Good news from Rev. Shauen and Krista Trump in Kenya.

Good news from Rev. Shauen and Krista Trump in Kenya.

"Twelve pastors look at Shauen expectantly. He remembered again that he's not in Uganda anymore.  He's in Kenya now, filling a different role. As he idly thumbs his Bible and feels that special anxiety that comes when speaking before a group, he began, 'We don't have time today to cover the entire Gospel of Luke, or even just those parts emphasized in the Mission Training Center (MTC) book. But, I think we can learn a lot about Luke by looking closely at one chapter.'

"Theological Education is among the top priorities for LCMS partnerships across Africa. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK) has numerous partnership opportunities in this area. They have a four-year seminary issuing bachelor's degrees for pastors, a two-year Bible school issuing certificates for evangelists and the Mission Training Center program dispersed across the country, which trains laity as helpers in congregations that don't have a pastor or evangelist of their own. With almost 20 MTCs across Kenya, it's certainly beyond Shauen's capacity to teach at them all.

"The ELCK has a coordinator for the MTCs and each center is managed by the pastor overseeing the area. So Shauen is privileged to participate at this point in the training of the trainers. Four times per year, the MTC managers come together for two days of encouragement, fellowship and a review of the two books to be covered in months ahead. Managers' training is led by the MTC coordinator, along with those he calls on to assist him, generally one or more of the MTC managers, or for at least one day of this training, Shauen.

"Addressing the group of pastors, Shauen continued, 'So let's look at Jesus' parables of the lost things in Luke 15.' With the Scriptures open before them, as is normally the case, his nerves settle and as heads bow down to peer into the text, Shauen's anxieties are replaced by that special joy of gathering around God's Word. Soon, the group is deeply involved in discussion and debate that occupies them for most of this second day of training. As the afternoon turns to evening, the thoughts of these servants again turn toward their parishes and the five to 15 congregations they oversee. Pray for these shepherds of God's people in Kenya!"

Shauen, Krista, and Josiah Trump

Your Missionaries to East Africa

through LCMS World Mission

http://TheTrumps.org/

http://lcms.org?13521

Shauen.Trump@LCMS.org

Chattanooga Church partners with church in Gambosi, TZ....from center of witchcraft to thriving Christianity.

Partners in Ministry – Tanzania

Nancy Allen

Cross of Christ in Chattanooga, TN has begun a partnership with the congregation in Gambosi, TZ(see April’s article about Roofs) to help them spread the Gospel.  Two projects were chosen to aid them in their ministry.  The first was to sew little dresses for the girls in the congregation and send them with the 2011 Mission team to Tanzania.  With a goal of making 50 dresses, 2 workshops were held and several worked from home to complete more than 66 dresses. 

Nancy Allen hands over several of the more than 66 Little Dresses to Susie Allen at Cross of Christ Lutheran, Chattanooga, TN

Little Dresses Workshop #1 – Cross of Christ Lutheran, Chattanooga, TN

The second project is to raise funds to Raise the Roof on the church in Gambosi.  Our goal is $5000.00 and we are getting close to half way.

(Note from Bob and Susie: Nancy Allen has visited Tanzania several times and uses her  creativity and talents  to expand the gospel of Jesus.)

Rev. Shauen and Krista Trump in Tanzania.

“Six days after we landed in Nairobi, Shauen was on the road again for a two-week trip into Tanzania. Over the initial days of the journey, short-term agricultural missionaries Delano and Linda Meyer stood in corn fields, looked at cattle in stables, asked questions about plants, fertilizers and land practices and learned everything they could about the farming techniques employed in the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro. All this was to establish the background for the program they brought to the people of the Lutheran Church of East Africa (LCEA), a small church body currently exploring opportunities for joint mission efforts with LCMS World Mission.

“This amazing team-teaching duo spent decades farming in the United States before ‘retiring’ to mission service in West Africa. There they continued to do what they knew best, infusing instruction on soil conservation, nitrogen fixation and small-business management with solid Law and Gospel proclamation through discussions on Christian stewardship, marital fidelity and the two kingdoms. Years of fine-tuning their two-day program has resulted in a polished presentation of information in an intuitive teaching style.

“Each section begins with questions, ‘Tell me how…’ that are discussed in groups. Well-versed in some of the sweeping generalizations we can make about African culture, the Meyers divide discussion groups by sex and age and solicit responses in this order: young women, old women, young men and old men. Were the old men to speak first (which is the regional social custom), no one else would speak to contradict them. The Meyers know that their class may be the first time some women have ever been publicly asked their opinion and they lavish praise on them.

“After learning from those gathered before them, the Meyers begin pointing out opportunities for improvement. ‘If fast-moving water will carry away the soil, how can we slow it down?’ ‘How can we put more hummus into the soil so we need less fertilizer?’ ‘How can we take advantage of the yearly cycle in the price of maize—is it possible to sell later?’ Together, the class explores ways to improve the life of the soil, the yield of their crops and their quality of life.

“The Meyers masterfully present a compelling and interactive opportunity for these subsistence farmers to give their farms a boost while hearing the Gospel message. Shauen was privileged to travel with the Meyers and Rev. Claude Houge for this program, taking an opportunity to meet the leadership of the LCEA for the first time. He also participated in the program by leading a Bible study called ‘Honor God with Your Body.’ On Sundays, they worshiped with many of the participants attending the agricultural sessions. The first Sunday, Rev. Houge preached and they witnessed the church grow through Baptisms. The second Sunday, Shauen shared the message and witnessed the confirmation of three boys. Praise the Lord for His work in this part of Tanzania!”

2011 Mission Trip to Tanzania

Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, he [Jesus] has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear

Act 2:33

We are making plans for our 2011 trip to Tanzania at the end of May. Come join us, and see this outpouring of the Holy Spirit that Paul talks about in this verse.  What we do does not seem like much but it touches the life’s of the Tanzania pastors and evangelists  we work with; it energizes the communities and impacts the lives of the children we  reach through the  stories we tell or through the Bibles or mosquito nets we give out.

Tanzania?    

Here  two comments I received today from pastors we have worked with  “When are you going to visit us your presence  gives us more power to continue working hard. And another,  “we all remember your service (evangelism house to house in  Mwamandi) now this church is growing at Mwamandi and the villages around there.  We now have  two churches close to Mwamandi,  NYAMIDIDI AND MWANASE . These churches spread  from the work started at Mwamandi .  We thank GOD very much for you  because you are the source of planting church in Mwamandi’s areas. GOD bless you and all the team that  were together at Kahama and Mwamandi and everyone who was shared with us for everything.   Mwamandi was over 35 miles from the nearest church and many people had never heard the name of Jesus.  One teacher encouraged the Pastor Gacha to bring us and that day 285 people were baptized.  Now two other churches have started in that area.

I saw a new book this weekend “The Calling, Live a life of Significance”  This same Holy Spirit has been poured out on you also,  Come with us, make a difference in the life of you someone if Africa.   Come let your light shine. 

Come join us this year. We want to finalize the team in February.

Bob Allen

Mid-South District LCMS

Mission Coordinator

rjallen@prodigy.net

615-672-0923

2011 Short Term Mission Trip Opportunities

Come join us for the adventure of a life time. You may have an opportunity to :

1.     Teach, witness, and share house to house in the villages in groups.  Translators are with us and  the people are very welcoming. It is a safe environment.
2.       Visit the medical clinic, birthing center, and isolation hospital
3.       Teach and share in the villages
4.      Read and teach bible stories and songs to children
5.      Visit Schools
6.      Teach in Christian elementary or secondary school

Haiti

February 23-27                  Visit Schools in the Port a Prince area

March 5 – 12, Northern districts of Haiti    We plan to visit schools in Arcahaie, Gonaives and the Central Plateau.

March 19 – 26, Southern districts of Haiti    We will definitely be going to the Jacmel district and then to either Les Cayes or Jeremie 

March 5 – 12, Northern districts of Haiti, led by John Hall. We plan to visit schools in Arcahaie, Gonaives and the Central Plateau

Peru

May 7th to 15th 2011 - PERU - "English/Read" 7 missionaries from USA to Manchay, Peru to teach English and to set up a church library. 5 of the team are ready to go. Passion Peru

July 30th to August 7th - PERU - "Jungle Mission Peru" 5 youth from USA join 10 youth from Manchay, Peru and do a mission trip to the jungle of Peru. This will be exciting mission work for teenagers. Passion Peru

Fall 2011   (exact date to be determined)- PERU - "Come to the Corner" 7 missionaries from USA to work with 7 missionaries in Lima, Peru to go to Manchay, Peru and help them bring people into their new church. Passion Peru

Tanzania

May 21-June 3  (the exact dates to be determined)  group of 6-11 missionaries/teachers from the Mid-South District will visit  the Negezi district and the Mawudi school to outreach to the villages in the area.  We will work with pastors and evangelist from the East of Lake Victoria Diocese (ELVD)

Mid June   Group will be visiting the Mwanza are with an intitial focus of repairing the home of “Mama Bomini”  wife of deceased Bishop Bomani .  Group also plants to outreach into the villages with  Pastors from the ELVD.

Vietnam

A group from Northwest Arkansas will be leaving in Feb to tour the country and minister

If you are interested in any of these opportunities contact the following for more information.

Bob Allen                                             or                                                                            Peggy Krohn

Mission Coordinator

Mid-South District LCMS                                                                                               Mid-South District Office

615-672-0923                                                                                                                     901-373-1343

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

www.lcmsmidsouthdistrictmissions.blogspot.com

Sudan: Hands of Mercy...two cultures one God

 The hot equatorial sun was beating down on the both of us. It was nearly noon time, and I could hear the cook, 20 paces away, clinking cups and bowls and silverware together preparing for the midday meal. I was sitting in the dirt with Lazarus. The meal that day, as it was every day, was what the Zande people of South Sudan call, “bakinda.” Translated simply, it means food.   

Lazarus and I were working on a project for Hands of Mercy, the training center for people with disabilities with which I was working. Lazarus is blind and a paraplegic from youth due to a past polio outbreak.  I had brought over some vegetable seeds from America with the idea to introduce some variety into their food supply. Lazarus was helping me plant cantaloupe, egg plant and sunflowers into peat pots, which I also brought over from the states. Neither of us said much to each other. How could we? He could not speak English and I could not speak Zande. So, our time together was spent mostly in silence, quietly passing dirt and seeds and water when we gestured the need. 

I remember the look of his worn hands, delicately pressing the small seeds into the soil. I remember the contrast of my white, western skin to his black, African skin; two cultures vastly different and two lives so completely separate. But there we were. I think it was in this moment that I understood with greater clarity the Psalm verse, “Be still and know that I am God.”  

 The still quiet with Lazarus in Yambio, South Sudan was a far cry from my hectic life back at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN. Not a single word was spoken between us, but I feel more was said than a thousand words could have told. In the Lutheran church we speak of a ministry of “presence.” The same way that Christ came to us with his presence hidden in human from, I believe He comes to us still, hidden in the brokenness of humanity. 

Sitting there with Lazarus, his clouded eyes and withered legs, I must have been sitting with Jesus. He is a poor man with hardly a place to lay his head at night, but still he smiles, still he serves, still He says to me, “My power is made perfect in weakness.” Yes, it must have been the presence of Christ dwelling richly in Lazarus that showed me how to be still. Because in the stillness, God speaks.