“Remember . . . those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering”
Hebrews 13:3

Our Synod’s contact in Pakistan has informed us that Christians were attacked in Gojra, Pakistan on Saturday, August 1st . Some news outlets in America reported that 6-8 Christians were killed and 40-50 homes were burned by Muslims. The Muslims claimed that the Koran had been defaced. Reportedly someone had torn up pages of the Koran and thrown them into the street. The Muslims blamed the Christians for this.

Our contact traveled to the village where these attacks took place. He reported that 300 homes were burned and 100 Christians were killed – 80 of whom were women and children. 200 people are suffering from burns. The attack took place at 9 a.m., a time when most of the men are out of the home because of their work responsibilities. Only women, children and some of the elderly were in their homes.

The large mob had some type of incendiary bombs that when thrown into the homes “splashed” a chemical over the walls and the people living inside. The people said that water did not put the fire out. Our contract treated 18 people for burns, but he said he could not do a lot for them because he does not have the training or equipment. He mentioned there is no burn unit in all of Pakistan. He explained that the government has tried to minimize what has happened. For several days phone and internet service were not working for part of Pakistan. We were unable to communicate with our contact by phone or e-mail for nearly a week. Read more ›

Last Sunday evening we went to the dedication service for the new worship center, Cristo Rey (Christ the King), in Zaragoza Sur.

The service was, hands down, one of the biggest highlights we’ve had during our time here in Torreon. I think Mike is still on a high from it . And he should be. It was simply awe-inspiring. Here’s why.

Mike and two seminary students have been working with the people in Zaragoza Sur, an area of Torreon, for some time now. Zaragoza Sur is a relatively new section of town, and there were no other churches in the neighborhood. Read more ›

Clad in bright green t-shirts and warm smiles the members of Crown of Life Lutheran Church welcomed some 450 people to its third annual Walk With the Animals.  This community event was free to the public for them to enjoy many live animals, a recreation of Noah’s Ark, crafts, songs and fun.  (They probably liked the free food as well.)  But wait there’s more.  A puppet show shared with children of all ages the gospel message of Christ as Savior.  A live skit shared the message of God’s love through the story of Daniel and the Lion’s Den.

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“Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” Mark 16:15. These were the words Mason Schilling and Drew Felton heard 5 years ago while sitting in church listening to the sermon. Most kids would want to do something to spread God’s Word but would probably realize they didn’t have the means to. That didn’t stop Drew or Mason. Together and with the help of their parents and church (Living Water, Wind Lake, Wisc.) they created a small, non-profit carnival called Mini Fest where all the money raised went to the WELS world missions projects. The rest is history.

Thanks to friends of missions in the area, four years later Mini Fest for Missions has the same goal and has raised over $13,000 for Lutheran Missionaries. And we are ready to do it again on August 15th.

We may not be able to travel to other countries and tell others what God has done for us but we can do our part by participating in Mini Fest. This year you can play games, eat food, go swimming, watch the talent show, and more all while supporting our missionaries. It’s more fun than ever. Bring the whole family and together we can spread God’s Word and make a difference in the lives of others. Be part of something bigger than it seems.

Together we are truly “helping world missions one game at a time!” ALL proceeds go to WELS world missions. This year Missionary Paul Nitz from Malawi will be on hand.

For more information go to www.minifestformissions.com

On Sunday, June 7th, members of St. Lucas Lutheran in Milwaukee hosted a benefit to raise money to support the work WELS world missions.  The event was primarily sponsored by the St. Lucas Moms’ Group.  The event itself was held at the home of a member of the group, and members did most of the preparatory work for the event.

The event was promoted in the St. Lucas bulletin, and invitations were printed.  The invitations had event information as well as some basic information about the struggles facing world missions due to budget shortfalls. Invitations were handed out by group members.  Group members encouraged those that they had invited to invite others.  In this way, many members were reached who may have not responded to a more general invitation.
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