1. Missionary
to India – Unfortunately, the India
government canceled our missionary’s visa without notification. He was
detained, denied entry into the country, and was sent back to the U.S. the next
day. He has now returned safely to the U.S. The Board of Missions recently met
and decided to re-assign him as a Resident Missionary to West Africa. He will be be based in Lomé,
Togo for the majority of the year and will work with our brethren in Togo,
Benin, Ghana, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Give thanks to the Lord for the opportunities He has
provided to assist in training men to be faithful preachers and teachers of His
saving word in India and so many other places around the world.
Give thanks to
the Lord for keeping our missionary safe during this ordeal. Pray that the Lord
will give wisdom and clear direction to the Board of Missions as they consider
other opportunities for the CLC to continue to assist out sister church bodies
(CLCI and BELC) in India in the work of training pastors, teachers, and
evangelists to spread the Gospel in India where the darkness of idol worship is
so prevalent.
Pray also for our brothers and sisters in Christ in India that
the Lord will give them strength, determination, zeal, love, and courage and
that they will not be discouraged by Satan’s attempts to silence the Gospel
message!
2. Visiting
Missionary – Missionary Ohlmann has spent the
last several weeks working with the leaders of the CLC-Tanzania, CLC-Zambia,
and the CCLC in D.R. Congo. On Tuesday, February 5th he arrived in
Yangon, Myanmar where he spent two weeks working with the National Lutheran
Church of Myanmar in Yangon and the CLC-Myanmar in Kalyamyo, Chin State. On
February 19th, he will travel to Kathmandu, Nepal where he will meet
up with CLC Board of Missions chairman Joel Krafft, Together, they will work
with the Himalayan Church of the Lutheran Confession of Nepal for a couple of
weeks. They will then fly to Bangladesh to conduct a first-time face to face
meeting with leaders of the Bangladesh Lutheran Mission Church. By the time
Missionary Ohlmann returns home in mid-March, he will have been gone for nearly
nine weeks. Pray for safe and uneventful travel and for his family while he is
away.
3. 2019 CLC Mission Helper Trip –
Due to the increased
scrutiny and hostility towards Christians we and our Indian brethren have had
in the last several months, the Board of Missions made the decision to cancel
the Mission Helper Trip to India and send them to Tanzania and Zambia in East
Africa instead. This was done out of concern for the safety of the Mission
Helpers, but also concern for our the welfare of our Indian brethren who may experience
increased hostility because of the presence of so many foreigners visiting
their congregations and teaching the Gospel in so many villages. The Board of
Missions is working on a plan to send two CLC pastors to India for a three-week
visitation this summer. Pray that the Lord will bless these plans to work
with and assist our brothers and sisters in Christ to proclaim the Good News of
forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life through our Savior Jesus Christ!
4. Tanzania – Missionary Ohlmann recently spent two weeks in Tanzania in
early January. We spend the time working with the leaders and pastors of the
CLC-Tanzania. He and two leaders of the CLC-TZ traveled to the city of Mwanza
near the Burundi border in the north-west part of Tanzania to meet with three independent
pastors who have been in correspondence with the CLC-TZ for the past few years.
Two days of doctrinal discussions and pastoral training took place along with
visits to the two of the three congregations. The president of the CLC-TZ also
has close relatives that live in the area who are also quite excited about the
possibility of establishing faithful Lutheran congregations in the area.
Leaders from the CLC-TZ will be making another visit soon for more doctrinal
discussions. Pray that the Lord will bless this effort to establish fellowship
with these three independent congregations and pastors and that this will be another
opportunity to spread the Gospel in near-by Burundi where there are more
independent pastors and congregations who have contacted the CLC-TZ.
5. The
Wartburg Lutheran Theological Seminary of Tanzania – While Missionary Ohlmann was in Tanzania, three days of
meetings were held with the leaders of the CLC-TZ and the teaching staff for
the newly established seminary. Much was
accomplished and final plans for class schedules, teaching assignments, student
transportation, room and board, etc. were finalized. Classes are scheduled to
begin with eight students (2 from each district) on February 25th! Missionary
Ohlmann plans to return to Tanzania in late August to spend a week reviewing
with both students and teachers following the first two semesters of classroom
instruction. Pray for both students and teachers
that the Lord will bless this effort and that He will provide all that is
necessary for this important work to go forward.
6. Zambia –
While Missionary Ohlmann was in Zambia for two weeks he had an opportunity to
review the newly adopted constitution of the Confessional Lutheran Church of
Zambia and to see first hand the government registration documents and
provisional certificates. This is a big step for the three districts of the
CLC-Zambia. This will allow them to start new preaching stations and eventually
purchase property in the name of the church. They are also making plans to
start a seminary in the next few years and this registration will allow them to
do so without the interference of trouble makers. They are currently looking to
purchase a building in Livingstone area (where there are not other Lutheran
congregations) to serve as a residence, office, church, Bible School, and
seminary. Pray that the Lord will give them guidance and direction in these
plans and that He will bless their every effort to proclaim the truth of His
saving word.
7. Zambia –
Say a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord for the opportunity that the Lord has
given to the CLC-Zambia to purchase a building for about one-third of the going
cost. They have been looking for a building to purchase for the past couple of
years and there was nothing available within a price-range that they could
afford with a CLC-Mission Development Fund grant. Their patience paid off and
the Lord has provided!
8. Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) –
Due to the recent presidential elections (the first free and open elections
since their independence in 1960), current political climate, refugee crisis,
and on-going armed conflict, it has been a few years since our CLC missionaries
have been able to acquire the necessary visa to visit DRC. Because Missionary
Ohlmann was denied an entry visa, leaders of the CCLC-D.R. Congo traveled over
the border into Zambia to meet with Missionary Ohlmann and to facilitate the
pastoral training seminars among the CLC-Zambia congregations in this northern
district of Zambia known as the Copperbelt Province. Pastor Yumba gave
extensive reports concerning the pastoral students he has been training for the
past two years. These students have been attending classes five days a week for
the past two years in a temporary building while they wait for the completion
of the new building to be completed. The seminary is called Holy Trinity
Lutheran Seminary. Over ten acres of land has been acquired for the seminary.
Through an MDF grant from the CLC construction continues on three buildings
that will serve as classrooms/chapel, dormitory, and a library/office. There is
also plenty of room on the property for farming where the students will be
responsible to raise food as a portion of their school fees. Pray that the Lord
will bless these men and those who are teaching them in their last year of
classroom instruction and during their year-long internship. They are all
scheduled to graduate and be ordained in October of 2020.
9. Myanmar –
Seminars in Kalaymyo and Yangon have been conducted by Missionary Ohlmann who
has spent the past two weeks working with the leaders of the CLC-Myanmar in Kalaymyo
and the National Lutheran Church of Myanmar in Yangon. Pray that the Lord will
bless the word that has been taught and that those in attendance were strengthened
in their faith and that those who heard the truth for the first time will be
led by the Holy Spirit to repent of their and in saving faith, rejoice in the
forgiveness of sins, salvation, and eternal life through Jesus Christ.
10. Nepal –
Translation of Luther’s Large Catechism into Nepalese has recently been
completed and five-hundred copies will be printed and ready for distribution to
the pastors of the HCLC-Nepal in February. The pastors will then begin leading
congregations and preaching stations through a study this book. This project
was made possible through a grant from the CLC Mission Development Fund (MDF).
Thank the Lord for providing the gifts, abilities, and financial resources to
complete this project. Pray that the Lord will bless the study of His word and
strengthen the faith of those who are given the opportunity to study this book
together with their pastor.
11. Nepal – CLC Board of Missions Chairman, Joel Krafft will join
Missionary Ohlmann in Nepal in mid-February. Together they will visit several
congregations and meet with the pastors and students of the Himalayan Church of
the Lutheran Confession of Nepal for a training seminar. While in Nepal they
will also have the opportunity to travel to the recently established Dang
district to meet with the pastors and students who are training to be faithful
preachers and teachers of God’s saving word. Pray for safe travels and success
in the proclamation of God’s saving word.
12. Bangladesh –
After more than three years of extensive Online
Theological Studies correspondence courses, Board of Missions chairman Joel
Krafft and Missionary Ohlmann will visit Bangladesh for our first face to face
meetings with the president and leaders of the Bangladesh Lutheran Church
Mission (BLCM). Pray that the Lord will bless these meetings as we work toward
establishing agreement in doctrine.
13. Nigeria –
Pray for this nation as they go to the polls in what many have described as the
most important presidential election since they gained their independence from
Great Britain in 1960. There are also several regional elections. There has
been much violence, and many protests, intimidation,
and deaths leading up to the elections that were scheduled for February 16. The
elections have now been postponed on the very day that people were headed to
the polls.
14. Nigeria –
Our brothers and sisters in Christ of the Nigeria-CLC are facing a variety of
challenges as they work together to provide both spiritual and bodily care for
orphaned children. They are currently working to develop guidelines and
policies that are in compliance with the regulations of the Nigeria Ministry of
Women and Children’s Welfare. If and when they are able to re-open the NCLC
Children’s Home the CLC Kinship Committee will be involved in providing support
for these children. Please pray that the Lord will provide the NCLC the wisdom,
compassion, and all that is needed to carry out this important work of love,
care, and compassion.
15. CLC Online Theological Studies – continue to pray for individuals in the following
countries around the world who are studying God’s word through email
correspondence courses as they continue to train to be faithful preachers and
teachers of God’s saving word:
1. Senegal, West Africa
2. D. R. Congo, Central Africa
3. Togo,
West Africa
4. Liberia,
West Africa
5. Bangladesh, South East Asia
6. Zimbabwe, Africa
7. Myanmar, South East Asia
8. Tanzania, East Africa
9. Kenya,
East Africa
10. Uganda, East Africa
11. Brazzaville-Congo, Central Africa
11. Brazzaville-Congo, Central Africa
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