Houge Mission News from East Africa August 2010

Claude and Rhoda Houge are serving in East Africa with LCMS World Mission

Greetings from Nairobi! We returned on August 20 after several months in the states. We apologize for not getting out a July newsletter, but it was difficult to keep up with correspondence with all the traveling.

Our remaining activities in the states went very well. Our uplifting visit to Redeemer in Ft. Collins CO was followed by a few days with Claude’s sister Alice and her husband Harold in Canon City, where Harold is an LCMS pastor. We enjoyed the scenery and some fun times with our lovable great-nephew Jack!



It was great to spend a Sunday at dynamic Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Owatana MN in early August. Also, we were able to get one more visit scheduled in Omaha NE to meet with the leaders of churches and organizations working with Sudanese ministry in Nebraska and Iowa. Claude wanted to introduce Rev. Jacob Gillard (on home leave from Uganda) to these men since Jake will be working more closely with Sudan in the future.



Some of the people you may recognize include Rev. Ray and Lois Wilke (Orphan Grain Train), Rev. Rich Boring (NE District Mission Exec), Rev. John Deang (NE District Immigrant Ministry), Rev. Mark Gerken (IA West Mission Exec), Rev. Jake Gillard, Rev. Ken & Betty Greinke (former Africa Regional Director), Rev. Russ Sommerfeld (President, Nebraska District), Rev. Simon Yiech (President, Sudanese Lutheran Mission Society), plus the pastors and leaders of churches in the area working with Sudanese ministry in the area. (Claude took the picture, and I’m in the middle.)



Prayer Requests:
 Praise God for safe travels while in the US and back to Nairobi.
 Pray for us as we continue our work here. There is so much to do with projects, reports, and communication with partner churches, preparing for visitors, and many other activities that seem far from what we think of as “traditional” mission work. But all is part of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
 We thank God for those of you who pray for us and support us. We don’t correspond directly as often as we would hope to, but we are grateful for your partnership with us in our mission work.

May God bless you richly!

Together in His mission,
Claude and Rhoda Houge

E-mail address: claude.houge@lcms.org

Mailing address:
Claude & Rhoda Houge
PO Box 22
Karen 00502, Kenya

Financial support:
LCMS World Mission – Mission Central
40718 Hwy. E16
Mapleton, IA 51034
(Designate: Houge missionary support)
Or
(NOTE: New Address)
LCMS World Mission
Missionary Support
PO Box 790089
St. Louis, MO 63179-0089
(Designate: Houge missionary support)

Peru Mission Trip in November.....Reaching Out in Manchay

You are on my pray list as a possible missionary to Peru in November. 

Following is more information about this "Reaching Out in Manchay" mission trip.

I'm asking you to pray about going, then call me or email with: I will be praying for others on this trip, let me know more, here is a question, OR SIGN ME UP and send me step two, I want to serve my Lord.

The Lord has an agreement with the airlines....
the sooner we book the airline tickets, the lower the fee will be.

--

LES has

MORE Passion for

PERU

Missionaries to Kenya and TZ: Shauen and Krista (Krenzke) Trump

Shauen and Krista (Krenzke) Trump serve the Lord as LCMS missionaries in Kenya and Tanzania, where Shauen works with Lutheran church bodies across both countries. Much of Shauen’s work as a mission facilitator involves serving alongside the varied churches in this area by teaching, discipling, and walking alongside each partner according to their needs. He also stands as the primary contact in this area for churches seeking new relationships with the LCMS. Krista currently enjoys her time with Josiah and plans to seek nursing work in Nairobi with opportunities for Christian outreach.

Shauen was born in Eureka, Calif., and his home congregation is Resurrection Lutheran Church in Cary, N.C. He received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Seattle Pacific University and his Master of Divinity at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. Shauen enjoys being a father, camping, traveling, jogging, working in other languages (including software languages), and reading. Krista grew up in Liberia, where her family served as missionaries with Lutheran Bible Translators. She received a bachelor’s degree in Christian outreach from Concordia University, St. Paul, Minn., and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from St. Louis University. Krista previously served through LCMS World Mission as a long-term missionary in Slovakia from 2003 to 2005. She enjoys camping, traveling, entertaining, and cooking. Shauen and Krista were married in June 2007.

In 2009, while completing vicarage in Uganda, their son Josiah was born in Kampala.

Please pray for the Trumps as they serve the Lord in Kenya and Tanzania. Pray that the Lord would use them as His instruments to encourage and build up God’s church in East Africa. Ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen them and give them wisdom as they study Kiswahili and learn to live in a variety of cultures. Give thanks to the Lord that Shauen and Krista have answered His call to serve Him and the people He loves in East Africa. Read more about the Trumps at www.TheTrumps.orghttp://thetrumps.org/.


• Birthdays: Shauen - April 10, Krista - Jan. 29, Josiah - Dec. 19

• Wedding Anniversary: June 9

Home District: Southeastern & Nebraska

Shauen just finished his cross cultural vicarage in Uganda and after Swahili studies will return to the states for his furlough and ordination, and then return to East Africa to take up residence in Nairobi, Kenya.

Wells for Tanzania

Bishop Andrew Gulle,  he leader of the East of Lake Victoria dedicating a well in Mwadui Tanzania in June 2010. As the result of this well, clean water is readily available.

This well was made possible through the generosity of the Hearts of Jesus program of the Mid-South District LCMS. Wells were dug in two other locations in the East of Lake Victoria diocese.  The well in Mwadui is located next to the church and in the middle of the village.  So convenient.

We take water for granted here in the United states with clean fresh water is ready available just by turning a tap.  In Tanzania, getting water  is a major daily task for a family. In villages without wells , the women /or children will often walk miles to get the daily supply of water for the family.   This water often not clean, so these wells are a blessing to the villages

Thank you.

2010 Short Term Mission Trip Update

We often read about mission trips taken by others to exotic locations around the world, but this year a group from the Mid –south District got an opportunity to experience something pretty life changing.  In May,   our group boarded planes from Memphis and Nashville with a final destination of Kilimanjaro Airport in Tanzania. After a short flight to Mwanza,   located on the shores of Lake Victoria, and the offices of the East of Lake Victoria Diocese (ELVD) of the Lutheran church of Tanzania.  After a warm welcome by the officials of the diocese, we loaded the vehicles with Bibles and headed out on our mission adventure. We split the group with some going to the Mwadui area and the other group traveling to the town of Kahama.  We were led by a pastor from the ELVD and interpreters.

A typical day started around 7AM at the church where we picked up pastors and evangelists to go with us to the designated village.  Most of the villages we visited were located about an hour drive from our base and most of the roads we traveled on were either gravel or dirt but sometimes we followed a path through the bush.

When we reached a village there was always a group to greet us and show us the typical Sukuma hospitality usually with welcoming songs and refreshments.  After a short time to visit with the evangelists and elders of the congregation, we started out on foot to the area to evangelize.    The team was split into small groups with a pastor to lead us to the individual homes.  When we arrived, we announced our arrival by calling out the word " Hodi” and instantly we were welcomed with calls of Karibu.    You would see the woman of the home scurrying around to find a place for us to sit under a shade tree in the boma which is the yard around  3-5 homes.  The family members would gather around to socialize.  They loved to hear our voices and where we came from.   We would tell them the gospel message using our flip chart or evangacube through the interpreter.  We   invited them to join us for the evening service and baptisms.  In a few cases some wanted to be baptized immediately.

The afternoon service usually started around 4 or 5 pm with sometimes hundreds of people walking into the area where the worship was to be held, either in a church or under a shade tree.  After the service and baptisms. At dark the cinema van would show an outdoor movie of the life of Jesus followed by more baptisms.

In some areas there were no churches within 30 to 40 miles of where we met. Witchcraft and traditional ancestor worship still is practiced.    We met people had never heard the name of Jesus.

It was also a blessing to see how people responded to a gospel message and the name of Jesus. On our last trip 804 people were baptized by the two mission teams in a week. The partnership of the ELVD and the Mid South District is bearing much fruit. We are making plans for our trip next year. Pray about joining us.

Bob Allen                                                                             Peggy Krohn

Mission coordinator                                                        Mid-south District office

rjallen@prodigy.net                                                       peggy@mid-southlcms.org

615-672-0923

Tanzanian Prayer Needs

Changed from Glory into Glory

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from

the Lord, who is the Spirit

2 Corinthians 3:18

The people we meet in Tanzania have been a blessing to us. Weekly I received an email from someone we met in the ELVD. This week I received one from Christina. Christina was someone who cooked for us every day in Kahama. She took time from her work to cook two meals a day for a group of about 20 people for the entire time we were on our mission. Now, I want you to know that cooking is not on electric stoves but often over a fire in the back yard. She was a joy to be around, always a smile. She truly reflected the glory of God.
People tell me I would like to go on a Mission trip but I can’t do anything. “No special skills required”, we can use the talents God gave you. Can you hold a baby?, can you read a story to a third grade? Can you hold a hammer? Think about joining us on the trip in 2011.There you will met some the people of the Sukuma Tribe. There are still people living in this area who have not heard the name Jesus or have heard of His love for them. PRAYER:

Thank you Father, for individuals like Christina who share the talents and gifts you gave them . Thank you the chance we have to outreach with the ELVD in sharing the gospel to the people living in the diocese in Tanzania. Thank you for the thousand who have come you know your name and become part of your family. It is so easy to see Your hand and grace in this ministry to the tribes living in the area. We thank you for the partnership the Mid-South District (LCMS) has with the (ELVD) and the blessings that have resulted in this marriage.

We ask for prayers for:

o Funds to support the seminary education for the 10 men requesting to attend
o Continuing support of the partnership and expanded outreach to the Sukuma people
o For the Church Plant Ministry (CPM)
o For those congregation worshiping in churches with no roofs
o That you will allow God to use your gifts to share the Gospel
o For our plans for 2011 mission trip to Tanzania