LHF The Word at Work; Vol. 27 No. 3

South Sudan

Lutheran Heritage Foundation:

THE WORD AT WORK

Volume 27 Number 3 ■ May/June 2020

In dark times,

LHF BOOKS BRING THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL As face masks and “sheltering in place” became the norm in the United States, the coronavirus and its effects also ravaged the communities of our mission partners around the world.

In this newsletter, we share with you the bigger picture of how vital your LHF mission gifts have been, and how the Holy Spirit is working through them to shine the Light of the Gospel into what, for some, are very dark days.

Please, keep the LHF mission and our mission partners in your prayers, and as you are able, continue your support for printing the books that are pointing people around the world to the love of Jesus Christ.

SOUTH SUDAN: “The Coronavirus pandemic has added another misery to the lives of South Sudanese who for decades have been struggling just for survival.

Due to the lockdown, there are already food shortages in town, and prices have gone higher since most food items are imported from the neighboring countries. The whole nation is in big trouble right now because many of our people live “from hand to mouth” which means today’s earnings are tomorrow’s food. NO WORK. NO FOOD. NO LIFE. That is it! Many are starving right now!

“Not only that, it is very challenging for the church to reach out and comfort her members with the message of the Gospel because the entire country is locked down, and yet it has no infrastructure. There is no electricity. Few have access to the Internet and as such, the possibility of live streaming or video clips on YouTube cannot help the majority of our people who live in the villages.

South Sudan cont. on page 2

INSIDE:

TRANSLATING PUBLISHING INTRODUCING DISTRIBUTING REFORMATION BIBLE-BASED CHRIST-CENTERED BOOKS TRANSLATING PUBLISHING INTRODUCING DISTRIBUTING REFORMATION BIBLE-BASED CHRIST TERED BOOKS TRANSLATING PUBLISHING INTRODUCING TRANSLATING REFORMATION BIBLE-BASED CHRIST-CENTERED BOOKS TRANSLATING PUBLISHING PAGES 2-3: PAGE 3: INTRODUCING DISTRIBUTING PAGE 4: REFORMATION B through Covid-19 – BOOKS TRANSLATING New options for mission giving: Parish pastor’s book opens Bible to BLE-BASEDCoping CHRIST-CENTERED PUBLISHING INTRODUCING DISTRIBUTING REFOR How LHF books help South Sudan matching grant & more Southeast Asian believers TION BIBLE-BASED CHRIST-CENTERED BOOKS TRANSLATING PUBLISHING INTRODUCING DISTRIBUTING REFORMATION BIBLE-BASED CHRIST-CENTERED BOOKS TRANSLATING PUBLISHING INTRODUCING DIS

IMMIGRANTS IN GERMANY: “So I would like to share this place with you: the stockroom, from where LHF books ship throughout Europe. Perhaps you may know that as people are sitting in their homes and they cannot come out any more, these books are becoming more and more important at this moment in time.

“I think especially in these days as the Persian (Iranian) people are celebrating their New Year (Mar. 21) – and perhaps they are very sad as they are celebrating this New Year in their little rooms – to say to them and all people in the world, “The marks of Christ are on you.” So let no one have troubles. Christ is the same, in this church, in LHF, and all over the world where people are proclaiming the Gospel. May this work bear many fruits.”

– Rev. Hugo Gevers, SELK missionary to Iranian immigrants in Leipzig, Germany

RUSSIA:

THAILAND:

“In Russia, gatherings of more than five people are forbidden, and that means regular worship services, Bible studies, catechism classes, and so forth have been curtailed, and studies at our seminary have been suspended until the fall semester. Therefore, we have shifted all lessons for the remainder of this term to distance learning on-line formats.

“This, of course, has made the LHF materials we have especially important! For the course I am teaching called ‘Personal Spiritual Life,’ students have always needed access to the Book of Concord, Luther’s Freedom of a Christian and The Theology of the Cross. In a regular classroom setting, the students would read and then we would discuss and analyze in our class meetings, now in a distance setting, they will have to read those books much more closely.

“Russians still read quite a bit, and being quarantined gives people more time to fill. I know of one person in particular, named Yuri, who has been wanting more time to read LHF books and now is using that time to do so. He just finished The Foolishness of God and is now reading Kolb’s On Christian Faith.”

– Rev. Leif Camp, missionary and Dean of Students Theological Institute of the Church of Ingria (Russia)

GHANA:

“Every church has grouped its members into smaller units who meet in homes every Sunday for brief worship (confession and absolution, readings, short sermon and prayers).

“Daily, we read ‘Jesus Never Fails.’

Covid-19 has plagued the whole world, and so where is our hope? JESUS NEVER FAILS.” – Rev. Dr. Nicholas Salifu, pastor 2

“People are staying home and social distancing; we do not travel to distribute LHF‘s books right now.

We will follow our plan for this in 2 months.

“But some of Lutheran churches have a study class online. I teach them every week from Luther‘s Small Catechism.

Each of them has their own book to study with me, and I record the message for them. In this way, they still hear God’s Word to them.”

– Rev. Niran Temsakun, LHF translator

South Sudan

“Thanks be to God that in every situation there is always a w “Although w churches or v be to God tha printed by the “Here ther pecially at this like “Jesus Ne A Child’s Gard are at home, w copies we prin “As the peo Bishop Peter Anibati Abia, left, with happy Zande children receiving their very first Bible Covid 19, LHF storybooks in their language.

– Bishop Pet

If you would like to support famine and book relief for South

HOLDING UP THE PROPHETS’ HANDS: KENYA:

OPTIONS for MISSION GIVING In these uncertain financial times, you want to make the most of your mission offerings. Consider these options: • South Sudan Match: A generous supporter has been moved to offer a $14,000 dollar-for-dollar match for “Food for the Body and Soul,” providing famine relief kits, grinding mills and LHF catechisms and devotions for the people of South Sudan. Complete the form on the back of this newsletter and mail to LHF with your gift, or give online at LHFmissions.org/South-Sudan-match.

“The coronavirus situation in Kenya is still worrying. Especially in Nairobi, movement is highly restricted by the police who hinder the operation of key service providers like the nurses and doctors.

“All churches in Kenya are in complete lockdown. Only online services have been going on.

“But one of LHF’s books that is doing well especially in my own suburb is A Child’s Garden of Bible Stories in the Swahili language. I shared 18 copies to the kids in my neighborhood as a way of keeping them busy as they are at home. To my surprise, they organized themselves into a classroom setting where they read at least three stories a day! None of these kids is Lutheran.”

– Rev. George Ondieki, LHF translator

cont. from page 1

way out no matter how small or narrow it might be! we are not able at this time to hold normal Sunday services at our visit our members in the refugee camps as we normally do, thanks at the people are receiving comfort and healing through the books e Lutheran Heritage Foundation! re is not just a shortage of food, but also a shortage of books, ess time of the pandemic. We are running out of catechisms, booklets ever Fails,” “Trusting in His Love,” and the newly-published book: den of Bible Stories in Zande. At this time when all the school kids we have received more requests for this new publication than the nted, because it is the first of its kind in our part of the world! ople maintain social distance and isolate themselves during this F books are bringing them closer to God. Praise be to God!”

ter Anibati Abia, Evangelical Lutheran Church in South Sudan/Sudan

Sudan specifically, please see “South Sudan Match,” above right.

• Recurring Gifts: Over time, even small gifts accumulate to great effect. By enrolling in LHF’s recurring gift program, see how the Holy Spirit can make a big impact through your offerings! Here’s how it works: Say you decide to give $10 per month to LHF – books for two families! This amount is securely charged to your credit card or automatically withdrawn from your banking account each month, as you direct.

Over the course of a year, your gifts total $120. Now, you’ve shared books about the Savior in TWO DOZEN HOUSEHOLDS! Enroll by giving online at www.LHFmissions.org, and click the box that says “Make this a monthly gift.” Or call the LHF office at (800)554-0723 to request a mail-in form.

• The LHF Match: If you haven’t donated to the LHF mission in the past 12 months or more, you’re eligible for the LHF Match. All donations from individuals, churches or groups who haven’t given to LHF in the past 12 months are matched, dollar for dollar, until the goal of $165,000 is met. The maximum individual gift match for this program is $5,000; grants and bequests are not eligible. No extra paperwork is required. Give online at LHFmissions.org or mail your gift using the form on the back.

• The CARES Act: Part of the recently-passed federal stimulus CARES Act gave taxpayers an incentive to help religious organizations and charities in need during the pandemic crisis: an above-the-line $300 charitable income tax deduction, available both to those who itemize on their tax returns and those who don’t. This means that anyone taking the standard deduction on 2020 returns (filed in 2021), who gave up to $300 to charities, can claim a $300 tax break in addition to the standard deduction ($12,400 for individuals and $24,800 for married couples filing jointly). As always, consult your tax or financial advisors when making giving decisions.

3

“How do I make heads or tails of this stuff?”

PASTOR’S BOOK OPENS BIBLE FOR NEW BELIEVERS When he first put pen to paper back in the late 1990s, Rev. Dr. Lane Burgland hoped his book, How to Read the Bible with Understanding, would help Christians sort through Scripture’s sometimes complex teachings. He never imagined that his book would be a Godsend to new believers in countries like Vietnam, Burma and Cambodia.

“The Lord works in unexpected and surprising ways,” reflected Rev. Burgland, pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Churubusco, Indiana. “As we learn so often in Scripture, He has a wonderful plan for salvation and moves His Kingdom forward using all kinds of people. We are so blessed when we glimpse Him at work!”

Regardless of whether the reader is sitting on the couch in Minnesota or stretched out beneath a coconut palm in Vietnam, “the book can be helpful to people across the world today in whatever culture, language, or circumstance,” said Rev. Burgland, who also has served as an associate professor of exegetical theology at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne. “It would be useful in mission work, to first time Bible readers, to first generation believers who open the Bible and ask, ‘How do I make heads or tails of this stuff?’

“For example, you’re reading something that was written anywhere from 2,000 - 4,000 years ago (depending on the part you’re reading), in a culture

we don’t understand,” he said. “We may read a passage and not get a handle on it really quickly. We may even misunderstand it… [so this book explains] a bit of geography, history, culture, and so forth.”

Sopha Khorn, coordinator of LHF projects in Cambodia, agrees the book has been crucial for their growing Lutheran church body.

“Many Cambodian Christians read the Bible and interpret the Scripture by using their own thoughts, feelings and understanding without any method or structure, and…they often misunderstand the true meaning of the Scripture,” he said. “They sometimes change the meaning of Scripture, such as when Jesus said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body,’ in Matthew 26:26, to say ‘Take, eat; this represents My body.’”

“If you take time to pray for the guidance and gift of the Holy Spirit before reading, He will help you to see what He has written, and to open eyes and hearts and minds to believe it,” said Rev. Burgland.

“Trust in Jesus Christ, and you’ll find yourself absolutely captivated and on a journey that will last your whole life long.”

To order Reading the Bible with Understanding in the Khmer, Burmese or Vietnamese (or coming soon, Chinese) language, send an email to info@ LHFmissions.org. The English edition can be purchased at Concordia Publishing House (CPH.org).

Mail to:

LUTHERAN HERITAGE FOUNDATION

– by Anna Bagnall, LHF Staff Writer

LUTHERAN HERITAGE FOUNDATION 51474 Romeo Plank Rd. ■ Macomb, MI 48042 1-800-554-0723 ■ info@LHFmissions.org www.LHFmissions.org

51474 Romeo Plank Rd. • Macomb, MI 48042 Title and Name ___________________________________________________ Address _________________________________________________________ City _____________________ State ____________ Zip ___________________ Phone ___________________ E-mail _________________________________ ☐ Please direct my enclosed, tax-deductible gift to “Food for the Body and Soul”

for South Sudan.

☐ I’m new or returning to the LHF mission and am eligible for the LHF Match.

Use my gift to support LHF’s worldwide translation and publishing efforts.

Send me information about:

☐ setting up a monthly recurring gift to the LHF mission ☐ including LHF in my estate plan 4

LHF “WORD AT WORK” STAFF:

EDITOR: Rev. Dr. 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.