Welcome!

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

I hope you enjoy this brief update on the latest events with me. My week mainly consists of private lessons, (now two new students, ukelele and flute!) and a few odd projects I am working on. In regards to the pandemic, Guatemala no longer has nationwide curfew, restaurants and most other gathering locations are now open, and the virtual school year is coming to an end! We thank God for all He has done thus far, and for His continued care over everyone.

Remembering Pastor Gerardo

I start this letter off with sad news. This past week one of the former Pastors of Zacapa was called to his heavenly home after battling a severe illness for many years. Pastor Gerardo retired from his pastoral duties in the church a few years before I got to Zacapa. He passed away on October 6th in his home, surrounded by his wife, children and grandchildren, and the funeral was held the next morning in our church. He was 74.

The videos continue!

If you had not noticed in my previous newsletters, I have been recording my music students these last several months playing church songs and posting them on youtube.com and Facebook for all to watch. It has been a way to keep my students learning and motivated during these times of isolation. You can watch them below by clicking on the links.

Video of choir singing on Independence day, click HERE.

Video of sunday school songs medley, click HERE.

Stayed tuned for the next video coming out on October 31st, Reformation Day!

My dog

I still have my dog, Jenga. In my free time you can find us at the church. While I practice different instruments she attentively listens.

Click here to read the latest newsletter from Ben!

Follow

X

Follow

E-mail : *

Follow Unfollow

A house of prayer for all the nations

From Global Lutheran Outreach missionaries The Ernst’s (Serving in La Caramuca, Venezuela)

José Miguel Albarran Pumar was baptized on on August 16, 2020, the 10th Sunday after Trinity. Since 2005, 23 people have been baptized at our mission. Of those baptized, 11 have received their first communion here.

Distribution of food from LeadaChild

That same Sunday we distributed foodstuffs to 27 families, thanks to support from LeadaChild, a mission society based in Olathe, Kansas and dedicated to supporting Christian education around the world. We have received financial support from LeadaChild since 2006. In the past, we have distributed donations from LeadaChild as “scholarships” for students in our preschool and Luz Maria’s afterschool tutoring sessions. That is to say, as cash for the families to buy school supplies, clothing and food. This time around we purchased food items in bulk, in order to get better value for our rapidly devaluing Venezuelan currency. Dividing the currency among the families would mean each household would get less than if we bought the food in one purchase. We were able to do this because of the automobile that we purchased with other donations this past year. Thanks to the car, we drove to the food distribution point and brought the food back to the mission.

Nury de Milian

On Saturday, August 8, we participated in a Zoom videoconference with Nury de Millian, LeadaChild director for Latin America. We listened to presentations on how to reopen Christian schools during the pandemic, testimony from a COVID-19 survivor, and advice from the Rev. Abdiel Orozco Aguirre, the pastor of Castillo Fuerte (Mighty Fortress) Lutheran Church in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and a immunohematologist.

Luz Maria and Phil Frusti

I had heard of the Jorns’ mission work in the 1980s, when I was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Topeka, Kansas, the congregation in which Edie was raised. Luz Maria and I were privileged to meet Jim and Edie in 2006. Last fall we met Dr. Philip J. Frusti, the current executive director of LeadaChild, in the Dominican Republic. Dr. Frusti, a Lutheran teacher and former school principal, graduated from Concordia University, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Pray for recovery

We praise the Lord that Yepci Santana, Luz Maria’s daughter, is recovering from COVID-19 in Lima, Peru. Other members of Luz Maria’s family, with who we have not had face-to-face contact are recovering as well. Also in Peru, Kalen Yolanda Incata Fernández, wife of Martin Osmel Soliz Bernal, a pastor with the LCMS Mission in Lima, was diagnosed with COVID-19 after giving birth to her first child.

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

Follow

X

Follow

E-mail : *

Follow Unfollow

Being the Church in Action!

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

JOIN US IN PRAISING GOD for completion of several projects despite the challenges of Covid-19 restrictions! The apartment over the garage at the back of the mission property is complete. It is a cute studio apartment with an open living space and a good-sized laundry/bathroom combo.

Domenico and Corali Loturco are renting this space while serving as the new coordinators of the Immigrant Ministry! Continue reading to find out more:

FOOD  BANK…We continue using donations of money and food items to put together “food baskets”. Many people contact us weekly and schedule a time to come and pick up a bag of groceries. People also have access to our “Resale Shop” where we have clothing and household items for purchase at very low prices. As quarantine is lowered, we hope to open to the public.

OLLA COMUNITARIA

Although this name literally means, “Community Soup Pot”, the concept is more like a Soup Kitchen. Through donations, we purchase ingredients to make a delicious hot meal. Domenico directs the volunteers at church in the cooking, and then we take our kettles and distribute hot food to people downtown.

HOUSE OF REFUGE

We continue to welcome more people into the house we have at Amapolas. We have room for about 3 more immigrants. This community is a place to find security, support and hope as we share God’s Word as well as His love.

Travel Plans – YES!

We have been given the green light to travel to the United States!  Because things are “not quite” back to normal in the US, we decided to adjust our plans and will NOT be visiting congregations.  Rather than our scheduled furlough, this will be a shorter “vacation trip” – mainly to see family. We plan to reschedule our 3-month furlough for 2021. We are thankful that our “substitutes”, Rev. Paul and Barb Brink, have agreed to adjust their plans as well, and they look forward to coming to Chile sometime next year to fill in for us when we go on furlough.

Click here to read the latest newsletter from the Tino!

Follow

X

Follow

E-mail : *

Follow Unfollow

Back Together again!

From Global Lutheran Outreach missionaries Tim and Beth (Serving in Africa)

Well the isolation updates are officially over!! I was finally able to get back to Guinea and home to my sweet last week. It was not an easy or uneventful trip, and we’ll be writing more about that in our upcoming newsletter…cancelled flight, long drive, almost not making it over the border…all the ingredients of a great thriller novel. Isn’t that the story of us? God’s hand was on me every step of the way. You know, we often try and avoid trouble and pain, and so we should. But when it comes, what better way for God to show off Who He is and what He can do?? Then it’s up to us to give Him all the glory and praise, strengthening our brothers and sisters through our experiences. I definitely feel like God had a message through all this: “I am in control best when the situation looks out of control!”

Follow

X

Follow

E-mail : *

Follow Unfollow

Coronavirs crowns health care crisis

From Global Lutheran Outreach missionaries The Ernst’s (Serving in La Caramuca, Venezuela)

During the last week in July, we received and distributed another shipment of medications from Global Lutheran Outreach and the Confessional Lutheran Church of Chile.

The medicine is purchased in Chile with the cooperation of a local pharmacy and packaged by volunteers (many of them expatriate Venezuelans) at the Lutheran mission congregation in Providencia, Santiago, Chile. Requests for medicine are coordinated through Lutheran congregations in Venezuela.

As of Sunday, August 2, 2020, the number of COVID-19 cases in Venezuela had surpassed 20,000, with Caracas replacing the western city of Maracaibo as the epicenter of infection. But even before the COVID-19 crisis, Venezuela was in the middle of a health care crisis. Hospitals have closed or are operating at a fraction of their capacity, many without regular access to electricity or water. The public health infrastructure is so weak that in 2019, Venezuela had the world’s steepest rise in malaria cases. Venezuela is ranked among the least prepared countries to respond to a pandemic, as it lacks basic supplies needed to prevent infection and treat illness.

Food and medicine both are in short supply. But even when both are available, hyperinflation (more than 50% per month) and rising unemployment mean Venezuelans often have to choose between the two. Thanks be to God, the coronavirus has not reached La Caramuca yet, and we still are in the least restricted zone for COVID-19. However, members of our mission and our community suffer from such infirmities as schizophrenia; bipolar disorder; osteoarthritis; lupus; severe generalized arthrosis; toxoplasmosis; and epilepsy. Thanks to our partnership wih Global Lutheran Outreach, they have been able to receive the medications that they need.

A delayed diploma

In July 2020, I, David, marked 17 years since my arrival in Venezuela for three years of service as a long-term volunteer for Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS) World Missions. I had hoped to celebrate this milestone by traveling to the Dominican Republic to receive my Specific Ministry Program (SMP) certificate from Concordia The Reformer Seminary, but, of course, that trip was cancelled.

Since 2015 I have taken online courses offered through the Dominican seminary in cooperation with Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana, and the Lutheran Church of Venezuela’s Juan de Frias Theological Institute. The curriculum, Formación Pastoral Hispanoamérica, was developed by the Fort Wayne Seminary as part of the Specific Ministry Program for training bilingual pastors in the United States has been adapted for use in Latin American nations. I have completed the requirements of the four-year program as part of my commitment to continuing education as a pastor. Someday I hope to have that document to hang on my wall.

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

Follow

X

Follow

E-mail : *

Follow Unfollow

Peace and Blessings in the Midst of Chaos!

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

Some Progress on our Finances
We are so grateful to many of you who have helped us raise $3,300 of the $6,500 we need. We know how hard-hit everyone is due to COVID-19, but thank you and you and you for all your support.

We still have a balance of $3,200 to take us to the end of this year. Please visit: wwww.globallutheranoutreach.com/blog/gbeanquoi to make your contribution to our ministry or you can see instructions at the bottom of this page.

In the Midst of our Challenges We still have Something to Celebrate
We took time to Celebrate Milcah’s 5th Birthday on June 29th. It was a very wonderful day to see how fast and tall our beautiful daughter is growing. We did the cutting of the cake on Sunday afternoon with few families and friends.

Youth End of Year Celebration in our Diocese and Congregation
One of the activities the youth had planned was to educate some youths on self-sustenance, since many youths who either finished High School and are waiting admission into colleges and universities are ideal and have no personal source of income. They decided to learn how to make liquid soap that is use for deep cleaning, especially now that we are plague with COVID-19. It was also a wonderful day to see the youths conducting worship service and having the opportunity to listen to the youth as they preach.

Progress on Replacing our Plastic Chairs to Benches
We are thankful that members in our congregation can raise money locally to replace the plastics chairs to wooden benches. Looking at the benches in the church, you can see that we have come a long way and indeed our congregation is growing very fast and there are possibilities that we might be looking to expanding the building to accommodate more people, or we might result to having two(2) services on a given day to accommodate everyone.

Our Son’s Baptism and the Bishop’s Visit to our Congregation
Our son Uri was born in February and when we got to the month of March, everywhere was in chaos due to the Corona virus and Tanzania. We decided to wait until there was a bit of calm before we can begin the process of Holy Baptism for Uri. We also requested the assistance of the bishop to do the baptism we scheduled 9th of August. We had Three(3) children and Two(2) adults baptized that day. The bishop used the occasion to also officially opened the Children’s Sunday School building that is about 85% completed and we are making gradual progress on completing the building fully.

Click here to read the latest newsletter from the Gbeanquoi!

Follow

X

Follow

E-mail : *

Follow Unfollow

In times of stress, listen to good music!

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

The above picture is of some of the musicians from the church here in Zacapa that participated with me the last 2 months in our online musical offerings I mentioned in my previous newsletter. They are all students of mine, and have greatly developed in their musical ability since my time as their teacher. I hope this picture brings as much joy to you as it does to me.

Click here to watch all the videos that we made!

More still learning!

Hopefully as the COVID hype relaxes, more students will resume music lessons. I continue to teach a handful of lessons each week, and use my gift of music to share with them God’s love, even in their homes.

(Pictured left is me with my student Manuel, serenading his mother with the trumpet on Mother’s Day.)

Instruments needed!

As a musician and a music teacher, I am always looking out for instruments to purchase, or to receive as a gift. Here in Zacapa, I make my rounds at a few secondhand stores where every once in a while they will have instruments.

Recently, I came across a trumpet with its case and a set of bongo drums. As a trumpeter, I can tell you that it is in good condition and is priced at $57.00. It’s a very good price, and another trumpet means another trumpet student! The bongos sound and feel solid, and are priced at $130.00. Bongos would be a great addition to my percussion selection which I constantly use with the younger kids and older students that want to play drums.

If you would like to support my ministry by making a specific donation to purchase an instrument I would be thrilled to receive your gift! Your donation will be greatly appreciated by me and all the future students who will benefit from it. Do you want to donate? Click here!

Click here to read the latest newsletter from Ben!

Follow

X

Follow

E-mail : *

Follow Unfollow

Back in Action

From Global Lutheran Outreach missionaries Joe and Viya Stoltenow (Serving in Cambodia):

We are very happy to announce that Ray of Hope is back to normal operations, well, mostly back to normal. We have re-opened our mission center and the kids are back on a structured schedule of education, meals, and Gospel. As with the rest of the world we are certainly using Zoom Meetings more than usual. But thankfully it is helping our students to continue their school work and they’re all on track to graduate their current grade levels.

The kids and staff were so happy to return to our center and get our lives a little bit back to normal. Our schedule has changed a little and we fortunately still get to sleep in a little as our kids Zoom classes don’t begin until 11:30 am. We pick the kids up around 7 am each day and bring them to our center for baths, breakfast, and Bible before we give them some break time where we help the kids prepare for their classes. Then, when classes begin, we spread the kids out and get them setup on computers and they begin their classes. After class we help the kids with homework, feed them lunch, and give them another break before its time to go home.

To  visit our Facebook page, click here!

Student Spotlight

Srey Sok Saát (Khmer for “Beautiful Hair)

To protect the privacy of these street children and their families, we will not be providing the actual names of our students online.

Srey Sok Saát is ten years old and was one of our original five students, along with her younger sister, back when we started Ray of Hope three years ago. She was very shy when she first came to our center but over time she really opened up and showed us just how fun and happy she really could be. She has a strong desire to go to school and she especially enjoys studying Khmer (the Cambodian language). She also loves listening to our Bible lessons everyday and her favorite Bible story is Father Abraham.

She is currently doing very well in her online classes as she prepares to start 4th grade next year. She also very much enjoys learning new Bible stories and frequently asks questions during our lessons.

Srey Sok Saát lives in a slum near the Sangker River here in Battambang. She lives with her large family of aunts, uncles, and  cousins, but spends most of her time with her mother and younger sisters. Unfortunately, Srey Sok Saát was born with a blood disease that causes Anemia and requires frequent trips to children’s hospital in Siem Reap to receive treatment.

Through the generous donations made by Srey Sok Saát’s sponsors, we have been able to personally oversee and help the family with these trips to Siem Reap. We are incredibly thankful to her sponsors and to all of our supporters who are making it possible for us to help these children.

Click here to read the latest newsletter from the Stoltenow!

Follow

X

Follow

E-mail : *

Follow Unfollow

Preparing for Nigeria

From Global Lutheran Outreach missionary Joshua Wareham (Preparing to serve in Jos, Nigeria) :

With the virus still prevalent, Hillcrest will be beginning the school year online. This is great because I am still in the states! I wish I was overseas, but this will have to do until the Nigerian consulates open. I have been working on my orientation for working at an international Christian school while at home.

We will learn of the strength God provides us when life is tough. It is good to know that God guides us through situations we don’t want to be in, or even signed up for, yet we somehow always get through them and look back saying, “Wow, how did I make it to the other side?”

We will learn how special we and the people we serve are. Each one of us has a unique and special relationship with Him that no one else can truly understand. We are individualistic. Our experiences in life are all different; and how they impact us, impact our relationship with Christ whether it be positive or negative. But! Learning how special each person is and what their personal relationship with Christ is, can open up conversations that Christ can work through to water a seed that has been planted by you.

Update of What is Happening

As I said before, I am still in Georgia until the Nigerian consulates open. I have been preparing for Hillcrest through this orientation. I am only about half way through it, and it is definitely eye opening. I have been reading the novels I will teach the middle schoolers. I have finished a few of them: The Hobbit, Iqbal, War Horse, and When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit (This one is funny so far. I am about half way through it.) School starts August 5th! It is exciting and a little nerve wracking, but Christ will see me through.

As a teacher, I am always excited to share my knowledge about what I know. I would be ecstatic to share, explain, and talk about my call to Jos, Nigeria. If you, someone you know, or bible study groups, home groups, or churches want to hear more about my mission please contact me through my dedicated missions email: warehamj72@gmail.com.

Click here to read the latest newsletter from Joshua!

Follow

X

Follow

E-mail : *

Follow Unfollow

Visitation and Godspeed

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

On Thursday, July 2, 2020, we organized a small graduation ceremony for the six students of our preschool who will advance to first grade in the next school year. At this point, it is not certain whether the next school year will begin in September or in January 2021. We have not had the preschool meet on site since the COVID-19 crisis began about four months ago, but every weekday morning our teachers have distributed food and homework assignments to the families of the preschool children. The children completed the work required for their promotion to first grade at home and submitted the results on-line or by telephone. Our graduating students include:

Leonanyelis Milano; Thamar Cárdenas; Melany Torrealba; Cristofer Aldana; Elimelek Valero; and José Ayala.

What will be our new normal?

Our preschool program is subject to regulations by the secular government’s Ministry of Education. Over the years we have had to adapt to changing rules and requirements. When we reopen the preschool, there may be more modifications in store. There is a growing need for the care of children under two years of age, and we are being asked to shift the emphasis of our program in that direction. One proposal is that we limit our enrollment to children under three years of age. Another is that we convert entirely to nursery care of infants. In any event, we would have to purchase additional equipment and make other adjustments in our program. Thanks be to God, we just received a donation from the LeadaChild organization that will help us make a start in that direction.

Luz Maria’s afterschool tutoring program technically is on hold, due to the closing of schools, but we continue to meet with young people in the program for Bible studies and English classes.

Pushing pedal power

We thank Ruth Carpenter for the suggestion and plans for building a pedal-powered generator for running our water pumps during prolonged blackouts. We are looking to gather all the needed parts. Once I regularly went on long bicycle rides, but it is too risky to wander alone on the streets and roads of Venezuela today. This would provide me, at least, with the opportunity for exercise, as well as additional electrical power.

Click here to read the latest newsletter from the Ernst!

Follow

X

Follow

E-mail : *

Follow Unfollow