Christmas at the seminary

December 18 marked the last day of seminary activities for 2007. We had finished classes on Monday the 17th, so the 18th was set aside for worship and fellowship. The pictures below are from the seminary Christmas service and the fellowship afterwards.

• CD player and keyboard ready for Christmas carols and hymns.

The service was an adaptation of the popular "Nine Lessons and Carols", but with an addition: one of the shepherds from Bethlehem came to share his eyewitness account of not only Christ's birth, but also his future ministry as it culminated in the ultimate show of love -- Christ giving himself over to death as payment for our sins. What an amazing Christmas present God has given us!

• Fellowship following the service.

The LORD bless you with His peace,
NW

Missionary Wagenknecht on furlough

This last Wednesday (the 19th) I started my two month furlough. I'll be celebrating the Incarnation of our Lord together with my family this Christmas in Sun City, AZ, Casa Grande, AZ, and Yorba Linda, CA. If you're in the area, come to visit!

I also have a few presentations scheduled. The schedule for December and January is confirmed. The schedule for February in Milwaukee area is still tentative.

Dec 23 -- Grace Lutheran Church, Casa Grande, AZ -- 8:30am
Dec 30 -- Our Savior Lutheran Church, Sun City, AZ -- 10:30am
Jan 13 -- Grace Lutheran Church, Yorba Linda, CA -- 8:30am

Jan 20 -- St. Mark's Lutheran Church, Duncanville, TX
Jan 22 -- Immanuel Lutheran Academy, Ft Worth, TX -- am
-- Calvary Lutheran Grade School, Dallas, TX -- pm
Jan 23 -- Holy Word Lutheran Grade School, Austin, TX -- am
-- Trinity Lutheran Church, Temple, TX -- pm
Jan 24/25 -- South Central District Pastor/Teacher/Delegate Conference, San Antonio, TX
Jan 27 -- Emanuel Lutheran Church, Las Cruces, NM

Feb 3 to 7 -- Greater Milwaukee, WI area -- details still to come

If you're in the area any of those dates, please come to the presentations. I would love to share with you the joys and blessings the Lord is pouring out on our mission in the Dominican Republic!

Looking forward to meeting many of you in person!

The Lord bless you with His peace,
NW

CSI: Santiago

As promised, part 2 of the Santiago church robbery. (Be sure to read the first part by clicking here or by scrolling down if you haven't read it yet).

There seminarian Freddy and I are, looking at the broken locks, scanning the room to figure out what is missing. A thousand thoughts a minute. What to do? First things first. Freddy calls 911 to report the burglary.

Wonder of wonders! A police car actually shows up! --The Dominican police force is *not* known for its reliability.-- The officer looks the building over, then tells us we have to go to the station to file the report. He'll meet us there.

By now the other seminarians have arrived, so they can watch the building as Freddy and I go to the police station. Once we find the right office, Freddy and I wait about 20 minutes for the officer in charge to show up. We tell him about the robbery. He calls for the "scientific investigation" team to accompany us back to the church to investigate the scene, then he will write out the report. We wait 10 minutes for them to show up. The investigation team tells the officer who called them that he has to fill out the report first before they go. They argue for a few minutes about what comes first, the report or the investigation. We wait another 20 minutes as the officer takes out a grade school writing tablet (I think it had "Dora the Explorer" on the front) and writes out a rather general report by hand. There is a computer in the room, but it is being used as a big CD player... --The Dominican police force is not known for its efficiency.--

Finally the report is written and we can lead the CSI team to the church. The "scientific investigation" consists of digital photos and dusting the doors for fingerprints. Since this isn't TV, they don't find a case solving fingerprint on the first try--nor do they solve the case in 43 minutes (60 with commercials)--but they do find one they think is "promising". Freddy and I are both fingerprinted so that they can rule our fingerprints out. We'll see if they get a "hit" on the fingerprint they found, but I'm not holding my breath.

By the time the CSI team finishes and leaves, it is our normal break time, so the seminary students go for a quick snack before starting to clean up. Right next door to the church, behind the fruit stand where the guys get their snack, is a run down house that has been abandoned for almost half a year now. Julio says, "Let's look around to see if the thieves left anything there." Can you guess what happens next?

While I'm still in the church starting to put things away, I hear Freddy call out "Professor Natan! Natan! Venga!" (Prof Nathan. Come here!) The thieves DID leave something behind! There behind some stairs is our window air conditioner unit. They had obviously placed it there planning to come back for it later.

Again, we see the little blessings the Lord showed us. He allowed us to recover the most expensive of the six items that had been stolen! We were even able to joke about--now the thieves are going to call the police to complain that we stole back what they had rightfully stolen from us! :-)

It was a long day, but after cleaning the church, buying and installing a new lock for the door, a new (much stronger) padlock for the gate, making copies of the new keys for everyone, etc. I finally go home. The story, however, would continue the next day......

Advent in the DR

Two quick side notes:
(1) Please continue to be patient waiting for my promised update on the church robbery in Santiago. Thanks :-)
(2) For those who stay on top of international weather, thank you for your prayers as subtropical storm Olga passes our island. We expect heavy rains and some wind for the next 24 hours, and government emergency response teams are ready -- especially in low lying areas -- but we don't expect any major damage. We are in the Lord's hands.

Now, a few quick pictures of our church this Advent season:

• The altar of our church in Santiago

• Bulletin board in Santiago church (Isaiah 9:6)
  

• Seminarian Freddy practicing on the keyboard

The Lord bless you with His peace,
NW

Santiago church robbed

"Keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."

Jesus' words in Matthew 24: 42-44 became more vivid this past Tuesday morning as I arrived at our ministry center in Santiago at about 7:30 am to get ready for seminary classes. I unlocked the padlock and took off the chain from the gate along the street thinking it was another normal weekday morning. My heart sank as I arrived at the top of the stairs to see the gate to our front porch wide open and the front door ajar. Everything became slow motion for a moment as I saw that both door locks had been pried open and were now lying on the door mat in pieces. All I remember thinking was: "Oh, no..."

Seminarian Freddy had hitched a ride with me that morning, so we went in together to check out the damage, expecting the worst. The thieves had gone through the entire building opening cabinets, dumping out boxes, breaking into a locked storage room looking for anything of value.

They wound up dismounting and taking a window air conditioner unit, an inverter (battery backup system for the building), DVD player, radio/CD player, computer speakers and a wall fan.










Despite the feeling of being "violated", we thank God as we recognize that He was still protecting us and our resources:

• Noone was injured.
• Everything they took is replaceable.
• The thieves took computer speakers, but not the computer itself.
• They took the DVD player, but not the TV it was hooked up to.
  
• One of the few boxes the thieves did *not* look in was the one containing a small lockbox with the congregation's offerings.
• They left a mess, but did not vandalize or break anything other than locks.

I wasn't expecting thieves to break in on Monday night. What a vivid reminder that the Son of Man can come at any time also, even when we least expect him!!!

We are trying to prepare ourselves to prevent the thieves from returning--stronger locks on the doors, a security system, possibly a night watchman. What amazing grace that God himself prepares us through the Gospel to actually welcome his Son's return!!! Jesus has saved me from my sins. I am forgiven. I am ready for Jesus to return.

[ There is more to the story, even with a few unexpected twists. But you'll have to wait a day or two until I can write more... ]

The Lord bless you with His peace,
NW

Streaming in the DR

On Wednesday, October 31, members of our Dominican mission family watched the Reformation service from Risen Savior Lutheran in Milwaukee. The service was broadcast (or "streamed") live over the internet. We were able to project the service on the wall so everyone could see and participate. Copies of the worship folder were handed out so we could sing along with the hymns and follow the readings.

We also shared this service with our Dominican congregation. They were happy to listen to a former missionary, Seth Haackenson, and to share the mission message given by former missionary Roger Sprain.

We thank WELS for this opportunity to share in this service of praise. We also thank the people at Multi-Language Publications who helped to organize this transmission. Above all, we give thanks to our merciful God for preserving His Word among us. To Him be all the glory.

[ Thanks, Kathy, for the post! --NW ]

English Classes - Session Two

Our volunteers have started the second session of their English classes. I decided to try and find out what all goes into preparing just one class.

In the picture, Polly and Julie are writing out their lesson plans for each class. They research all their resources according to the needs and level of their students. They create all their own original worksheets, adapting them to the level of their students. Games, activities and group activities are also chosen to reinforce the language skill being taught.

Preparing for each class also includes administration duties such as taking attendance and calling students who have missed class. Copies must be made for each day's activities which involves a walk to the copy shop and waiting in line for your turn. There are also homework activities to be corrected.

Julie and Polly arrive early for each class. They unlock the gates, open the doors and windows and begin to set up their teaching area. Chairs and tables are put in place, some dusting might need to be done, mop the floor if necessary, get out all their teaching aids. Also, a quick check to see that the bathrooms are clean and stocked.

Now that they have begun to form relationships with their students they are starting to make home visits to the students. The visits are set up with the students and usually involve finding their way around the city and then spending time with each student in their home, getting to know their family and using the visit to make an evangelism presentation.

Our volunteers are working hard to teach excellent classes and also to reach out with the gospel to all the students. We appreciate all their hard work. Thank you!

[ Thank you, Kathy, for the above post. --NW ]

Mission Family

Two Fridays ago (16 Nov), after we finished our English Bible study, we celebrated Molly Monday's birthday as a mission family. One person volunteered to bake a cake, another person brought the ice cream and a celebration was on the way!

We want to thank Molly for all that she brings to the field, for all the help she gives and for her thoughtfulness to others. Thanks Molly!

We also thank the Lord for these opportunities to enjoy our Christian family. Through our weekly Bible studies and these family celebrations, the Lord blesses us through the study of His Word and strengthens the bonds that unite us as a family on the mission field and as a family in Christ walking together towards our heavenly home.

Praise Him with the Keyboard

Presently, there are several people receiving training to play hymns with the chord method of piano playing. Each of the students is a member of one of our congregations and our goal is that in the future we will have people able to read music and lead the members in singing and praise with musical instruments.

We would like to give our deepest thanks to Roxanne Martens (wife of LATTE Missionary Ralph Martens) who wrote the music course that the students are using. She wrote the program herself and gave us permission to reproduce it to train more people. So far it is working well and the students are making good progress.

We thank the Lord for gifted people like Roxanne who are willing to share their talents with the church, and we thank God who bestows musical talents on His believers and fills their hearts with the desire to praise Him by learning to play hymns to His glory.

[ The above was written by Kathy Strackbein. We thank the Lord for her service as well. --NW]

Where shall I serve, O Lord?

Rona Abraham is our first seminary graduate in the Dominican Republic. (Read other posts about Rona by clicking here.) He graduated in July and was so excited about returning to his home country of Haiti to share the life-saving Gospel with so many who are still lost in sin and unbelief. But...

...Rona may not be able to carry out his plans. He intended to return to Haiti and start a "tent ministry" -- sharing the Gospel while supporting himself with a secular job. With his seminary diploma giving him the title of "licenciado" (equivalent to a bachelor's degree), he planned to get a job as a teacher. But...

...He recently found out that since our seminary is not yet registered as an "institution of higher education" with the Dominican government, his degree is not recognized. Without a degree, he cannot get a job. Without a job, he cannot support himself in Haiti. So...

...In the DR, we are looking into the requirements to register our seminary so that we can confer degrees that will be recognized and accepted. In the meantime, we ask for your prayers:

• that the Lord would bless our efforts to register the seminary
  
• that the Lord would guide Rona to know where and how He wants him to serve
• that the Lord would direct us as we consider other alternatives

James reminds us to say, "If it is the Lord's will" when we make our plans for the future (James 4:15). We know that all things are in His hands -- His good and gracious hands! We, therefore, trust Him to bless Rona's ministry wherever that may be.

(The above was first posted at our sister blog "LATTE on the Road". For more information about our LATTE travels in other countries, click here.)

The Lord bless you with His peace,
NW

Substitutes

Substitute – "to put in the place of another person or thing".

Nate W. and Kathy S. worked as substitute teachers in the place of Julie and Polly while these two Kingdom Workers were at home recovering from pink eye (see the post titled "Quarantined" here).

To begin the day Nate and Kathy each made a trip to the girls’ apartment to pick up a copy of the lesson plan and a list of the student’s names. In the afternoon, they arrived early to set up the classroom and look for all the necessary materials to teach the class. The substitutes had also helped out with the registration and interview portion of the English classes, so they were not complete strangers to all of the students.

When the students arrived, we saw how disciplined they were. Everyone wrote their name on a sign-in sheet, put on their name tag and took their seat. Of course, the first question was, “Where is Polly? Where is Julie?” We heard many sympathetic, “Ooh”s when we explained their health situation.

The teaching went well and even though the students missed their teachers, they were happy to have substitute teachers so as not to have their classes canceled. Nate and Kathy were also happy to have this opportunity to serve. It made them appreciate all the teachers do to help their students learn a new language.

Joyful Service

English classes started in September. Each day there are about 35-40 students attending the classes in our worship facility. Since space is limited, we use our worship area as one of the two classrooms.

That means each week the room metamorphoses four times. After the Thursday English class, tables and chairs are removed and benches moved into place for the Haitian service Sunday morning. After the Haitian service, the benches are removed and tables and chairs set up for Sunday afternoon English class. After that class, tables and chairs out; benches in for Spanish service. After Spanish service, one more switch to be ready for Monday English classes.

It's great to see everyone -- members, seminary students, even the English students themselves -- eager to help. It involves quite a bit of activity, but what a joy to work together, grateful hearts willing to serve!

Tropical Storm Noel update, #18

According to the Center for Emergency Operations (COE) 18th bulletin: 137 communities are still isolated, 85 people are dead and 48 are still missing. A total of 47 bridges and roads have been affected, although seven temporary routes have been opened. The bulletin indicates that 34% of the 110 aqueduct systems have been restored and 133 shelters are still housing 26,491 evacuees. In all 4,406 people were rescued according to the report and 66,608 people have been displaced. (Cited from www.dr1.com, 06 November 2007.)

We continue to thank the LORD for his protection during this storm that pretty much took the whole country by surprise. It developed so close to the island that by the time weather forecasters realized how large the storm was becoming, they had to scramble to get the word out. Plus it was Sunday (28 Oct), the day most Dominicans do their weekly shopping and household chores, so few people were listening to the radio or watching TV to hear the warnings. The storm dropped so much rain that the majority of the deaths and damage were from flash floods in low areas that caught everyone off guard.

"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Psalm 90:12). Knowing and trusting in the Gospel, which is God's wisdom in Christ, makes us ready so that we are *not* taken by surprise on our last day - whenever that may be.

The Lord bless you with His peace,
NW

Time together, Time with the Spirit

It is consistently the highlight of my week. Warm greetings. A few friendly laughs. The good Word. Some good questions. Even better answers. Prayer and thanksgiving to God. His blessing, and then goodbye. It's Friday night Bible study in Moca. It's time together with brothers and sisters in Christ who love you and love the Lord even more. It's time together with the Spirit of God. In the books and letters of the Bible, written by the prophets and apostles, we read and meditate on "words taught by the Spirit," spiritual truths expressed in spiritual words (1 Co 2:13).

Is it any wonder that it's a highlight? And no, it's not because of the fun or the fraternity. It's because it's time together with the Spirit of God. "No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us" (1 Co 2:11b-12). Bible study is our prime face time with the Holy Spirit, when we get to know the God of all the universe a little better, when we understand a little bit more about the truth, when we realize once again that this God loves us undeservedly and freely gives us all things in his Son Jesus Christ.

Maybe you've already guessed that we're reading through Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. One chapter a week. We're only up to chapter 4, but what jewels of heavenly wisdom we've already found:

• Chapter 1: Paul writes to a Christian congregation stifled by sinful problems and top-heavy with sinful pride, and yet writes to them as brothers in Christ, with thanksgiving, optimism and loving-but-firm straight talk about their spiritual woes and God's clear will.

• Chapter 1b: The message of Christ crucified. A big nothing to the world; not quite strong enough or smart enough for our sinful side; in reality, the exclusive key to salvation and to absolutely everything else that matters. "Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God... that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption." (1:24,30)

• Chapter 2: Christ, the wisdom of God, was not discovered by the wise men of this world; it was revealed by God through his Spirit to his chosen apostles. Whose wisdom and word should we give our time and attention to? Man's or God's found in the Bible?

• Chapter 3: The preachers who plant and water the word are nothing; it's God who makes faith grow. To him be all glory! And yet God graciously and generously rewards his workers in proportion to the faithful work he himself has produced in them.

• Chapter 3b: We may think we are wise and put ourselves on a higher plane than others; we may do the same with our favorite pastors and teachers. But this only creates factions and fractures God's holy temple that is his Church. Toss that "wisdom" and become a "fool," who understands that we are all fellow servants and co-heirs of the world under Christ. We are one under him, even though we all have different roles, different gifts, and different callings.

That's through three chapters. Thirteen more to go. Holy Spirit, make us grow and glorify your name!

Pastor Shiloh

Tropical Storm Noel

This past week Tropical Storm Noel passed directly over the Dominican Republic. It began to rain on Friday afternoon and has continued for the past 5 days. Meteorologist reports predict we may still receive more rain today and tomorrow.

This quantity of rain has taken quite a toll on the island. Bridges have been washed out and rivers are overflowing. In the capital city of Santo Domingo, the streets have become waterlogged since the underground aqueducts are overflowing and spewing the water back up onto the streets. Many homes have been washed away with mudslides. The heavy rains caused a nationwide blackout on Sunday. All flights out of Santo Domingo were cancelled Sunday. Rice, banana, onion, cassava, potato and tomato crops have been wiped out by the rains and mudslides.

In the midst of all the destruction and loss, we lift our eyes to our heavenly Father and give Him thanks for the safety of all our missionaries and members. He has watched over us and kept us safe, giving us strength and opportunity to help those who are in need.

A grateful thank you to all of you who have called and sent emails. We ask for your continued prayers as the whole country begins to recuperate.

(posted by Kathy Strackbein)

Technology woes :-)

Technology can be such a blessing when used to share the Gospel. We are showing a video Bible study entitled "Saneamiento Espiritual" (Spiritual Healing) after the EFL classes for students interested in having a healthy relationship with God, with themselves and with others.

Getting ready for the Bible study (our copy is still on VHS tapes), I entered the tape into an older VCR -- and it got stuck! I *patiently* began taking the VCR apart, one piece at a time, trying after each piece to remove the tape manually, but without success. Well, after about half an hour or so, I finally got the tape out, but this was the end result for the VCR:


Thankfully, we had another VCR that we could still use.

We are finishing our sixth week, and out of our 90 students in this first session, over 25 different students have participated in the Bible study at least once, with about 10 staying regularly. As we continue to develop friendships with the students in English class, even more of them are starting to express interest in the church and the message of free and full forgiveness in Christ that we preach. God is good!!!

The Lord bless you with His peace,
NW

Freddy Antonio Aquino

Freddy Aquino is a young man studying at our seminary in the Dominican Republic. Raised in the Pentecostal church, he was studying at a Nazarene institute when he met Julio, another of our seminary students, back in 2002.

Through Julio, Freddy studied the Bible and was confirmed in the Christian faith in 2003. He immediately began Bible Institute (pre-sem) studies, which he finished in early 2006.

As an example of his love for the Gospel and desire to share its life-saving power with others, Freddy left the his job and "comfort zone" of family and friends in San Pedro and moved with his wife Elizabet and infant son Freilin to Santiago (where they didn't know anyone) to attend our seminary. It was a major change in their life, but they have settled in and enjoy the support of their "new" family, fellow Christians in the seminary and local congregation.

We pray for the Lord's blessings on Freddy's growth in the Word, his service to God's people and his family's joy and contentment.

(By the way, this post can also be found on our fellow blog "LATTE on the Road" -- click here.)

The Lord bless you with His peace,
NW

Quarantined

Almost two weeks ago, both of our EFL volunteers contracted pink eye (conjunctivitis). They woke up in the morning with their eyes pasted shut and endured itching and puffiness during the day. In order not to infect anyone else, both teachers quarantined themselves, staying inside their apartment for the next four days.

Since the pink eye didn't start until late in the week on Thursday, they missed only one evening of classes. (Kathy Strackbein and Missionary Wagenknecht were "guest teachers" that evening.) Julie and Polly were very conscientious *not* to spread the pink eye, disinfecting pretty much anything they touched for a week!

They were able to get some drops for their eyes and also antibiotics to fight the infection so that by Sunday afternoon they were back in the classroom. We thank the Lord for granting them a speedy recovery. The rest of us missed seeing them at their classes and get-togethers. Glad to have you back, Julie and Polly!!!

(posted by Kathy Strackbein)

Prayer suggestions

What a marvelous blessing prayer is! Almighty God, the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, invites us to pray with the same confidence and persistence as dear children talk to, ask and thank their loving father. Jesus teaches to call on God as "Our Father in heaven" (Matthew 6:9). "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give hims a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:9-11)

Occasionally brothers and sisters in Christ ask us what they should pray for on behalf of our mission. Following are some suggestions, but is by no means exhaustive:

• Pray for the Latin American national churches that are striving to grow and become self-supporting sister churches of WELS: the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mexico, the Evangelical Lutheran Confessional Church in Puerto Rico, and those in Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Brazil.
• Ask God’s blessings on the LATTE team as they help spread the gospel in Latin America: Missionaries Schlomer, Martens, Retberg, Strackbein, and Wagenknecht.
• Thank the Great Shepherd of the sheep for the seminarians and national pastors serving him in the Dominican Republic: Rona Abraham, Obed Bazin, Julio Corporan, Alexander Torres, Freddy Aquino, Robert Helve, and Elise Abraham.
• Call on our God of grace to bless Missionary Monday's ministry, to watch over the Monday family and to grant them joy.
  
• Pray that the Holy Spirit would strengthen and keep the members of our congregations -- most of whom are first generation Christians, or at least first generation confessional Lutherans -- in the true Christian faith until they receive the crown of life in heaven.
• Ask our loving, perfect Father to help Christian parents raise their children in the "training and admonition of the Lord".
• Seek the Lord's favor on Cordero de Dios (Lamb of God) congregation in Moca as they look for their own permanent building to dedicate to the Lord's service.
  

The Lord bless you with his Peace,
NW

Rainy Days

When it rains it pours - how true here in Santiago. When it rains our streets turn into rivers. When it rains hard the drainage system is not capable of handling the amount of water that accumulates. There is also the additional complication of all the trash that is thrown on the street every day which is pulled into the system by the flow of the water. The garbage covers and fills up the grates, the water backs up and the end result is flooding on the street and in people's houses.

Thankfully the waters subside within a few hours, so if you are patient you can get where you need to go. This is just another aspect of life in the DR that we become accostumed to especially during the rainy season.

(posted by Kathy Strackbein)

National Holiday, "Nuestra Senora de Mercedes"

In 1494 while Columbus was fighting with the Taino "Indians" for control of the island, the Virgin supposedly appeared to the Spaniard soldiers.

Columbus led an inland expedition to round up Tainos to give to his men as slaves. A large company of natives from the valley below attacked his troops here and supposedly the fight was not going well for the Spaniards until Columbus raised a large, wooden cross on the hill; an apparition of the Virgin perched atop it, and the emboldened Europeans slaughtered the enemy. (cited from the Dominican Republic Rough Guide, 2000)

The apparition became known as "Nuestra Senora de Mercedes", our lady of mercies. This story is celebrated every September 24 as a national holiday. Ninety five percent of Dominicans still consider themselves Roman Catholic. People flock to the sight of the apparition and worship the virgin as the patron saint of the island.

Please pray for us that we may have many more opportunities to witness to the people here and bring them the joy of the True Savior, Christ Jesus. He does not come to us in dreams and visions, but choses to come to us in the very real and tangible message of the Gospel, found in His Word and Sacraments.

(submitted by Kathy Strackbein)

The Lord bless you with his true Peace in Jesus,
NW

What could $100 do in the ministry of the Dominican Republic? $200? $300?

Occasionally I'm asked by brothers and sisters in Christ how they can support our work. Below is a list of some of the ways your financial gifts are used. The list is by no means exhaustive, but I hope it helps you to see how your gifts support the spread of the eternal-life-giving Gospel.

$100

• 2 tanks of gas to San Pedro groups
• 3-4 months of electricity at worship center and seminary classroom
• 2 months of security guard for missionary residences
• 1/5 (one-fifth) monthly scholarship for a married seminarian

$200

• 3-4 months of phone and internet service for worship center
• 20 textbooks to teach seminary Greek
• 6,400 pages of Sunday School, Bible class and worship materials
• Advertising for special evangelism events

$300

• Translation work from Spanish to French for Haitian members
• 1 month rent of worship center / seminary classroom
• 1 month scholarship for a single seminarian
• 3-5 months of auto insurance

We encourage your gifts first and foremost to the synod's regular operating budget, because that budget provides for the bulk of our mission's costs. You may give through your local WELS congregation, or find out how to give online by clicking here.

But if you would like to give an offering specifically for the work here in the DR, above and beyond your offering to the regular synod budget, you may do so online by clicking here, or you may send a gift to the following address (be sure to specify it for the Dominican Republic):

WELS - Dominican Republic Fund
2929 N Mayfair Road
Milwaukee, WI 53222

The Lord bless you with his Peace,
NW

Health Issues in Third World Countries

When people come to the Dominican Republic they usually know about the tourist places, eg. the beaches, the Colonial City, the whale watching, etc. What they don't always think about are the strange diseases you might come in contact with when you enter a different country.

Recently two members of our Christian family had very different health issues. One had several insect bites that became infected. At first, the doctors thought they were just simple mosquito bites and didn't do anything. When the infected bites grew to about the size of quarters, continuously oozed, and caused constant pain, the doctors finally realized they were spider bites. The bites were treated with antibiotics (twice a day injections for a week), lanced and drained. We are happy to report that there has been a complete recovery.

The second became sick and was diagnosed with dengue fever, a virus transmitted by certain mosquitoes. The symptoms of this disease are high fever, chills and general pain in your whole body. When you have dengue you need to rest quite a long time before you are back on your feet. After a week of continued high-grade fever and body aches, more tests were done, and it was concluded that the real problem was food poisoning. The correct treatment was given (different antibiotics). By God's grace, she has also recovered.

Thanks be to God for the recovery of our brother and sister. And thanks be to God for providing availability of treatments to help them recuperate.

(posted by Kathy Strackbein)

The Lord bless you with his Peace,
NW

Independence !

Today we send special greetings to our fellow Christians in two of our sister mission fields -- Brazil and Mexico -- because both countries celebrate their Independence Day this month.

Brazil celebrates its independence on September 7. (For more info on the mission in Brazil, click here.)

Mexico celebrates today, September 16. (For more info on the mission in Mexico, click here.)

Each country's independence and freedoms are precious blessings from the Lord. But may we all remember that our true "independence" (freedom from sin and its eternal consequences) comes when we are dependent on Christ.

The Lord bless you with his Peace,
NW

English Volunteers Introduce Each Other

Our EFL (English as a Foreign Language) volunteers from WELS Kingdom Workers are ready to start. Instead of writing their own "autobiography", they took a moment to introduce each other.

Polly Clark introduces Julie Majerus:

Then I heard the voice of the LORD sying, ¨Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?¨

And I said, ¨Here am I. Send me!¨ (Isaiah 6:8)

Julia has dedicated her life to telling others about Jesus. She served as Project Manager in the World Missions Promotions Center for four years and served in mission fields in Japan (1 year), Malawi (2 years), and currently in the Dominican Republic.

She is extroverted, friendly, and uses her talents and background in Communication to teach English and witness her faith at every opportunity.

She is the most selfless person I have ever met and I am privileged to know and work with her.

Here is what Julie writes about Polly:

Polly Helena...

... a communicator, educator & friend

Polly has utilized her communication degree to teach English in both North and South America and most recently in Southeast Asia. She enjoys traveling and sharing her faith with new people in her teaching assignments. Polly is also trilingual in English, Portuguese and Spanish. During her free time, she likes to cook and/or dance. :) She is an excellent asset to the team. I am thankful to have such a wonderful co-worker, roommate, & sister in Christ.

Rom. 1:16-17

Group Confirmation

On Sunday, August 19, six adults were received as members of Cordero de Dios (Lamb of God) Lutheran Church in Moca, Dominican Republic.

In a special service, Pastor Alex Torres (back row, left) extended the hand of fellowship to these new members. What a joyous occasion! There were many hugs and handshakes of welcome, celebrating our unity in Christ. May the Lord preserve these souls for His eternal kingdom.

(posted by Kathy Strackbein)

Missionary Monday's furlough presentations

Missionary Shiloh Monday is on furlough back in the states right now. One of the joys of furlough is to speak at various congregations to share news about the spread of the Gospel in the mission field. If you are in the area, you are welcome to attend any of the following presentations:

• Aug 22 -- Fairview Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, WI
• Aug 23 -- Crown of Life Lutheran Church, Hubertus, WI
• Aug 26/27 -- St. John's Lutheran Church, Baraboo, WI
• Aug 29 -- Mt. Lebanon Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, WI
• Aug 30 -- Peace Lutheran Church, Hartford, WI
• Sep 1 -- Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Menominee Falls, WI
• Sep 2 -- Living Word Lutheran Church, Waukesha, WI

Phone numbers and addresses can be found in the WELS Yearbook, in the yellow pages, or on the web through WELS Locator Search (click here). Please contact the local congregation for worship and presentation times.

The Lord bless you with his Peace,
NW

One point of comparison

As one of the professors in our Dominican seminary, I thank the Lord every time I get to see the students progress in their understanding of Scripture and grow in their faith. This week I got to see some evidence of that growth once again.

One of the classes I teach is called "Hermeneutics" in which we study how to interpret the Bible. The number one rule is really to let the Bible interpret itself, in other words, let the Bible speak for itself. The Bible says what it means, and means what it says.

This week we discussed how the Bible often uses illustrations and comparisons to teach a spiritual truth. Figures of speech are common in literature, in teaching, even in our daily conversations. So it should be no shock that they are common in the Bible too, to help us understand. When we make comparisons, we really intend only one point of comparison; we don't intend the person we're talking with to go off and make comparisons for every little detail. For example, if I say my nephew is growing like a weed, you understand that I mean he's growing very fast. That's the one point of comparison. Anything beyond that--that he has green skin, prickly stickers, or roots growing out of his feet--is going too far.

That applies to illustrations and comparisons in the Bible too. We used the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) as an example. It is not uncommon to hear people explain the parable, saying that mankind is the man who was beaten up, robbed and left for dead, the devil is the robber, Jesus is the Good Samaritan who treats our wounds with oil and wine (Jesus' blood), etc. While those are interesting ideas, that's not the point of the story!

Looking at the situation when Jesus told the story, we see that Jesus told it to point out to the teacher of the law that he had *not* loved his neighbor as himself, as he had just claimed. Jesus is showing him how far he had fallen short by not showing mercy to others as the Good Samaritan did in the story. That's the one point of comparison. Anything beyond that is going too far.

Mankind was beaten up by the devil and left for dead in our sins? Yes. But that's not the point of this parable. Jesus has loved us, shown us his amazing mercy, and saved us by washing away our sins with his blood? Yes. But that's not the point of this parable. These truths are found in *other* parts of Scripture, often using *other* parables and illustrations.

After using a few other examples to apply the same principle, I got to see the light turn on. The men started applying this "one point of comparison" principle on their own, even correcting each other as loving brothers when they noticed someone was going beyond the simple, obvious point of comparison.

I thank the Holy Spirit for leading us to see and understand that the Bible says what it means, and means what it says, with simple, straightforward language.

The Lord bless you with his Peace,
NW

Reaching out through English classes

This is just a quick post this morning to thank the Lord that our English as a Foreign Language (EFL) program is off to a wonderful start. We have received over 200 different names of people interested in learning English. Our two Kingdom Worker (more info here) volunteers, Julie Majerus and Polly Clark, together with members of the congregation, have started conducting personal interviews with the first 120 students to get to know them, evaluate their English proficiency, and design the classes to meet their needs.

They are putting in a lot of work, and it is already bearing fruit by God's grace. Already in the interviews, people have asked why we are offering these English classes for nothing more than the cost of materials. Julie and Polly took the opportunity to explain that it is an act of Christian love. "Jesus loves me, and I want to share that love with you by helping you however I can."

I've asked Julie and Polly to "introduce themselves" in a paragraph or two, so you can expect that in another post, coming soon. :-)

The Lord bless you with his Peace,
NW

Driver's Training in the DR

This past summer while staying with my parents in Santiago, Dominican Republic I took some behind the wheel driving lessons with a Dominican teacher. This is what I learned.

-- Not all cars have seatbelts.
-- You can drive a car without a speedometer, odometer, or working gas gauge.
-- Girls get longer driving classes than guys.
-- You can pass on the right - if there is no other way to get around the car in front of you.
-- Driving makes the teacher hungry – the first stop of the class is always the grocery store.
-- Try to drive a car that when you stand next to it, at least comes up to your shoulders, this avoids hitting your head on the roof when you hit potholes!

(posted by Kathy Strackbein for David)

Fun facts about the DR

The following is a list of some "fun facts" about the DR.
(Thank you to Rachel Hartman for compiling them!)

• The Dominican Republic shares an island called Hispaniola with Haiti. The DR takes up about 2/3 of Hispaniola; Haiti takes up the other third.
• The nation became independent in 1844.
• Independence Day is celebrated on February 27.
• There are three mountain ranges in the Dominican Republic.
  
• Pico Duarte, the highest point in the Caribbean, is located in the Dominican Republic.
• Baseball is the most popular sport on the island.
  
• Musically, the Dominican Republic is known for merengue.
• Santo Domingo, founded in 1496, is the oldest European settlement in the Western Hemisphere.
  
• Sugar, coffee and tobacco are among the main exports of the Dominican Republic.
• There is a large gap between the rich and the poor in the Dominican Republic.
• Up to one million Haitians live in the Dominican Republic at any given time.

The Lord bless you with his Peace,
NW

Baseball Bible Camp 2007

This is the fourth year that Dave Reinemann, a teacher and baseball coach at Northland Lutheran High School (www.nlhs.org), has come down to offer a baseball camp near one of our congregations. Andrew, a NLHS grad who had come on the first two trips, returned this year to assist and translate for Dave.

The congregation Cordero de Dios (Lamb of God) in Moca and Pastor Alex welcomed them warmly and used the camp as an opportunity to get to know neighborhood children (over 50 children participated) and share the Gospel with them. Each day started with a Bible story that showed God’s love in Jesus, especially the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32).

What LOVE God has shown by welcoming us into his waiting arms, just as a loving Father receives with rejoicing the return of his wayward son! We were dead in our trespasses and sin, but God has made us alive again through the life, death and glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ. We were lost, blinded by earthly desires, but God has found us through the Gospel. It is God’s LOVE that calls us to return to him.

The Lord bless you with his Peace,
NW

First seminary graduation, part II

This past Sunday, July 22, we celebrated the first seminary graduation for the DR field. Join us in thanking the Lord for providing for and protecting Rona Abraham during his years of seminary training. I encourage you to click on the label "Rona" at the end of this post to see other posts about him (or simply click here).

In contrast to many seminaries that exist today simply as "schools of religion", our seminary exists for the sole purpose of training men to serve in the public ministry of the church -- just as the Apostle Paul wrote to his coworker Timothy, "The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others" (2 Timothy 2:2).

We celebrate the Lord's goodness in supplying his church with these "reliable men who are also qualified to teach others." Please join us in praying for:

• … God’s blessings on Rona’s future ministry in Haiti.
• … our five other seminarians – Obed, Julio, Freddy, Helve, Alex -- who will be returning to class on Aug 6.
• … more workers in the Lord’s harvest field (Matthew 9:37,38).

The Lord bless you with his Peace,
NW

Summer Color

It’s summer and the flamboyan trees are in full bloom. The Caribbean is green all year round, so we see little change in the seasons. But in June the green of the flamboyan tree changes to dark red, orange or yellow flowers.

The color is just amazing and beautiful. Both the city and the countryside are spotted with these bright spots of color during the summer. It almost becomes a game to look for them as you are out driving.


I have also read that there is a blue flamboyan, but have yet to see one.


Praise be to the God of all creation for such wonderful gifts to us.
(posted by Kathy Strackbein)

[NW adds: The driver must keep his eyes on the road, so he usually loses the above mentioned game :-) ]

Apartment hunting

God is good!

Through the generosity of WELS Kingdom Workers (for more info on WELS KW, click here) and our Christian brothers and sisters who support it, we will be starting an English as a Foreign Language program to "open up" our church to the community.

As we get to know the men and women who come to learn English -- and as they get to know us and see examples of our genuine Christian love -- it creates a natural bridge for us to share the Gospel with them, just as Peter wrote: "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope (and love) that you have" (1 Peter 3:15).

More details of the program will come in future posts, but at this time, we ask for your prayers as we look for housing for the two volunteers who will serve as the English teachers. Due to rising costs here in the DR, we are having trouble finding an apartment that is secure, close enough to the church, and within our budget. We trust the Lord will provide what we need, in his time, as we continue the search.

The Lord bless you with his Peace,
NW

Back from teaching trip

God is good.

He granted me safe travels during a ten day teaching trip to another country. I'm grateful for the opportunity to work with other pastors and study the book of Galatians with them, translating and interpreting it on the basis of the original Greek. Martin Luther compared the book of Galatians to his wife, saying "I am married to it!" Such was his love for the pure gospel the book teaches -- that God declares us "Not guilty!" purely because of the merits of Christ; thus we are FREE IN CHRIST.

Please pray for Pastors Frank, Catalino, Vladimir, Carlos, their families and their ministries. Despite the many man-made obstacles they face where they serve, the Lord is blessing the preaching of his Word. We pray he guards, protects and encourages them at all times.

The Lord bless you with his Peace,
NW