correct doctrine and instruction at the seminary, since incorrect teaching leads people astray. “In other universities and colleges, they teach the theology of glory,” Mdindi says, noting that it deprives people of the comfort found only in the Gospel. “[People] think, ‘I’m sick, I don’t have a lot of money, I don’t have a car, I don’t have a good house, so I don’t have a good relationship with God.’ This is very bad. But in the theology of the cross, we know that God loves us, [no matter what] we have or we don’t have.”

Brotherhood in Christ Through the collaboration at Matongo, the Synod works to support the ELCK as it provides high-quality formation for future church workers — both in Kenya and beyond — and goes through the process of gaining accreditation for the bachelor’s degree program. The LCMS also supports the

continuous improvement of the school’s facilities, which will include building a new chapel in the center of the campus in the next two years. This partnership between the two church bodies also gives Steele, Becker and other LCMS missionaries the opportunity to experience the joys and challenges of living and teaching in rural Kenya. In his role as academic dean, Steele has the pleasure of working with Lenaseyan, Mdindi and many other dedicated students. The experience has given him a new perspective on both the unity of the church in the faith and the way the Gospel interacts with different cultures.

“[People] think, ‘I’m sick, I don’t have a lot of money, I don’t have a car, I don’t have a good house, so I don’t have a good relationship with God.’ This is very bad. But in the theology of the cross, we know that God loves us, [no matter what] we have or we don’t have.”

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— Rev. Frank Mdindi

| LEARN MORE | international.lcms.org/africa

“It’s the same Gospel, it’s the same faith, but … when you start looking at some of the biblical texts, you realize that we pick up different aspects of it because of what touches our culture,” Steele says. “[These insights] and the brotherhood that we share in Christ, that’s just part of the joy of being here.” In all this, God gives the growth, and He provides pastors to serve the church and her people with the Word and Sacraments. The LCMS and her missionaries rejoice and serve joyfully in the opportunities to teach the truth of God’s Word in East Africa and throughout the world, so that these students can then go out and serve the people whom God calls to Himself in their local communities. “God’s people are the focus of this and all of the LCMS’ mission work,” says Trump. This includes both “those people in the community of believers and those who have not yet heard the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ.” Megan K. Mertz is managing editor of Lutherans Engage the World and chief copy editor for LCMS Communications.

LCMS missionary Rev. Vance Becker rings the chapel bell at Matongo Lutheran Theological College at Neema Lutheran College in western Kenya.

BY VA N C E B EC KER

Students work in the Matongo library — one of the best theological libraries in East Africa.

PREPARED FOR SERVICE IN

E A S T

A FRIC A

At Matongo Lutheran Theological College in Kenya, students study to become pastors, deaconesses and evangelists. tudents from a dozen East African countries come to rural western Kenya to study at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya’s Matongo Lutheran Theological College at Neema Lutheran College. I serve at the school alongside five other full-time faculty members, and we prepare the students to become pastors, deaconesses and evangelists. Here are the stories of two of our students.

PHOTOS: LCMS COMMUNICATIONS/ERIK M. LUNSFORD

Abraham Abraham was one of the “lost boys” of Sudan who fled during the civil war that ended in independence for South Sudan. At one time, he was forced to serve as a child soldier, but he managed to make his way to a refugee camp. It was there that he became a Christian. When he observed that the pastor there was not doing his job very well, he began to desire to be a pastor himself. As God continued to watch over him, he came into contact with The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) and was sponsored as a pastoral student at Matongo. The Rev. Dr. Thomas Aadland, the Rev. Dr. Walter Steele and I — all LCMS missionaries — served as his teachers while there. Abraham knew how to face challenges with determination and was a top student. But one day, he did not come to class. I found Abraham curled up on his bed in pain. I drove him an hour away to a doctor who quickly placed him in the hospital to have a ruptured appendix removed. Once again, Abraham had escaped death by God’s grace. He knew that this was because God had work for him to do. At Matongo, Abraham had classes in English, worshiped in Swahili, and learned Greek and Hebrew. One project he undertook on his own was translating the Lutheran liturgy for

Sunday worship, Baptism, burial and so on from English into his native tribal language, Dinka. Again, he faced challenges. Because of the specialized alphabet of his language, the old program on his computer was not able to create a document that could be exported. I let him use my computer to create a document that was able to be printed. Abraham has now graduated with a Bachelor of Theology degree and returned home, where he is serving as a pastor.

Janes Janes (pronounced “Janice”) is a recent graduate of Matongo, and she now serves as a deaconess in her hometown of Iterio, Kenya. At Matongo, Janes was equipped to teach children, make home and hospital visits, work with youth and women’s groups, help with setup for Sunday worship, and much more. Most deaconesses in Kenya do not receive a salary for this work, so they do other work to provide for their families. One part of Janes’ work is with various women’s groups, including widows. There are many widows in the church there since it is not common for women to remarry after their husband’s death. These widows are usually very poor. With Janes’ help, the widows in her congregation work together to raise crops and chickens on some small parcels of land. They also have purchased a set of plastic chairs, which they rent out for events. In these ways, the widows are able to provide for themselves and for others who are in need. The Rev. Vance Becker is an LCMS missionary and a theological educator in Kenya. Learn more at lcms.org/becker.

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Help and Hope After Disaster

“We’re from St. Paul Lutheran Church, and there are people here who care about you, who love you and who can offer you the hope of Jesus Christ.” MEMBERS OF THE SYNOD’S LUTHERAN EARLY RESPONSE TEAM PROGRAM HELP WITH RECOVERY EFFORTS AFTER A TORNADO TOUCHES DOWN NEAR MAYFIELD, KY. BY M EGA N K . ME RTZ

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This was the message that Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT) members shared with residents of Mayfield, Ky., after an EF4 tornado cut a 166-mile path through the area on the evening of Dec. 10, killing 78 people and causing extensive damage to many businesses and homes. St. Paul Lutheran Church in nearby Paducah, Ky., served as a hub for LCMS recovery efforts by providing meals and a place for the volunteers to stay. For four weeks following the tornado, nearly 70 LERT members — LCMS volunteers trained to deploy rapidly in the event of a disaster — converged on Kentucky to assist with the cleanup and walk alongside those who were impacted.

PHOTOS: LCMS COMMUNICATIONS/ERIK M. LUNSFORD

MERCY MOMENT

When the Rev. Dr. Ross Johnson, director of LCMS Disaster Response, and the Rev. Dr. Roger Paavola, president of the LCMS Mid-South District, asked St. Paul’s pastor, the Rev. David Appold, if the church could serve in this way, Appold agreed eagerly, even though Christmas was quickly approaching.

“They are the best guests we could ask for,” Appold said of the volunteers. “You hear the stories about scam artists, people who are taking advantage of folks [after a disaster]. So, to go in and say, ‘We’re with St. Paul. We want to help you just because we love you. There’s no cost.’ It’s amazing to people. And then to follow up and say, ‘Can we pray with you?’ People just love to be loved.” Appold has the names and contact information for all the families that were assisted so that he can follow up with them. He and other pastors have made several visits to pray with people and give out gift cards — something that has been especially meaningful to families who lost everything right before Christmas. In total, the LERT volunteers assisted 50 families by cutting up damaged and fallen trees and dragging debris to the street, where FEMA trucks could pick it up and haul it away. “They cleared the most dangerous trees, the ones that have the hangers and the widow-makers [broken limbs that could fall at any time]. We want to make sure that the property is safe for the people when they are working around their yard,” said Janet Simko, district disaster response coordinator (DDRC) for the LCMS Mid-South District. This was Simko’s first time in the role of DDRC, and she was grateful for the help and guidance of many experienced leaders and volunteers. Among those who stepped up to help was Brian Mead, who came from Spring Hill, Kan., to serve as site manager. He’s been to numerous disasters, first with the National Guard

and now as a LERT instructor. On Jan. 10, he was working with nine volunteers at a house outside of Mayfield that was still surrounded by a tangle of downed trees. According to Mead, the wooded property had taken a “direct hit.” A logging company had already removed the salvageable lumber, but there was still much more cleanup to do. “It’s a big job, but we’re trying to give them back a little of [what their property looked like] before.”

of the group’s service when her town of Ottawa was hit by a tornado several years ago. She has now used her skills on six different occasions to help those impacted by other disasters. “People here are always willing to give you new tips and look out for your safety. It’s a great group,” she said. As Simko reflected on her first time to respond to a disaster as the DDRC, she noted that she had no idea just how involved the process would be.

| L EA RN MO RE |

LCMS Disaster Response: lcms.org/disaster LERT: lcms-lert.org

The volunteers at the property that day included both new and experienced LERT members. For Cheryl Delair of Milwaukee, it was her first disaster after going through the LERT training a few months ago. “I didn’t think I’d be coming down for anything so soon, … but I know there’s a need here,” she said. “It’s heavy work, but it’s manageable if you’re careful. Everybody can help.” Cindy Reif of Illinois joined LERT after being a recipient

Her phone rang constantly for weeks, and there was a flood of paperwork to handle. But looking back, she was glad to have been able to help in this way, and both she and Appold are working with long-term recovery groups in the area. “When you see the results, the rest of it doesn’t make any difference,” she said. “Was there a better way? Maybe, maybe not. But the end result is that we’ve helped somebody, and that’s the encouraging part.”

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