Myanmar (Southeast Asia) – A recent email was received from Pastor Thang letting us know that Pastor Kham was injured by bomb shrapnel from an early morning attack near the CLC-Myanmar headquarters and orphanage. He was treated for head and shoulder injuries and is expected to be released soon. There was also an incident with Pastor Kham's wife, Huai. As military forces stopped and interrogated her as she returned from the market, they searched her phone. They found chats and memes critical of the Junta. She was arrested and spent a few days in jail while Pastors Thang and Kham went to friends and relatives to borrow money for her release. She is safely home now, but they now have approx. $1000 in debt. Thank the Lord for sparing the life of our brother in Christ, and ask for strength and courage as he heals. Pray for strength and courage for Haui as she deals with the emotional and physical trauma of her arrest. Pray for the children Pastor Kham and Haui care for as they live in constant fear of military attack and now also the fear of losing those who love and care for them. Continue to Pray for justice and peace for all the people of Myanmar. Pray especially for our brothers and sisters in Christ that our Savior will give them strength, comfort, courage, and boldness during these difficult times and that He will provide for all their needs. Thank the Lord for moving the hearts of His children to give generously to the needs of others through their offerings and prayers.
Kate Sauers (USA) –
Kate is the wife of Board of Missions member Pastor Rob Sauers. She was
diagnosed with ALK-positive large-cell lymphoma cancer this past week. She is
scheduled to begin chemotherapy on Monday, Oct. 2nd. Kate and Pastor
Sauers have three small children. Please pray that our Lord will give
wisdom to her doctors as they treat her cancer. Ask the Lord to bless
those treatments and grant complete and quick healing. Pray for courage,
comfort, hope, strength, and trust in our Savior's love and plans for their
family.
Zambia (East Africa)
– Pastor Ibrahim was bitten on the leg by a scorpion while traveling to his
native Tanzania a few weeks ago. He became very ill and has received treatment
for several weeks in the hospital. For the past year, pastors from other
churches in Zambia have been causing problems for Pastor Ibrahim and have
involved the Zambian immigration department, accusing him of living and working
illegally in Zambia. His trip to Tanzania was to get the appropriate paperwork
from the government to allow him to apply for a permanent worker visa. Pray
for continued healing and a full recovery. Ask for the Lord's blessings
on Ibrahim's immigration issues and that He would turn the hearts of those
trying to harm Ibrahim away from jealousy to repentance and love.
The Philippines (Southeast
Asia) – Pastor Andrew Schaller (CLC Bd of Doctrine Secretary) continues
the colloquy with Pastor Jordan Palangyos and the Lutheran Autonomous Mission
in the Philippines (LAMP) via email correspondence. Pray that the Lord
will bless the colloquy and that this will lead to a God-pleasing unity of
faith and teaching. Ask the Lord to provide opportunities and all that
is necessary for Pastor Jordan to continue to proclaim the Good News of Jesus
Christ!
Pakistan
– Pastor Tim Daub continues to teach online video Bible lessons to
two groups of Christians who are eager to start a Lutheran church in Pakistan.
The Board of Missions has authorized Missionary Ohlmann to accompany Pastor
Daub on a visit to Pakistan in 2024. With the upcoming elections in Pakistan
and due to safety concerns surrounding it, there is some uncertainty about when
this trip will occur. Pray that the Lord will continue to bless the
teaching and learning of His word. Thank our Savior for this opportunity
and the technology to proclaim the truth of His word in such a way.
Bangladesh
(Southeast Asia) – Many Bangladesh Lutheran Church Mission (BLCM) members are
newly converted to Christianity from Islam or Hinduism. Since Pastor Monotosh
is the only thoroughly trained and ordained pastor of the BLCM, he stays very
busy traveling throughout the thirteen congregations he has started to provide
ongoing Bible training to the members, lay leaders, evangelists, and pastors in
training. Ask our Savior to continue to bless both the preaching and
learning of God's word in Bangladesh and to provide all that is necessary for
the ministry of the BLCM.
Nepal (Southeast
Asia) – Pastor Raju and his father plan to begin outreach efforts in some of
Nepal's far-flung and mostly unreached regions in the coming months. Partial
funding for this effort has been approved by the CLC Board of Missions through
an MDF grant when funds are available. Pray for the Lord's blessings on
these efforts and that His word will accomplish that for which it is sent that
many will be led by the Spirit to repent and trust in their Savior Jesus.
Mission Development Fund – CLC president Mike Wilke writes: "When the convention approved the calling of our third foreign
missionary, it determined that the funding of that missionary would come fully
from the MDF for the first year. The cost of funding that missionary is about
$80,000 and has impacted other planned MDF projects. Currently, the balance of
the MDF is enough to cover the cost of our third foreign missionary for the
rest of this fiscal year and a few other essential projects, but without
additional funds, we will not be able to fund other planned projects. We have
already put a hold on all other projects, including funding Bibles and other
Christian literature, church-building assistance, and many planned outreach
projects. Pray that the members of the CLC will remember this work in their
prayers and their offerings so that we might continue to carry out the work the
LORD has set before us and which we have decided to do as a church body."
Missionary Bruce Naumann (Tanzania-East Africa) – Missionary Naumann, along with his wife Paula,
arrived in Tanzania about five weeks ago after his furlough in the U.S. The new
semester at the Wittenberg Lutheran Theological Seminary began shortly after
his arrival. In addition to his teaching responsibilities at the seminary, he
will also begin taking a more active role in correspondence and training
pastors in Kenya and Uganda. You can keep updated on things happening in
Tanzania at clc-tz.blogspot.com. Ask for the Lord's blessings as
Missionary Naumann and Paula continue to adjust to life in Africa. Pray for our
Savior's abundant blessings on the work of training pastors, teachers, and
leaders in Tanzania.
Missionary Peter Evensen (Togo-West Africa) – Missionary Evensen is in Togo, where he continues
his work of translating lessons from English to French for use in the local
seminary and for other French-speaking seminaries in Africa. He also teaches
two days weekly at the CLC-affiliated seminary north of Lomé. Pray for our Savior's blessings on his
work of helping to train faithful preachers, teachers, and leaders for the
Gospel work in Togo and other French-speaking African nations.
Missionary Ohlmann –
Due to various issues and the current political climate in Nigeria, Missionary
Ohlmann's visit to Africa this fall has been postponed to early 2024. Instead,
he will travel to Japan, Bangladesh, and Nepal in the last few months of 2023.
In Japan, he will meet with the current pastor, who serves the congregation
once in fellowship with the CLC. He will spend approx. three weeks in both
Bangladesh and Nepal. While in Bangladesh, he will be visiting congregations and preaching stations and conducting a
five-day Pastoral Training Seminar. In Nepal, he will visit new outreach areas
in western provinces, conduct a Pastoral Training seminar, and attend the
Himalayan Bible Institute graduation. Pray for all that is necessary for
these trips to be planned and take place. Ask the Lord to keep his wife
Beth and their family safe while he is away. Pray for the Lord's love,
wisdom, patience, and zeal during these visits that His name be glorified as
the truth of His saving word is proclaimed and pastors are trained. You can
read his blog at: missionaryohlmann.blogspot.com
Ongoing Opportunities
– please continue to pray for all of our brothers and sisters in Christ around
the world, who, by God's grace, are dedicated to proclaiming the truths of God's
saving word for the salvation of souls as they trust the promise of our Savior
that His Word will not return to Him void but will accomplish that for which He
sent it.