AZIL BULGARIA BURKINA FASO BURMA/MYANMAR CAMBODIA CAMEROON CANADA CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC CHAD CHILE CHINA NIA ETHIOPIA FINLAND FRANCE GAMBIA GEORGIA GERMANY GHANA GUATEMALA HAITI HONDURAS INDIA INDONESIA JAPAN AMBIQUE NETHERLANDS NICARAGUA NIGERIA PANAMA PAPUA NEW GUINEA PARAGUAY PERU PHILIPPINES POLAND RUSSIA SLOVAKIA “ NZANIA THAILAND TOGO TURKEY UGANDA UKRAINE UNITED KINGDOM UNITED STATES URUGUAY VENEZUELA VIETNAM ZAMBIA
AZERBAIJAN: “Azerbaijan is a post-Soviet Muslim-majority country. However, there is a small but growing Christian minority. There is still not much theological literature in the Azerbaijani language. Lutheran books, such as LHF’s newly-translated Small Catechism, are filling this gap by providing fundamental Bible teaching and explanation of the Lutheran doctrine for Azerbaijani believers, as well as for non-Christians who want to know more. Luther’s teaching on Law and Gospel is very important for understanding salvation in Jesus Christ, especially in a country where Jesus is often seen merely as a prophet. Moreover, the local folk Islam emphasizes doing good deeds to earn Allah’s favor. Many still carry this legacy even after they become believers and concentrate on works. Freedom from the law and salvation by faith alone is a ground-breaking concept!” (Missionary’s name withheld due to safety concerns)
GEORGIA: “We are praising God for the Lutheran Heritage Foundation, because the Republic of Georgia is a post-Soviet country where atheism ruled for seven decades. Historically, we as a nation were Christians since the 4th century; we kept the faith until 1921 when the Red Army entered Georgia. For exactly 70 years we were captives of the Communist regime – just as Israel was in Babylon – until 1991, when the Soviet Union was fully destroyed. During Communism, Bibles and spiritual literature were forbidden. As a result, we became an uneducated and ungodly society. LHF is a blessing not only for the Lutheran church, but for the whole nation, because it gives great opportunity to increase the number of spiritual literature in our country.” - Ruslan Tsintsadze
KAZAKHSTAN: “The Kazakh people are over 99 percent Muslim. Overwhelming anti-Christian propaganda, religious persecution and harassment are regular obstacles to the proclamation of the Gospel. For the young Kazakh Lutheran Church, learning how to not only survive, but also stay engaged in their communities and share their faith with their friends and families are truly huge challenges that only the Holy Spirit can enable them to face faithfully. In most villages and towns where we are working, there was previously no ethnic Kazakh worshipping community of any denomination! Because almost all the people in our churches have come to faith and been baptized within the last 4-5 years, catechesis and basic Christian formation is fundamental. What a wonderful blessing to have Luther’s Small Catechism to use in the faith formation of this growing young church! ” (Missionary’s name withheld due to safety concerns)
RUSSIA:
“For the past six months at St. Anne Lutheran Church (in the heart of St. Petersburg), we have been actively engaged in missionary activities using LHF books. We made bags with the church logo and placed inside some of LHF’s books. Several times a month, we conduct excursions around the church, and in the end we give away all such packages. Before January 2017, the parish of St. Anne consisted of 4 people. As of August 2017: • 13 people were confirmed • 20-40 people now regularly worship on Sundays • Sunday School has been established • 77 people have signed up for the next confirmation class. All students of the course will receive a set of spiritual literature, issued by LHF. Praise God! - Rev. Evgeny Raskatov 3
