“Too bad we hafta go to bed.”

Spoken matter-of-factly. Stated sincerely. Said to no one yet heard by everyone. Everyone, that is, who was on the truck.

At least a dozen of us were seated or standing on the back of a 4 X 4 Landcruiser. We were on safari. No guns, just cameras. We spotted what the African bush had to offer: bushbuck in the thickets and bushbabies in the trees. Sable, Serval and Sitatunga. A proverbial feast for the eyes!It was then that my daughter Rachel made the comment, “Too bad we hafta go to bed.”

If any of you wonder whether the joint Zambia/Malawi missionary family Easter retreats are a blessing to our mission fields, don’t ask the adults, just ask the missionaries’ kids! From my twelve-year old’s perspective, sleep was getting in the way of activities that could be done! Like the fish eagle in the sky, her excitement soared! Her imagination was running like the animals around her: wild! If we didn’t have to go to bed, think of the number of animals we could spot, games we could play, friends we could visit, stories we could hear, fish we could catch, crafts we could make, songs we could sing! Too bad we hafta to go to bed!

Like you, Rachel knows that sleep is as important as it is necessary to function properly. Sleep is a gift God-given. The irony of it all is that Rachel loves to go to bed! At home she’s usually the first one tucked in! But on that safari drive, Rachel was seeing more than game. She was noticing that there were so many opportunities around her – and only a certain amount of time. Read more ›

Did you know that each month a printable prayer calendar is published to assist you in praying for specific situations?  Print out a copy and post it on your refrigerator or in your Bible or devotional book.  Click to find the calendar for June 2009.

A recent visit to the Russian mission field made us appreciate the Apostle’s word of encouragement in 1 Corinthians 15…Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.  God’s kingdom is coming and our work is bearing fruit in western Siberia.

We were blessed to be part of the Easter (4/19/2009) celebration at the congregations in Iskitim and Akademgoradok.  In spacious facilities we listened as worshippers joined their voices to sing I Know that my Redeemer Lives and other familiar Easter tunes. Pastor Wolfgramm preached the Easter Gospel.  Combined attendance at the two services was about 250 souls.  At the close of the service in Iskitim, Deaconess Lena assembled the children of the congregation at the front.  She led them in an Easter presentation of song and Scripture.  The ministry among the children of Russia is an especially blessed aspect of our work there.  Laymen of the Akadem congregation—Vladimir (Akadem church president) and Sasha (national church president)—read the Scripture lessons.  Such lay involvement is heartening and holds promise of Russians assuming more responsibility for the work in the future.  Just a couple decades ago, such an open and free proclamation of the Gospel was unthinkable.  The Lord is good, and his kingdom is coming. What a blessing to be part of his work!

It is New York City alphabet soup.  There is the G, R, V, A, C, E, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and more.  These are all trains or subways that some call the veins of America’s biggest city.  New Yorkers pride themselves on their knowledge of the trains in New York.  Just ask them a question like:  “How do you get from Astoria to the Statue of Liberty?”  A true New Yorker will rattle it off.  “Well, you take the N or the W, to Lexington Ave.  At Lexington Ave, you can grab the R or the 5 train down to Battery Park.  Wait – or you could also just walk over to the R, then take the Q express all they way downtown.”

Recently, at Sure Foundation Lutheran Church, we put our New Yorkers’ knowledge of the trains and buses to the test in the First Annual SFLC Amazing Race.  In a race modeled after the popular show The Amazing Race, the teams involved were told to obey all laws, have fun, and use only mass transit to reach four destinations throughout the city.  In order to reach these destinations, the teams were required to decipher clues and conquer challenges that eventually led to the next destination.  This year teams traveled to the Wall Street bull, the Astor Cube, Times Square, and finally arrived at Roosevelt Island’s Lighthouse for a picnic and grill-out.[slideshow=108]

Even though teams raced for 2 hours and 45 minutes, our first three teams finished within seconds of each other with the team called The Swift Feet of Elijah coming in number one.  The race really did turn out to be quite amazing!  The race was a success by other standards as well.  A prospect and member teamed up, got lost together, and became fast friends.  Members brought friends and introduced them to their pastors.  Members laughed together, raced together, and told stories at church the next day.  People ate good burgers and hot dogs.  They left tired and with good memories.  We all are looking forward to the Second Annual SFLC Amazing Race next year.

Pastor Tim Bourman

Amanda Paltzer is the wife of Jason Paltzer, health and development director for our mission in Zambia.  He’s one of seven WELS full-time workers in the country – a mission field that is being impacted by upcoming budget reductions in WELS mission fields at home and abroad. 

The Zambian mission field is heading for some changes just around the corner.  By the end of July, 3 mission families will be gone- one to Malawi, and two back to the U.S.  One was called to serve in Malawi, one will be pursuing more schooling, and another was called back due to the financial situation in WELS.  In a way, the missionaries feel a bit like the wind has been taken out of our sails.   We wonder what is happening, feel that it seems like the end of the large missionary presence in Zambia and we find ourselves with left with many questions unanswered.

We can look to God’s word and remember that it is his power and his word that accomplish his purposes whether there are 7 or 4 missionaries in Zambia.   As he says in Isaiah 55:10-12 “As the rain and snow fall from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.  You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees will clap their hands.”   The Lord has been working in Zambia to spread his word through WELS missionaries for over 50 years and he has accomplished many things.  There is an established LCCA synod with the desire to learn and grow.  The LCCA is led by pastors, students, and laymen who have been trained by missionaries in the true word.  We need to trust that God can and will work through these years of WELS presence and help the LCCA to stand more fully on its own and continue to preach and teach God’s saving truth in Zambia and surrounding countries.  Missionaries who are leaving can “go out in joy and be led forth in peace” returning to their home country or going to a new one, knowing God will accomplish his purpose in Zambia and will open a new ministry to them in a new place.

Please pray for God’s guidance for these missionaries leaving their homes, friends, and congregations of brothers and sisters in Christ.  Pray for the many missions around the world that have lost missionaries.  Continue to support missions with your prayers and gifts.  Thank God for the opportunities we have had to share the gospel around the world and pray for new doors to open.