The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. Proverbs 16:9 ESV
Celebrating Four Years of Service
It is difficult for me to believe that it has already been four years since I began missionary service with the LCMS. Thanks be to God for each one of you who have encouraged me, prayed for me or supported me financially. I am grateful for every single one of you. Thank you for being a part of this mission work.
Given the nature of my work, it has continued in spite of the lockdowns. It is my hope that soon the world will get back to normal so that we can all be out working in our God-given vocations.
News from Around the Region
Baptisms and Confirmations in Belize
Congregations in Orange Walk, Belize came together on July 12th to celebrate five baptisms and twelve confirmations as two entire congregations from Orange Walk were added to the Belize Mission. Pastor Herb Burch administered the Baptisms. Of course there was no way for me to attend this event, with the international airport shut down, but I still love telling the story for others to enjoy.
Ready for Hurricane Season
Our Latin American Lutheran churches have been preparing for the current hurricane season, which runs from June 1st to November 30th. Missionary Pastor Alejandro Lopez has been trained by LCMS Disaster Response to be a Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT) trainer. He presented the training sessions for the Guatemalan Lutheran Church during four online evening sessions. The fifth evening was a panel discussion aimed at problem-solving, planning, and preparation for present and future disasters in that country. Similar workshops are planned for Argentina and Bolivia.
In Puerto Rico our disaster response trainer is Missionary Pastor Gustavo Maita from Venezuela. He has provided (LERT) training for the Puerto Rican Lutheran churches so that they can be ready at a moment's notice to respond to disasters of any kind. Currently everyone is focused on the hurricane season, which is just getting cranked up.
Uplifting Our Pastors Through Online Winkels
Quite a number of our Latin American Lutheran pastors serve two or three or more congregations at the same time. With the nearest pastor often living several hours away, opportunities for these men to be built up in the Word and to have fellowship time with other pastors are crucial.
One of the ways I am able to make a tiny contribution that carries a substantial impact, is in the facilitating of these online meetings that are similar to pastors' winkels in the United States. Physical meetings are not possible due to the great distance between the churches and the current lockdowns.
In the past month pastors from the Lutheran Synod of Mexico gathered online to discuss the topic of Pastoral Care in the Midst of Doubt. Likewise, nine pastors from the Lutheran Church in Guatemala met later in the month to visit about the same topic. In addition to the theological discussion, each of these gatherings had sufficient time built in for conversation and light-hearted fellowship, which is indispensable, especially during this time of pandemic lockdowns. I am happy that what I am doing is helping to make these gatherings happen for these hard-working dedicated pastors.
Did you know?
- At the end of June nearly 50% of the population of Lima, Perú was unemployed due to the pandemic.
- Our missionaries in the Dominican Republic continue to have a curfew from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. during the week and 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. on the weekends.
- Churches across Latin America are assisting the needy with food baskets and other necessities during this time of pandemic.
Please Pray
- For the people of Perú and Bolivia, as their hospitals are at capacity.
- For the needy. In some areas the fear of starvation exceeds the fear of the COVID 19 virus for the poorer families.
- For the safety of our missionaries as the hurricane season is just getting underway.
- That God would provide comfort for His people across the world during this time. For the unemployed, the lonely, the depressed, the hungry, the destitute and the bereaved, we pray for God's mercy.
