Focus

From Global Lutheran Outreach missionaries James and Liisa Tino (Serving in Santiago, Chile)

Dear GLO Newsletters,

First, our apologies for the lengthy delay since our last newsletter (we seem to be doing that a lot lately!). I could go on and on about what caused this delay, but that would be a contradiction to the theme of this newsletter, which is FOCUS. With so many distractions in our world today – political, economic, “culture wars”, covid, and more – I find that it is harder and harder to stay focused on what’s really important.

Every family needs a home, and the family of faith is no different. For over a year now, we have been worshiping under a temporary tin roof in the back yard of the ministry/immigrant house. Our humble “chapel” has been under an ongoing demolition order from the local government. The lives of immigrants are unstable enough – they do not need to be living in fear of eviction. The continued harassment by the government is also taking its toll on me as the pastor/missionary and on the congregation. We need a home.
By 2020, the ministry was robust enough to pay its own rent, so Liisa and I moved to our own place (smaller). Since January 2020, the church and related ministries have been able to pay the nearly $2,000/month USD in rent. Hey, that’s a mortgage payment!

A New Pastor

I’m a missionary-pastor, and the job of a missionary-pastor is to do a lot of “firsts” – that is, things that you (hopefully) only have to do once. For example: start from ground zero; train your first leaders; start a Sunday school; write a constitution; register the church; build a building; and so on. Once the congregation is on its feet, it’s time to call a pastor to continue shepherding the flock and reaching out to others with the Gospel.
It’s time.
So far, we have extended calls to three pastors.  This is not a “money” issue, it is a “guidance” issue. Will you pray that God’s Holy Spirit would guide and direct us to the man He has chosen to be the pastor at Divine Providence Lutheran Church in Santiago?

To learn more about James and Liisa Tino, click here to read their latest newsletter! 

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The beauty of the butterfly

From Global Lutheran Outreach missionaries David and Luz Maria Ernst (serving in La Curamuca, Venezuela ):

Butterflies are not mentioned in the Bible, although moths in Scripture represent the frailty of humans and of human existence (Job 4:19; 13:28; Isaiah 50:9; 51:8) and the temporary quality of earthly possessions (Matthew 6:19-20; Luke 12:33; James 5:2). Butterflies and moths undergo a similar transformation from larva to adult by way of a dormant stage (the pupa or chrysalis), but perhaps the beauty of a butterfly compared to a caterpillar led Christian artists to see it as a symbol of the resurrection.

Luz Maria’s birthday cake. Celebrating Cinco de Mayo (not that one)
Luz Maria celebrated her birthday, May 5, with another trip to Caracas. With her sister deaconesses, Elsy Machado and Ginnatriz Mendoza, she helped Pastor Sergio Maita with one last seminar for deaconesses in training from May 4 to 6. Sergio is the pastor of “Pan de Vida” (Bread of Life) Lutheran Church in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic, and an instructor at Concordia El Reformador Seminary.

Deaconess seminar in Caracas.
The 39 Venezuelan women will graduate from the seminary’s deaconess program next month along with 24 from Guatemala, 23 from Mexico, 12 from the Dominican Republic and seven from Panama.

Click here to read the latest newsletter from the Ernst!

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The Khmer Khronicle

From Global Lutheran Outreach missionary Sharolyn Frahm (Serving in Cambodia)

In a world filled with so many frequent changes, the very best thing in all of this is that ‘the church’ remains stable and constant. Yes, things around us are definitely different, but the church has not changed. God is constant. God has each moment of this detailed in His plan for each of us.

As I write this, we have rounded out the month of April. For those of us in the northern hemisphere it has been a rough start on spring this year, for some folks there is still snow in the air (to the west.) For me here, my herbs made it thru the winter under plastic covers and are gorgeous, but I have to keep covering them up on those frigid spits so they stay that way and can be used.

It seems that the world is trying to also change once again. Things are coming out of their tumultuous stages, with new anchors and mindsets coming forth during these past two years. And yet…

As Pastor Samuel and I were able to have a very long conversation the other day, I can now give you an update as to the on the ground activity of the church community at this time. From my perspective, I can see so many blessings that have abounded out of all of these past months, how Pastor Samuel has used these times to grow ministry in creative ways that I could not have imagined. In spite of the closures and the leanness of things overall, ministry has blossomed.

Update coming from Cambodia

You know those lovely things we drive on and in our spring feel like they have shortcuts to another world with the holes. It isn’t any different in Cambodia for those roads that aren’t paved. They get holes too. And the cemented ones don’t last long either. It is always a constant battle to be reasonably smooth. Supposedly Siem Reap Province has been allocated a ton of extra funds for road repair. Except the road to Snor isn’t on that list. It never has been actually. So to the rescue are the local muscle building guys who power thru to make that road less hazardous. But it takes a community of hard work to dig away some of that teeth rattling rolling down the road that occurs in areas where it’s not wanted.

I asked Samuel why he continues to do what he does, day after day, and yet some days he could be so sad and could cry out in his complicated dire situation…. as a man of God, a husband, and a father. This is something long overdue in my relationship with him to ask what his heart knows.

Samuel brought out the story of Nehemiah and reminded me that ministry for him is what happened in this book and the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem. The powerful messages of Nehemiah is how much you can accomplish when you align yourself with the will and plan of God.

If you would like to read the details of this newsletter, click here

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A Restful Break

From Global Lutheran Outreach missionarie Joshua Wareham (Serving in Jos, Nigeria)

Educating Global Disciples of Christ
It has been a busy couple months. I have been writing and completing scholarship applications for seminary, while teaching and grading. The Lord blessed me with the strength and will to make it to spring break for some needed rest. We are learning about poetry and reading the books Iqbal and Tuck Everlasting. Tuck Everlasting is a great book because a major theme is immortality. Through the reading I constantly ask the students if they would want to live forever. I have yet to get a, “yes”. It is always, “I would rather go to heaven” or “That’s impossible because Jesus is returning to take us to heaven.” – I always say, “Good answer.”

I also did some tourist things while in Ghana. It was a much needed break!

April Fool’s day

My eighth grade class pranked me… The best best part was the principal was in on it! The bell rang for class and I was waiting…and…waiting. I was wondering where everyone was. I walk out of my classroom and find the principal. She tells me that the students have been pranking teachers all day and that I should go check the library for them because that is where the high schoolers hang out. They should be there as well…so I did; and when I returned, this is how they were in my class.
So I decided to teach that way. It was awesome and a great way to end the week with a good laugh!

Click here to read the latest newsletter from Josh!

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Welcome Scarlett! Thank you God!

From Global Lutheran Outreach missionaries Ben and Scarlett Tino  (Serving in Zacapa, Guatemala):

We got married!
After several months of planning for a wedding and preparing ourselves for the married life, we both said “I do” on a hot afternoon in Puerto Barrios on February 4th. The wedding was well attended mostly by Scarletts friends and family in Puerto Barrios, and by my immediate family who were able to travel. It was a beautiful service with a joyful reception held at a nearby hotel. We are almost all settled into our home in Zacapa, Scarlett has done a good job of giving it that “home” feel compared to how it was when I was living here as a single guy. We even have a guest room, so the invitation is open for you to visit!

Scarlett at work
If you recall from the last newsletter, Scarlett will be working with the children in Zacapa, being the coordinator for Sunday School in the main church and in the villages nearby where we have smaller churches. Her years of working with children and teaching in a Lutheran School have given her the perfect training for this position. Since the pandemic started, there has been no Sunday school activities in our church. So with Scarlett taking the initiative, we are kicking things back into gear and slowly seeing the children return to their usual Sunday school activities.

Ben at work!
My music classes continue like usual, teaching 15-20 private lessons a week. I have several advanced students now, with flute and clarinet, that are getting to the point of surpassing my playing abilities! Of course, those are not my best instruments… Now into the season of Lent with Easter coming up, we are preparing a small ensemble and hopefully a small choir to sing on Easter Sunday.
A big focus for me has always been to equip them well enough to be able to prepare and play church music. God only knows how much longer I will be needed here. So in the meantime, I will prepare them as best as I can.

Supporting two
Now that we are two, life has become twice as expensive. As a single missionary, my living expenses were pretty cheap. But that quickly changed once we got married. We pray our financial support remains steady throughout this year, especially since we don’t know yet when we can visit the states to grow our support team. We recognize each donation and are so grateful for them because they allow us to survive as missionaries. Please keep us in your prayers as well, especially since Zacapa has seen a string of violence in the last month.

Click here to read the latest newsletter from Ben and Scarlett Tino

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About us?

From Global Lutheran Outreach missionaries Ana, Sofia, and Victor Rivas (preparing to serve in Guyana):

HELLO! my wife Ana Belen Juárez, our daughter Sofía Elizabeth and I Victor Rivas, We are a small Lutheran family living in Guatemala my wife teaches how to play different musical instruments. While I dedicate myself to teaching mathematics, we both support the Cristo Rey Lutheran Church in the capital in the youth group, now God has called us to serve him in GUYANA, we very much want to use our gifts to teach the people so much of his love.

We start the year with a good rhythm…
Thanks to God and to all the people who have been donating we have reached 38% of the expenses of the first year for our mission in Guyana with each passing day we feel closer to our goal and to be able to go share with the brothers in Christ who live in Guyana, if you want to support us financially you can press the DONATE button.

Work Visit
In the last week of January we received the visit of James and Lisa, to train us for our mission to Guyana, it was a time where we could share and clarify some points of the mission, Now we know that we need more people who want to be part of the mission to Guyana through new mission circles throughout Guatemala, and we want the Lutheran Church in Guatemala to get involved in them, for which we will soon need to go to the churches in different parts of Guatemala and ask for their support.

How to support us?
You can donate through the following link: DONATIONS

If you would like to know more about the Rivas, click here

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Big news Ben!

From Global Lutheran Outreach missionarie Ben Tino (Serving in Zacapa, Guatemala):

Singing in the New Year

I love what I do. And I hope this picture can explain why. Playing an instrument is one of my favorite things to do, It is something that I must do everyday. But teaching others to play and to have that same joy and passion, is ever so more rewarding. And above all, teaching them to use their gifts to serve in their church and be leaders is even more spectacular. I look forward to the one-on-one private lessons I have weekly with each student, and the group rehearsals held every Saturday. But that is what makes the learning fun and easy, keeping the students motivated to grow musically.

First music student, now member!
When I first started as a missionary in Zacapa I hung a big sign outside the church advertising music lessons. This was my idea of using music to evangelize to the community and introduce them to the Lutheran Church. I received a huge response just from that sign, getting up to 30 new students in one week! Eventually the sign came down and I settled with what I had.
With the “non-church” students I would ask them about church and invite them, but most of the students already had a home church. One of my students that began lessons that year was Doris. Doris came to me looking for singing lessons, and so we began lessons and started conversations about church. Little by little she began attending our services and slowly I started having her sing in church with the musicians. Fast forward 3 years and a handful of confirmation classes with Pastor Esdras and Doris is now a member of our church in Zacapa, and a leader of the growing music team. Thanks be to God!

December Trip
As stated in my December newsletter, I needed to step out of the country to renew my VISA, so I decided to visit my parents in Chile for Christmas/New Year. After long and complicated days of travel, I arrived December 26th at 2am in Chile, and returned to Guatemala on January 6th.

Pastor James Tino preaching in Zacapa
This past Sunday (Jan. 30th) Zacapa had a guest preacher, my father. You may ask why is my dad in Zacapa? Well because I am getting married this Friday, February 4th! Both my parents are in town, and two of my three sisters, plus 1 brother-in-law will be arriving this week to attend my wedding that will be happening in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala. If you forgot, I will be marrying my girlfriend of 2 years, Scarlett Paz, daughter of the Lutheran pastor in Puerto Barrios, Byron Paz. After the wedding Scarlett will be joining me as a missionary in Zacapa, and we will serve as a team here growing the Lutheran church in Guatemala. Please pray for final wedding preparations this week, travel plans, and nerves!

In His service,
Ben

Click here to read the latest newsletter from Ben!

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Greetings From Concordia Seminary St. Loui

From Global Lutheran Outreach missionaries Dixon and Christy Gbeanquoi (Serving in Tanzania):

We finally arrived on the 7th of August at our new apartment at 8 Founders Way, Unit B. Clayton, St. Louis. There were few things set up in the apartment for us and for the rest of the household items we needed we had to get them on our own. However, we are blessed to have good and loving people in America, especially on campus who came to our aid and donated many of the things we now have in our apartment. This was a big relief for us financially.

Milcah’s New School and Friends in the Seminary Community and Church
We arrived in St. Louis at a time where kids were beginning in-person schooling for the first time after almost a year of covid-19 lockdown and restrictions. After going through all the processes of getting the needed requirements, especially the issue of vaccinations Milcah was accepted and she is now having a wonderful time at school and getting to meet new friends.
Also in our new home Church (Hope Lutheran Church, High Ridge) here in Missouri, Milcah had the opportunity to play Mary (the mother of Jesus) in the children’s Christmas program. She did so well.

Our Experience(s) as Students for the First Time in America
It has been challenging so far for us as students and parents. The academic standard for Concordia St. Louis is set very hard and we were told to work hard academically to meet up with this challenge. Having been out of the classroom for more than ten (10) years is having an effect on our pace as students. For Christy, it was a big challenge for her as she is now in a field that is completely different from the previous one. Coming from a science background and going into theology and with the kids needing her attention is a challenge for her.

Celebrating Our First Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year in St. Louis
Relocating to St Louis was one of the greatest challenges in our lives as a family. We are again thankful that we were able to arrive in time to celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year, here in America. The beautiful part about all these celebrations was that we got our car in time for us to drive to church for all the programs that were lined up for the festive season. Here in St. Loius, due to the winter, we only visited a member of our Church on Christmas day and returned home. The rest of the day up to New Year’s day we stayed indoors for almost two weeks due to the weather. We couldn’t even drive to Church on the Sunday after the New Year, and this was one of our saddest moments in America.Our Ministry Continues Even as we Focus on our Studies
We are making this appeal to all of you who have been praying for us and supporting us financially to please continue to support us even as we study to equip ourselves for future ministry. The scholarship does not pay for that. The monthly allowance from our Scholarship is just between $450-600 for the two of us. If Dixon was the only one studying he would have been getting only about $225-300 and this would have been the only amount the family would have lived on in America. This is one of many reasons the scholarship encourages awardees to get support from home congregations or organizations. We went through a very difficult time between August to December living on $450-600 per month as a family, and we are begging you to please go to our website and donate to our ministry. We still need your support, if not it is going to be a serious challenge for us financially living on less than $600 as a family of four and it will have a serious effect on our stay and studying in Concordia. We are not allowed to work any time soon until we can reduce most of our course work, probably not until 2023.

To learn more about Dixon and Chrity Gbeanquoi, click here to read their latest newsletter!

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The Khmer Khronicle

From Global Lutheran Outreach missionarie Sharolyn Frahm (Serving in Cambodia)

It has been a long year. For many it has been a longer, almost two year stretch, into a new norm. I can raise my hand on that one.

Maybe it is time for me to rejoice in the ‘years’. rejoice, and be glad in it. May we all embrace this wondrous Jesus season.

Each day I am able to wake up and praise God for another day in His world to be His hands and feet. Some days it’s not been easy, and some days I think I’ve not done as good as I should have, but I know God’s grace reigns in my world.

Each Christmas I am reminded of the best Christmas gift of all that I have been given…Thank you Father.

And also that none of this may never have happened to me if God had not given me a husband who loved me like God himself does, and because of these two, I am forever His.

May you have a blessed ‘Jesus’ birthday Christmas…because of this one day each of us is earmarked.

Love, Shary .., and George who proofreads this in heaven.

Update Cambodia
This past week we were able to get a strong internet signal for over an hour, giving us some wonderful time to talk about life in general, ministry in Siem Reap, and some new goals going into 2022.

Cambodia now has open borders with no testing requirements prior to arrival for all those who have been vaccinated. Surrounding countries are not all on the same page as yet.

2022 will soon be ringing in as a new year for each of us. A clean slate, a new agenda, and at this point an empty calendar to start with. As we each ponder how this new year will be wrapped up, spread out, and used day by day, I pray each one of us is doing just that…to take time to listen to what God would have in store for us in our daily lives in service to Him.

For me, the tug and nudge to return to Cambodia is paramount, God willing of course. When we left the last time from Siem Reap, the ministry platform was growing by leaps and bounds.

Remember these young adults are the largest percentage of Khmer out there these days. These kids have not known the ravages of war nor displacement, and have grown up with at least some food in their bellies. Now many are searching for, and many have found, is that Jesus yearns to be solidly set in each heart.
Praise God for each and every soul who accepts the offer of salvation in that life journey.

As I write this today, George has been wearing his heavenly crown for over five months already. In his physical absence here, I am forever grateful for the hands and feet of church members and family and friends who have stepped forward into areas they knew better than I did. Even more so, the three adult kiddos and their families have encircled me tightly with their love, patience, and guidance in so many situations. So blessed *_*.

If you want to know more, click here!

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Christmas is in the air…

As we just celebrated Thanksgiving, and begin to conclude this year with the Christmas season we are reminded more than ever of the many things to be thankful for. I am thankful for my education, my experiences of the past, my family, my friends in Guatemala, my work, my students, my church, and my supporters of my ministry. All of this has made me who I am today and has brought me to Zacapa to work as a missionary.

MOST eyeglass team
Like I previously stated, a team from MOST ministries was sent to Zacapa starting the week of Oct. 31st to host an eyeglass clinic. If you are not familiar with MOST ministries, they are a Lutheran short-term mission sending organization based out of Michigan that send groups all over the world to share the love of Jesus through various methods. On this trip they hosted an eye clinic at the Lutheran School in Zacapa where they did general eye checkups and gave eyeglasses and sunglasses to people that need them. I assisted that week at the clinic in translating at various stations, and got to meet many people from Zacapa that attended, as well as the team members from the states. One of the members of the team was Pastor Walt Schoenfuhs. Here is a crazy connection for you: Pastor Walt was the pastor of my mother’s church back in the 1980’s, and married my parents! And here he is in Zacapa taking a picture with me! It was great to connect with him as well as several of the team members.

What’s coming up this month?
Now into the month December, Christmas music can be heard in my classroom. This month I gained two new students, one on guitar and one on saxophone. Both students are using instruments donated by generous supporters of my ministry. Thank you! Pictured below is the first saxophone lesson.

With my more advanced students we continue to work on preparing them to play on Sundays, and now I have a larger selection of students to choose from so we have a nice rotation from week to week. Hopefully we can work up something special amongst the musicians for Christmas Eve.

New missionaries!
The theme of Global Lutheran Outreach is to send missionaries “from anywhere to anywhere!”. And that is exactly what they are doing. The newest missionary family that is preparing to go to the mission field is Victor, Belen, and Sophia Rivas. Victor and Belen are a young couple with a 4 yr old daughter from Guatemala that are in the support raising phase before they can serve in the South American country of Guyana. Victor, with a background in education and a gift of working with youth, and Belen, as a musician and Sunday School teacher, this couple is well equipped to reach lost souls in Guyana. Pray for them, and look them up on the GLO website or Facebook page to learn more and follow their latest post, and consider supporting them as well as they begin this journey. They will be the first Guatemalan Lutheran missionaries to serve abroad.

If you like to read more,

Click here to read the latest newsletter from Ben!

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