FOUNDATION
Vol. 32, No. 4: July/August 2025
Praise Him, Africa!
The WORD at WORK New mission project for Lutheran children: Children’s Songs
Remember the many songs of the Christian faith you learned as a child? Even today, many of those songs remain deeply rooted in your memory, continuing to teach the Word years - even decades - after you first learned them.
In Africa too, music is a huge part of daily life, including in the life of the Church. But in Africa’s new and even long-time Lutheran churches, a challenge exists: the number of songs to imprint the faith in children’s hearts and minds is very limited. There are no children’s hymnals or song books to teach from. Teachers are limited to the songs that they can remember themselves.
LHF has started work on a new translation project called “Praise Him, Africa!” When they adopt this project with their mission offerings, students will provide the gift of Lutheran song to countless children throughout Africa.
God’s Word set to music is a gift your church’s Sunday school or Lutheran day school students can share with children in Africa – for less than $5 per student!
“Nyimbo za Watoto” (Children’s Songs) is a collection of 100+ Christian songs first written in the Swahili language, spoken by more than 200 million people in East Africa. LHF staff will record the songs so that they’re available to teachers online, and the printed song books will be given at no cost to Lutheran churches, Sunday schools and day schools throughout East Africa.
Once “Nyimbo za Watoto” has been printed in the Swahili language, that book will serve as a template for new translations into other languages for churches and schools all across Africa.
As with all LHF’s mission projects for children, teachers can request a FREE “Praise
Making connections with Somali Muslims:
“God has placed a burden on our hearts”
If you were to walk into a Starbucks in certain neighborhoods of St. Paul, Minn., much would be the same as any Starbucks. The rich aroma of coffee would fill the air, and the people sipping their drinks would be engaged in lively conversation. But one thing that would be very different is that the language being spoken is Somali.
The Twin Cities of Minnesota are home to the world’s largest Somali population outside of the country of Somalia (about 85,000 people); another 45-50,000 Somali live in Ohio. As in their strictly Islamic home country, the vast majority of American Somalis are Muslim, in desperate need of the Savior.
Now, a group of Lutheran pastors and lay leaders are trying to figure out how best to share the Good News with their Somali neighbors.
Many of these Lutherans are immigrants themselves, Oromo and Amharic speakers from Somalia’s neighboring country of Ethiopia.
“The Oromo people especially have a connected lineage with Somalians,” explained Rev. Dr. Dinku Bato, LHF’s coordinator for African translations and an Oromo himself. “We say that we have one ancestry; we are from the
same branch of people. The Somali people see us as a kind of brother, and so we have an opening, a way to connect to them. We Ethiopians have a burden on our hearts to share the Gospel with our Somali brothers, but no one knows how to go about it.”
Rev. Bato decided that the best way to start was to simply jump in, and so he organized a first-of-its-kind conference in the Twin Cities, where Lutheran leaders from the region met to exchange ideas and experiences. Rev. Berhanu Arsse, an LCMS pastor from Ohio who has worked with Somali immigrants for over a decade, was the keynote speaker.
“Rev. Arsse’s experience was very helpful,” exclaimed Rev. Bato. “The two biggest take-aways were, first, that Somalis are not completely against Christianity. Based on what they know from Islam and the teachings of the Quran, they have something in their heart for Christ. They know Him as one of the greatest prophets, so we can start from that.”
While Rev. Arsse makes good use of LHF’s Somali translations of the Small Catechism and A Child’s Garden of Bible Stories, he warned that it’s not always best to start evangelism with a book.
“A book can be a problem for
Somali people when they bring them into their homes,” Rev. Bato explained. “They may be cut off from their families and community, which would be a very scary thing for them. Instead, it would be better to first establish a friendship or relationship with the person. Then, after gaining trust and sharing your own faith, you can ask whether they would like to learn more.”
In brainstorming ideas for other ways to witness, the group is moving ahead with plans to ask public libraries to include the Somali Child’s Garden on their shelves, and books will also be provided at churches offering English as a Second Language (ESL) classes.
“We Ethiopian Christians in the Twin Cities feel that we could never do evangelism in the country of Muslim Somalia, even though it is only a few hundred kilometers away from our home country of Ethiopia, because of the resistance that could escalate to killing,” reflected Rev. Bato. “But here in the United States, we have more freedom. Many of us, especially the Oromo Lutherans, feel that it is for a purpose that God sent us here. It was not random.”
To read more about inspiring events from this conference, go to the LHF website: LHFmissions.org
LHF conference in Thailand brings together leaders from 2 continents, 9 countries
“In most countries in Southeast Asia, Christians are a small minority of the people, and Lutherans are a small minority of the Christians,” said Rev. NaThalang, LHF’s project coordinator for Southeast Asia. “But when we come together to share ideas, work and pray, more can be accomplished. And it’s very encouraging and uplifting for these young Lutherans to spend time with one another.”
To accomplish this goal, Rev. NaThalang organized a first-of-its-kind workshop for LHF project managers and translators from throughout Southeast Asia.
“Each team has their own strengths,” reflected Rev. NaThalang. “For example, our Thai team is very skilled in graphic design and computer layout. In Cambodia, they have really good methods of outreach and distribution of LHF books. Our Indonesian office is producing great social media posts that share LHF books with people we wouldn’t reach in other ways. Everyone has something to share that will make other teams and their proclamation of the Gospel stronger.”
As plans for the conference got underway, LHF leaders from India and East Africa also saw the value of this collaboration and journeyed to Thailand to join.
Shared knowledge = growth
In the course of a week, the men and women shared what their LHF offices are doing in their countries. They also explored lots of new approaches to using modern technology to share the Good News, including audiobooks, ebooks and social media posts. The group traveled to local printers to gain a better understanding of how the process works, and they discussed the possibility of using artificial intelligence (AI) to do some basic translation tasks.
“The discussions and examples shared gave us practical insights into how we might better communicate the Gospel in ways that resonate with the Filipino cultural setting,” said Arlene Reyes, who coordinates LHF work in the Philippines.
Simon Obiayo, a layout and design artist from Kenya who is new to the LHF team, received personalized training in the best way to format books for printers and create book covers. “If I were to write down all the experiences and things I learned, you can be sure it would be quite a good number of pages!” he exclaimed.
Most of all, the participants agreed that the best part of the conference was the shared prayer, worship and fellowship in the faith.
“It was wonderful to see the intergenerational cooperation within LHF,” said Rev. Niran Temsakun, who with his wife Esther translates and distributes LHF books throughout northern Thailand. “It’s important to work across age groups, learning from one another, passing on wisdom and renewing our understanding to better serve. It was a rich and unforgettable experience.”
“We were reminded by Rev. NaThalang that we are delivering bread to a hungry world,” agreed Arlene. “The Holy Spirit, working through us, is shaping the next generation of Lutherans in Southeast Asia.”
Him, Africa!” classroom resource kit that helps bring Africa to life for students. Each kit includes:
• a short “Praise Him, Africa!” DVD to share with the children (also available on YouTube)
• a classroom devotion/chapel message reflecting on God’s gift of music and faith
• a colorful bulletin board display about East African countries like Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda
• a packet of fun classroom resources and activities! Included for Lutheran day schools are suggestions for weaving African art and customs into your regular curriculum, including music, gym, art and language arts. Music, craft and snack ideas can enrich a Sunday school class.
• a take-home flyer for parents so they can learn more about their children’s mission project
And don’t forget that LHF also offers FREE mission speakers (ordained LCMS pastors) who will come to your church or Lutheran school to preach in church or lead a chapel and to spend time with students, encouraging them to develop a lifelong heart for missions.
What an incredible gift –and for only $5 per songbook!
It’s true: It costs LHF only $5 to provide a beautiful “Nyimbo za Watoto” songbook for a Lutheran teacher or student in Africa.
So if your Sunday school raises $100 for “Praise Him, Africa!”, they are sending songbooks to another Sunday school class of 20 students in East Africa, teaching music and faith for years to come. Your Lutheran day school’s offerings of $500 share God’s Word with 100 Lutheran day school students!
With your help, Lutheran children throughout the African continent will join us in singing, in THEIR own languages, “Jesus loves me, this I know.”
To request your FREE “Praise Him, Africa!” resource kit, send an email (including your shipping address) to info@LHFmissions.org, or call the LHF office at (800)554-0723.
LHF MATCH 2025
If you’re new to LHF’s work and haven’t yet sent a gift in support of this mission, now is the time!
With the LHF Match – available to all individuals, churches, Lutheran schools or church groups who have never given toward LHF’s work – you can DOUBLE your gift, dollar-for-dollar (up to $5,000). No special paperwork is necessary; simply send your gift in the enclosed envelope or give online at www. LHFmissions.org.
If you’ve already given to help LHF translate and publish the good books of our Lutheran faith, THANK YOU! Please consider sharing this opportunity with your family, friends and church.
New LHF publications available now!
As always, LHF books and resources are available at no cost to the churches and people who need them. Your donations help LHF continue this important work. To see a list of all LHF titles and languages, go to www.LHFmissions.org/Publications.
God’s Word For You
Now available in Simplified Chinese and in Indonesian/English (bilingual)
Other new titles: The Word of the Lord Endures online devotions (Spanish) and A Simple Explanation of Christianity (Oromo - Ethiopia).
