Reason enough for Thanks

Jim leading a full-day “catequetical retreat”!

In our last newsletter we asked you to pray for new adult believers who were beginning to learn about Lutheran doctrine. As the group progressed, they decided they wanted to pick up the pace and spend a whole Saturday studying God’s Word. So, Pastor Jim lead a workshop called “Knowing God” from 9 am to 5 pm where there was time to delve into the catechism! Praise God, 11 people participated! As a result, we have 5 people who are ready to get confirmed, 2 adults who want to be baptized, and 2 more who are thinking about becoming members! Plus, there is a 13 year-old studying the catechism and a few others who want to continue studying. Praise God for planting the faith in these people! And THAT is reason enough for thanks!

Members and friends doing the “Luther Rose” craft after the service.

Celebrating the Reformation!

Did you know that October 31 is a national holiday in Chile? Since there are multiple Catholic holidays throughout the year, in 2008 the government named October 31 as the official PROTESTANT holiday. Another law says if a holiday falls on Sunday, you automatically add either Friday or Saturday. Therefore, this year, Reformation Day fell on a long weekend and MANY people in Santiago left the city to enjoy a mini-vacation on the coast. However, we were happy to have 37 people in worship on Sunday!
With the sanctuary adorned in red, we celebrated the re-birth of the Scripture-based, Faith-founded, Grace-driven church. There were Venezuelans, Argentines and Chileans present so our music reflected this cultural mix. Yes, you could hear “Castillo Fuerte” (A Mighty Fortress) resounding from our tent walls as well! You also heard the Bell Choir accompanying worship. Click here for a sample!
The congregation planned an afternoon of fellowship with a meal of Arroz con Pollo and a “Luther Rose” craft. A neighbor, who visited church for the first time, said he didn’t know there were Christians close by who had a Reformation Service. We pray that he accepts our invitation to come back! And THAT is reason enough for Thanks!

Music makes the World go ’round!

Fortunately, on the mission field there are plenty of opportunities to use those gifts. Once a week she does “music therapy” at Casa Bethesda. It is amazing to see how music touches these students and allows them to express themselves, to explore new things, and to unite them as they make music together. Click here to hear a recent performance of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy and find another REASON for giving THANKS to God!

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

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An everlasting Gospel proclaimed to all nations

Reformation Sunday 2021 was the day of first communion for Diana Carolina Torres. Diana was baptized on January 8, 2017, which was Epiphany Sunday and the day that our chapel was consecrated.

Diana attended our preschool from age 2 to age 6, during which time she received scholarships from LeadaChild, an Olathe, Kansas- based Lutheran mission agency dedicated to sharing the Good News of Jesus’ love to children through Christian education. LeadaChild gathers gifts and donations from supporters and use the funds to provide scholarships, school registration, and supplies for children so that they can attend Lutheran schools and after school programs. The scholarships allowed Diana’s parents to purchase school uniforms, backpacks, crayons, notebooks and other supplies. Since 2006, LeadaChild has provided scholarships to our preschool students as well as older students in our afterschool tutoring program.

Preschool opens October 25
We had hoped to open the preschool on October 11, but the opening of all schools was delayed until October 25. Biosecurity measures, such as facemasks (even for the youngest children) and mandatory handwashing remain in place. The number of students is limited to five at one time, so we have two shifts of five students every day, one group of 10 students on Monday and Tuesday, and another group of 10 on Wednesday and Thursday, with Friday as a free day.

A host arrayed in white

On October 29, 2021, Marisol Torrealba died after a long struggle with cancer. She was the sister of one of our members, Yudrica Torrealba, and the aunt of another, Karla Frias Torrealba. Luz Maria and I visited her during her illness, praying with her and studying the Bible and the Small Catechism. She confessed to us her faith and her desire to attend our church, but never recovered in time. At her burial on October 30, I read John 11:25-26.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

Click here to read the latest newsletter from the Ernst!

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Greetings to all our friends, family, and supporters!

God’s blessings to all of you as we are reaching the peak of rainy season here in Cambodia. This newsletter has been a little tricky as every time I tried to write it we had unplanned changes happen here due to the ever changing Covid regulations and restrictions. We fully expect our current situation to change month by month so we are putting this newsletter out now just to keep everyone updated on what been happening at Ray of Hope over the summer.

Due to all the positive feedback from our previous newsletter, we are continuing our new “video newsletter” format in this issue. We hope you enjoy the video and we pray that God would continue to guide our ministry and the lives of the children we are here to serve.

In Christ,
Joe Stoltenow
Ministry Director
Ray of Hope Cambodia

Click here to watch!

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Busy Ben!

Just as the title says, I have been plenty busy this past month. My days have been filled with teaching music lessons, having rehearsals for Sundays, and rehearsals for Reformation Sunday music coming up at the end of the month. I also had to travel out of the country due to my 3 month VISA that I currently have. But being busy is a good thing and I rejoice in it because it keeps me focused on my mission of teaching music and sharing the love of Jesus through music.

One of my younger students, Daniel. He has been playing for a few months now, learning on one of the several flutes donated by one of you guys! In this picture he was rehearsing with me for Reformation Sunday music.

One of my students is Pastor Esdras! He has been learning clarinet and guitar. On Tuesday nights he leads a devotion in a rural village called La Majada, and I lead the music. Just about every week Pastor Esdras accompanies me with the guitar. He has come a long ways!

Seen above is what a typical Sunday worship team looks like. Me on piano (in this shot on the shaker), Franklin guitar, Doris singing, Daniel on the cajon. Since there are many students that can now play in church, the musicians change from week to week on a regular basis.

So what’s new for me?
Besides the occasional new student I get every month, new for me are the wedding plans my fiancée and I have been working on for a February wedding! We also have been planning what our life will be like serving as missionaries together in Zacapa and wherever else God may lead us.

Click here to read the latest newsletter from Ben!

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Shining a light in darkness

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

We as missionaries at times feel that we are surrounded by forces beyond our control and that could completely overwhelm us. And that is an accurate evaluation of the situation. But God sends His holy angels to protect us (as Psalm 91, properly understood, assures us).

Ninth shipment of medicines

On September 19, 2021, Epiphany Lutheran Mission distributed the ninth shipment of medicines from the Venezuela Relief Project begun by Global Lutheran Outreach and the Confessional Lutheran Church of Chile. The Venezuela Relief Project began in 2017. As is our custom, the bulk of the medicines were distributed after the Sunday service, along with our homegrown fruits and vegetable. Thanks to abundant rain this years, we have bumper crops of avocados, passion fruit, tomatoes, cassava, bananas and plantains, papaya and eggplant. We also have a bountiful harvest of berries from our coffee tree. Coffee is a social necessity, here, if not a biological necessity, and it keeps getting more and more expensive.

Reopening the preschool

We began the new school year on Tuesday, September 28, by meeting with families who have enrolled their children in our preschool. After an opening devotion and distribution of medications sent to us by the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League of Canada by way of the Dominican Republic (the LWML Canada sent the funds and the medications were purchased in the Dominican Republic under the supervision of Rebecca Pollex Krey, wife of the Rev. Theodore Krey, regional director for Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod World Missions in Latin America and the Caribbean).

Venezuela received 693,600 vaccines against COVID-19, September 7, as part of the first shipment made to the country by the World Health Organization’s COVAX Mechanism, of the total of 12,068,000 vaccine doses acquired. This first delivery of doses consists of vaccines against COVID-19 produced by the laboratory Sinovac Biotech and included in the emergency use list of the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Sinovac vaccine, known as CoronaVac, was the one that I received on September 13. The two-dose vaccine is recommended for individuals aged 18 years and above. It has an efficacy rate of 50.4% for preventing symptomatic infection, according to data from a Brazilian trial, and an effectiveness of 67%, according to a real-world study in Chile. Some people we know experienced adverse reactions to CoronaVac, similar to those reported elsewhere, but I have had no problems.

Luz Maria earlier received the Sputnik V vaccine. On September 27, Venezuela’s Minister of Health, affirmed that “more than 8.8 million first doses” had been given, while 5.25 million received the second Sputnik V dose. Luz Maria and I are both waiting for second doses.

Let us remember that Psalm 91 not only promises that “He shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways”, but also under His protection we need not fear “the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday”, nor any physical or spiritual danger, for whether we live or die, He will show us His salvation. Amen.

Click here to read the latest newsletter from the Ernst!

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Fall news

From Global Lutheran Outreach missionarie Sharolyn Frahm (serving in Cambodia):

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

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.

From this statement comes forth the platform of this newsletter. I, Shary, have the solo privilege and honor of writing this latest newsletter.

George gracefully received his heavenly crown of glory on June 27th. He had run the race and finished well. It was really tough to say goodbye and send him off. That still lingers. Counting those days, a bit over ten weeks has passed….. just now, as this is composed.

Anyway, Twenty days after his glorious departure, his family and local friends were able to globally share his celebration service, so that we all could come together one more time to honor him.

If you happened to tune in to his celebration service on that July 17th, then you were able to hear this Godly man share his love and passion that God himself had totally connected a half a world away in Asia and particularly to Cambodia with Pastor Chut Samuel.

Update coming from Cambodia

At the end of August an update on the current situation in the Siem Reap area came from two local on the ground men who know their own situation all too well. First is Mr. Orleang, who has walked with us in all of our housing needs since we moved from Phnom Penh in early 2015. When he changed positions as manager of guest houses in the area, he took us along to his new location. He has always taken really good care of us. He would sit for hours with George and ask questions about the ‘why’….he couldn’t initially understand why two elderly folk would land in such a different environment and happily share life with people they didn’t know. He gave us the utmost respect ever. We treasure his friendship.

Orleang shared that Siem Reap remained pretty much shut down with the touristy traffic as each visitor had to quarantine two weeks upon arrival there, and give a hefty $2,000 beforehand, sometimes perhaps more.

As of June 17th we had heard from Pastor Samuel that the area of Siem Reap was fairly restricted with provinces, districts, and communities each being isolated and borders closed due to the increase of virus cases in country. The government struggled to protect its citizens as best as they could.

Fast forward to now and ministry continues. The church is alive and functioning. The key word here perhaps is the word ‘remote’ as this ministry has adapted there, as we have had to do here.

Pastor Samuel and I have talked in length. The ministry in itself will not change. As I sort out those new episodes in this chapter of my personal life on this side of the pond, God willing, plans will be put into place for return to Cambodia early next year. Stay tuned for those exciting developments. In the meantime, please mightily pray for the army of God to power forward into eternity from wherever you stand. Thank you so much.

To learn more about Shary, click here to read her latest newsletter!

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Mid-quarter is done!

Grace upon Grace is our school theme this year!

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

Educating Global Disciples of Christ

The first half of this quarter seemed to take a while. It had its up’s and its down’s. There was online school for a little bit because there was some unrest in Jos and with that came a 24 hour curfew. Many prayers were lifted and with those prayers the curfew has been lifted for a couple weeks now, and school had been back to normal! It is always great to be back in the classroom to teach and share Christ’s love!

Why Worry?

This past week I got very home sick. I was concerned that I wasn’t the best teacher that I could be. I was worried that I’m not going to be accepted into the seminary (I’m still waiting on that). I have had this problem for a while now, actually my whole life: worrying about the future. I think many people do this, but why do we worry, when the future hasn’t even happened? No one knows what will truly, actually happen, and what does it mean to “worry”?

I think one of the hardest things to do is to put your absolute, full trust in God. We seem to always want our will done and not His; and when our will doesn’t seem to be accomplishing anything, we start to worry. We want to think the world is in our hands and that God doesn’t have it in His. If we weren’t so infected with original sin which is, having no fear of God, no trust in God, and having the inclination to sin, I don’t think that the word “worry” would be a part of our vocabulary. We would trust and know God’s got it in his hands.

Click here to read the latest newsletter from Josh!

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Salt of the Earth!

Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth…” was the theme for our 4th anniversary of the Lutheran church “Divina Providencia” on the first Sunday in September! (We have now been in Chile for seven years! This is our second mission.) We were blessed with 36 people who came to worship and be fed by the Word. We can’t help but be amazed at God’s divine provision…beginning in a smaller house with a handful of Lutherans…struggling through the time of Chilean political unrest and protests…surviving almost a year of national quarantine due to Covid…always teaching, praying, outreaching! In this last year alone there have been 5 baptisms, 3 confirmations and pretty soon, another group of people are about to begin their studies. To God be the Glory!

“Salting” our community!

Every Friday afternoon we open the doors of our “Resale Shop”. Our coordinator, Elianeth, and Liisa are always amazed at the people that stop by. There are the regulars, like an older gentleman, Ricardo, who comes to check if we have received sweaters in his size; or the Peruvian maids who are on their way home from their domestic jobs and pick up some baby clothes or a “new” purse; or the recently arrived Venezuelan who needs a warm jacket or a good pair of slacks for his/her new job; or a neighbor who is just curious, and then becomes engaged when we talk about the ministry and offers to donate items for our “garage sale”. Besides providing for the needs of others, this shop draws attention to our Lutheran church.

We are grateful to Lutheran World Relief for a huge donation of quilts that were distributed in all the Lutheran churches of Chile to be used as needed. At our church, we package up the homemade quilts with info about our ministry, vacuum-seal the bag, and they are ready to go! About 100 quilts have been received by the elderly and children in small towns in the cold south. Recently, we delivered 100 to a Children’s Hospital in Santiago, and another Clinic for Children with Cancer has requested a donation. We have shared about 200 with different immigrant groups (mostly Haitian and Venezuelan) and the cozy, patchwork quilts have also been a source of comfort for families in our congregation who have recently lost a loved one.

News from the Lutheran Church of Chile

All the pastors of the Lutheran Church of Chile. (From left) Obed Coronado; Pablo Gonzalez; Omar Kinas; Juan Pablo Lanterna, president; James Tino; Adrian Ventura, secretary.

Every May, the Confessional Lutheran Church of Chile has its national convention. Because of corona virus, this was not able to happen last year and this year it was delayed until August. Finally, last month a group of about 20 – consisting of pastors and congregational representatives – met for a full day to share reports and hold long-overdue elections. We were proud of our small mission plant that has reached “congregation-size” status and chose to send the newly elected congregational president, José Vilches, as our representative! Jim has been serving as interim Secretary/V.P. for the national church, so he was very busy with the preparations and procedures of the meeting.

Besides the six churches, we heard about the four mission plants and about the various Lutheran organizations such as Lutheran Hour Ministries (“Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones”) in Chile. Another important ministry is “Casa Bethesda”, which sponsors a rehab center in Santiago for people with cerebal palsy and other handicaps; and an after-school program in the town of Constitucion run by GLO missionaries Pastor Adrian and Cruz Maria Ventura. After the new board was elected, we closed with a joyous worship service, giving thanks to our Great God.

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

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Guatemala celebrating 200 years of independence!

September 15th marks the bicentennial celebration of independence for Guatemala. Hooray! But with this grand celebration of freedom approaching it seems as if the country is shutting down again, restricting our freedoms.
After 2 months of being stateside I adjusted fairly well to the freedom I was given in regards to pandemic protocol and had forgotten what the situation was like in other countries. In Guatemala, a mask, hand sanitizer, temperature and in some places shoe sanitizing is still a must to enter any store regardless of being vaccinated or not. Here the entire country follows whatever orders the president gives, the current ones being, curfew from 8pm-4am, and everything virtual, including churches. So with that being said our church is back to Facebook live (video) for the next month, or until further orders are given.

New and young music students!
With restrictions and curfews handed out like candy to every business and school, I continue to teach my music classes as usual. Right now I teach about 15 one-on-one music lessons a week at the church, and have weekly rehearsals with the church musicians. The exciting news is that six new students have started lessons with me in the last month! And they all go to the church! And they are all under 15!! Three of them are learning trumpet, two on flute, and one learning the piano. These fresh, young students have been my motivation this past month as I am super eager to get them playing in the church after seeing how quickly they are learning. Please pray that they continue to grow musically and remain connected in the church as they grow older.

In my spare time…
I have come across many broken instruments buried in the church. So I have taken it upon myself to fix these instruments! One guitar and a keyboard have been fixed, and currently I am working on another keyboard as pictured above. Having extra (working) instruments is always a blessing!

I also continue to work on my hymnal project. Thanks to several donations from several people I met during furlough, I have been able to print 12 more hymnals. These hymnals are only for the musicians who play or sing in church, as it serves to unify them into one book with all the same songs, chords, and lyrics. If you would like to make a donation towards a hymnal you can do so by donating $40 with a note saying towards hymnal project. Thanks!

And I am also engaged!
After 2 years of dating I asked my girlfriend, Scarlett, to marry me and she easily said yes. She is from the city of Puerto Barrios, about 3 hrs from Zacapa. We plan to get married early next year, and Scarlett will be joining me on the mission field! Hopefully you will all get to meet her on the next furlough to the states!

Click here to read the latest newsletter from Ben!

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When the sea roars and the earth shakes

The “dog days” of summer are winding down and, it’s hurricane season in the Caribbean! The season when hurricanes form runs from June to November, but the storms are more likely between August and October.

Hurricane Ida made landfall as a Category 4 storm, in New Orleans, August 29, 2021. Ida blasted ashore as one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the United States, knocking out power to all of New Orleans, blowing roofs off buildings and reversing the flow of the Mississippi River as it rushed from the Louisiana coast into one of the nation’s most important industrial corridors. It hit on the same date Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi 16 years earlier, coming ashore about 45 miles (72 kilometres) west of where Category 3 Katrina first struck land. Ida’s 150-mph (230 kph) winds tied it for the fifth-strongest hurricane to ever hit the mainland United States.

A little more than a week earlier, Hurricane Grace pounded Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, downing trees and causing power outages for nearly 700,000 people. Then Grace moved on to the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz, causing severe flooding and mudslides that killed at least eight people. Before striking Mexico, the storm showered torrential rains on Haiti, a country still recovering from a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Haiti on August 15.

Northern Venezuela and Colombia only have a 1 to 5 percent chance of a hurricane strike in any given year. The northernmost part of Venezuela, namely the Paraguanà Peninsula, the Paria Peninsula and the islands (but sometimes also the northern coast), is located in the southern end of the trajectory of hurricanes. But it can happen. 

But although Venezuela seldom has to deal with full-fledged tropical storms, we are affected by “tropical waves”. A tropical wave is an area of low pressure in the atmosphere moving westward from Africa into the Atlantic. Tropical waves last from a couple of days to several weeks, with new waves forming every few days. On satellite, these disturbances appear as clusters of thunderstorms and convection originating over North Africa and traveling westward into the tropical Atlantic. By providing the initial energy and spin needed for a hurricane to develop, tropical waves act like “seedlings” of tropical cyclones. Approximately 60 percent of tropical storms and minor hurricanes (categories 1 or 2), and nearly 85 percent of major hurricanes (category 3, 4, or 5) originate from tropical waves.

Even if they do not cause hurricanes, tropical waves often bring with thunderstorms and flooding rains. That’s what we have received over the past few weeks. Tropical waves 38 and 39 have destroyed over 8,000 homes and forced about 35,600 citizens to refuge in shelters. Besides affecting 116 roads and ten bridges, floods and landslides have damaged power stations in the states of Amazonas, Barinas, Bolivar, Delta Amacuro, Merida, Monagas, Tachira, and Zulia. Multiple floods and mudslides in in the neighboring state of Mérida have left 20 people dead and more than 1,200 buildings destroyed.

In La Caramuca, we have only had to deal with power outages. Our solar panels continue to work well, keeping the lights and security cameras going and the cell phones recharged. All the rain means excellent crops of fruits and vegetables. Luz Maria and I share the produce with our neighbors, those who stop by the mission and those we visit on evangelistic calls.

There also was a 5.2-magnitude earthquake in Portuguesa, another neighboring state, on August 25, and a 4.9 quake off the coast of Sucre state on August 30.

All of which brings to mind Luke 21:8-11. “There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.” As with many Biblical prophecies, the Lord in these verses speaks of two impending catastrophes, the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world, with one foreshadowing the other. So he warns his followers of the persecution that will precede the city’s downfall, and of false prophets who will predict the end of the whole world based on natural disasters and terrible wars. 

For those of us living in these days, the Lord’s words also apply to hurricanes, earthquakes, COVID-19 and even the persecution of believers in Afghanistan and other parts of the world. Like the first-century Christians, we are not terrified by cataclysm, for we not the end will not come until the day God has pointed. Nor do we regard them as random events, but signs that great day will come.

Click here to read the latest newsletter from the Ernst’s

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