FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:
LOST AND FOUND IN A KAZAKHSTAN MARKETPLACE He was always mocked because he was the shortest in his class. He felt like he was a nobody and that if there was a God, why would He care about him? So he decided to kill himself. Nazer went for one last walk around his hometown market in Kazakhstan, where he liked to visit the fortune tellers. But for some reason, today he couldn’t see the fortune tellers. Instead, he was drawn to a woman reading a book. As he engaged the woman in conversation, he realized Rev. Matt Heise that she was reading a book of great worth. It was God’s Holy Word! Having been touched by the Word, he decided that maybe he wouldn’t kill himself that day after all. And as he looked around, he now saw that all the fortune tellers had been there the whole time! Apparently the Lord had blinded him to their presence. That day, the Holy Spirit planted the seeds of faith in Nazer, and he became a believer in the Living Word, Jesus Christ. As is often the case among those whom the Lord has rescued from the depths of despair, Nazer just had to share that message of hope with others who were as lost as he had been. After the initial contacts of evangelism, though, how best to explain the Christian faith? Nazer has found the answer in LHF’s Kazakh translation of Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, which continues to be the best explanation of our common Christian faith. Now, people from this overwhelmingly Muslim country in Central Asia can learn more about their Savior, who rescued and redeemed them, lost and condemned creatures. Through your faithful support, LHF will soon publish A Child’s Garden of Bible Stories so that Kazakh children, as well as adults, will be able to hear the Good News in a language they can read and understand. Thank you for bringing that life-giving Word to God’s people, the Kazakhs!
LUTHERAN HERITAGE FOUNDATION
THE LHF MATCH From Nazer in Kazakhstan, teaching new Christians using Luther’s Small Catechism...to seminarians in Togo, reading Lutheran theology books in their own language for the first time...to children in Vietnam, waiting for their very first Bible storybook...the Holy Spirit is working powerfully through your gifts! If you’re a new LHF supporter, or if you haven’t given a gift to the mission in the past 12 months, you can DOUBLE your new gift with the LHF Match. Simply mail your gift or donate online (www. LHFmissions.org) and your donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $5,000 per gift.
MAIL TO:
51474 Romeo Plank Rd. ■ Macomb, MI 48042 1-800-554-0723 ■ info@LHFmissions.org www.LHFmissions.org
LUTHERAN HERITAGE FOUNDATION 51474 Romeo Plank Rd. ■ Macomb, MI 48042
LHF “WORD AT WORK” STAFF:
EDITOR: Rev. Matthew Heise MANAGING EDITOR: Jennifer Bagnall GRAPHIC DESIGN: Jennifer Bagnall “The Word at Work” is the official publication of the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Permission is hereby granted to excerpt from this publication for not-for-profit purposes. The Lutheran Heritage Foundation is a Recognized Service Organization of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces confessional Lutheran materials throughout the world so that people can be brought to Christ. LHF is not subsidized by the LCMS or any other church body. It is entirely supported by individual donations and grants.
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Title and Name ___________________________________________________ Address _________________________________________________________ City _____________________ State ____________ Zip ___________________ Phone ___________________ E-mail _________________________________ ☐ Enclosed please find my tax-deductible gift made payable to the LHF to support its
worldwide translation and publishing efforts.
PLEASE SEND ME INFORMATION ABOUT: ☐ including LHF in my estate plan ☐ hosting an LHF mission speaker or preacher at my congregation ☐ LHF mission projects for children ☐ “River of Life,” LHF’s 5-day VBS program
