Sent to Pakistan and the Philippines...Bangladesh Postponed - JAN/FEB 2026

Later this morning, I will head to the airport for a month-long trip to Southeast Asia. I'll be accompanied by Pastor Tim Daub for the first week in Pakistan, and Board of Missions Chairman, Joel Krafft, will join me for the last week in the Philippines. 

Pastor Daub and I will meet up in Dubai. After a 12-hour layover, we will fly to Faisalabad, Pakistan. We will spend about a week meeting with a local Pastor, leading Bible studies in the evening, and attending worship on Sunday morning. After Pastor Daub returns to the U.S., I will spend another week in Faisalabad, meeting with the pastor and other potential contacts, and leading Bible studies in the evenings. 

Pastor Daub has been corresponding with this local pastor and conducting online video Bible studies with two different groups in Faisalabad for about four years. The group has formed a Lutheran congregation. They meet weekly for Sunday worship and continue to attend online Bible studies with Pastor Daub. This will be the first face-to-face meeting with CLC representatives. This visit is the third step in the protocol our CLC Board of Missions follows to establish fellowship with foreign church bodies and ministries. The first two steps include 1-3 years of correspondence. If all goes well with this third step, Pastor Daub and I will recommend to the CLC president that the official colloquy process begin. If President Wilke accepts our recommendation, he will appoint a CLC representative (typically a member of the CLC Board of Doctrine) to conduct the colloquy. The colloquy will be conducted via email and online video chats over the next year. If all goes well, a second face-to-face meeting will be scheduled to complete the final step of the colloquy process. If this goes well and a true unity of doctrine and faith is revealed, a recommendation for a declaration will be forwarded to President Wilke for action. It's a very thorough process to follow our Lord's will to spread the Gospel throughout the world in a God-pleasing way, as we seek fellowship grounded in the truth of His saving word! This is the process that the Board of Missions and our CLC missionaries have been following for the past several years. Through this process, the CLC has established fellowship with several ministries in countries such as Bangladesh, the Philippines, Nepal, Myanmar, DR Congo, Uganda, Liberia, and others. Praise the Lord for the privilege of partnering with faithful preachers and teachers of God's saving word to assist with the spread of the Gospel!

Until just a few weeks ago, I was scheduled to fly from Pakistan to Bangladesh to spend a couple of weeks with Pastor Monotosh and the Bangladesh Lutheran Church Mission (BLCM) conducting Gospel outreach, conducting a week-long Pastor Training seminar with fourteen pastors, evangelists, and church leaders, and we were also going to dedicate the new BLCM church headquarters and Bible Institute building. But things have changed, and now this visit is postponed, Lord willing, until later in the year. 

Bangladesh has been experiencing significant political unrest over the past couple of years. Protests in Dhaka turned violent in December, resulting in the death of a popular opposition leader. With national elections scheduled for February 12, the whole country is tense. The government has imposed travel restrictions between districts and curfews, and many expect martial law to be implemented in some places. I was scheduled to be there the two weeks prior to election day. With all the government travel restrictions in place, it would be impossible for me to travel freely for evangelism, and those scheduled to attend the pastor training conference will not be able to travel either. Because of all of this, Pastor Monotosh asked me to postpone my visit until later in the year. 

I was able to change my airfare so I can spend an extra week in Pakistan and then arrive in the Philippines a few days early. Fortunately, the cost of this new itinerary, even with cancellation fees, was about $250 less. Thank you, Lord!

If all goes as planned, I will depart Faisalabad, Pakistan, on  February 6th. After a two-day layover in Dubai, I'll arrive in Manila a few days ahead of Joel Krafft. Since Pastor Palangyos and the Lutheran Autonomous Mission of the Philippines (LAMP) are located about 8 hours north of Manila, I will just hang out in Manila until Joel arrives, so I can meet him at the airport, and we can travel together by bus from Manila to Baguio. 

Joel and I will spend a week with Pastor Palangyos visiting the two LAMP congregations in the Cordillera Mountains. We will also visit Kapangan. This is the village where Pastor Palangyos' parents live and where his recently deceased sister donated a building to the LAMP. With a small MDF grant, this building has been cleaned up, and chairs, desks, and other furnishings have been purchased with plans to begin pastor and church leader training. Currently, this is also the location of a LAMP preaching station. An outreach seminar will be conducted while Joel and I are visiting, with the hope and prayer of bringing the truth of God's saving word to many in this village. 

Please keep these trips and the meetings we have in your prayers, asking for the Lord's blessings on everything we need for travel, the work, and our return home to our families. And thank the Lord for His faithfulness in His promised effectiveness of the preaching and teaching of His saving word to accomplish His will!  

Finished in Bangladesh...Sent to the Philippines - JAN 2025

I'm sitting and "patiently" waiting for my late-night/early-morning, 2:00 am flight to Manila. I'm in the big, busy, hectic, chaotic Bangladesh capital city of Dhaka, with a population of nearly 24 million. As I made my way from Gopalganj to the airport in Dhaka, I tracked my progress on Google Maps. It took about 3 hours to go the first 160kms. It took over an hour to go the last 9kms. Google underestimated the Dhaka traffic when it predicted 41 minutes. Ugh! 

My flight itinerary tonight takes me from Dhaka to Bangkok to Manila. I'll spend the night in Manila. I'll take a bus to Baguio City on Thursday morning, where Pastor Palangyos will meet me at the bus station. Pastor P. sent our itinerary yesterday. Looks like he has a busy week planned for us. We'll spend one day in Baguio visiting outreach areas before we head to the mountains for 4 days to conduct Bible seminars, Gospel outreach, and worship service. 

The past few days here in Bangladesh have passed in a blur. We traveled approximately 14 hours from the north to Gopalganj, with an overnight stop in Jessore. Gopalganj is where Pastor M. and his family live and where the BLCM is headquartered. The following day, sixteen BLCM pastors, deacons, elders, evangelists, and Sunday school teachers gathered for a four-day Bible training seminar for pastors and church leaders. It was wonderful to see all their familiar faces and to reconnect. A couple of new young men attended for the first time. Seeing the next generation of church leaders being trained in God's Word is wonderful to witness! 

During the four-day seminar, I taught and preached about God's grace, emphasizing how the doctrine of election serves as a comforting and encouraging scriptural principle for believers rooted in a correct and biblical understanding of God's grace. Pastor M. also taught lessons on the doctrine of Church Fellowship and our Biblical practice of Close Communion. He also led discussions on worship, church organization, and future plans for the BLCM. 

As the seminar came to a close, attendees had the opportunity to ask questions and share their thoughts on what we had studied, learned, and discussed over the past few days. Each participant who spoke expressed gratitude to the Lord for the chance to delve deeper into His Word and requested that the BLCM provide more Bible training for pastors and church leaders. The BLCM plans to implement a structured training program for pastors once the BLCM building project has been completed. Until then, Pastor M. will continue to provide training through regional seminars, as he has been doing since becoming involved with the CLC. The CLC Board of Missions has approved an MDF building grant for the BLCM. Construction will begin once sufficient MDF funds are available for this project, along with many other projects and Gospel outreach that have been approved. 

There is a lot happening here in Bangladesh, and the opportunities to share the Gospel are abundant as evidenced in my post from a few days ago. Please pray for Pastor M., his family, church leaders, and evangelists. Pray also that our Savior will bless their efforts to spread the Good News of Jesus throughout the country.

Bangladesh - November 2023

I always ask the Lord and request prayers for safe and "uneventful" travels. You see, I've had my fair share of "eventful" journeys that have caused some disruption and frustration over the years. Imagine a bus breaking down on the side of the road for several hours, resulting in a late arrival, throwing off the whole schedule, and not having the time to teach all the lessons I had prepared! It's kind of a domino effect of disruptions that can drive a guy crazy. I consider myself to be someone who usually takes things in stride, but I prefer to stay in control of the situation whenever possible. Thus, the reason for my prayer for "uneventful" travels.

On the other hand, there is also a desire to have a rather "eventful" trip when it comes to work that the Lord has given me to do. In fact, I feel some pressure sometimes to produce some amazing events to share with the folks back home. There have been times when I have returned from a trip to some seemingly exotic place on the other side of the world, and people seem disappointed if I don't have some amazing stories to tell. But oftentimes, that's the way it goes. I come, I teach, I preach, I visit, and I go home. Sounds rather uneventful and uninspiring, doesn't it? 

I was giving this some thought as I was wrapping up my time here in Bangladesh and preparing to write this blog post. I arrived here about two weeks ago to the news that the opposition political party in the north of the country was closing down roads, and all transportation in and out of the region had been shut down. My flight from Dhaka to Saidpur was canceled, and so were our plans to visit BLCM congregations and preaching stations in that area. That meant an unexpected overnight in Dhaka and a different flight to Jessore the next day. No big deal, we were able to schedule a couple outreach seminars in the Jessore district instead. The rest of the trip and schedule were rather uneventful and have gone off without a hitch. We have been blessed with the opportunity to conduct uneventful two-day outreach and Lutheran Theology seminars in three separate locations, and we just concluded an uneventful five-day pastor and church worker training seminar yesterday. Today (Saturday, Nov. 18), we enjoyed an uneventful "church worker excursion" to the Sundarban Mangrove Forests and Tiger Reserve in southwest Bangladesh in the Ganges River Delta on Bay of Bengal. I'll preach for worship services tomorrow. We'll visit a couple preaching stations on Monday. And Tuesday, we'll visit one more preaching station on my way back to Dhaka to catch an early morning flight to Kathmandu, Nepal, on Wednesday morning. From a practical, earthly standpoint, it was an uneventful visit to Bangladesh. Prayers answered!

All of this got me thinking about that word - "uneventful." When you think about what God has accomplished through the "foolishness" preached and taught through His saving Word in my own sinful heart and the sinful hearts of men, women, children, and even infants throughout the world and throughout the years since the fall into sin, "uneventful" would have to be one of the last words you would use to describe it. Just think, our Savior, because of nothing other than His undeserved love and mercy, gave forgiveness, salvation, life, and an eternal home in Heaven to this cold, dead, sinful, wretched heart. He accomplished this through nothing more and nothing less than the Gospel in His Word and Baptism. And what gives this word and sacrament its power is the greatest event that ever took place...namely, the sacrificial suffering and death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ! Sometimes, in my quiet moments, I am just overwhelmed with awe and joy by the "events" that have taken place in history and in my own life, which have called me out of the darkness of unbelief and death and into the marvelous light of my Savior. The idea that I should called a child of God and have the privilege of preaching, teaching, and sharing the foolishness of the cross, which is the power of God for salvation with so many people around the world, is amazing, to say the least. It is truly humbling to realize that our Savior can use a bumbling, low IQ, sinful, wretched fool like me to bring Jesus (the Way, the Truth, and the Life) to others! What a privilege to serve Him!

I have decided to modify my prayers a bit. Going forward, I will still pray for "uneventful" travels, but I also intend to thank the Lord for all the eventful outcomes of His love and mercy in my life and the lives of so many around the world!!

If all goes as planned, I will fly to Nepal on Wednesday, where I will meet Raju, and the two of us will travel to a district in the west to visit an HCLCN congregation that was affected by the recent earthquake. 

Please pray for uneventful travels and an eventful visit to Nepal over the next few weeks. 

And please keep Beth, her dad (who went on hospice care last week), and all our family in your prayers. Thank you!

Here are a few pictures and a couple of videos of some of the "events" that have taken place over the past couple of weeks here in Bangladesh...

BLCM Preaching Station in the Jessore District - Outreach Seminar with New Christians

Apostle's Creed Seminar at St. Thomas Lutheran Church

St. Thomas Lutheran Church

St. Thomas Lutheran Church

Immanuel Lutheran Church in Gopalganj

Immanuel Lutheran Church

Pastor Monotosh and the BLCM Pastor and Church Worker Training Seminar

Student Books

BLCM Pastor and Church Leader Training Seminar 

My daily commute to and from the BLCM Church Worker Training Seminar in Gopalganj

BLCM Training Seminar

Pastor Monotosh Addressing the Seminar Participants

Pastor Monotosh, His Wife Elizabeth, and the Seminar Attendees

Rather loud and "eventful" Diwali celebration that lasted until 2 or 3:00 am and began again at 5:00 am the first five nights I was in Gopalganj

Hindu Temple across the street from my hotel

Hindu Idol in the temple across from my hotel in Gopalganj

Boarding the boat that took us to the Sundarban Mangrove Forests

Entrance to the Sundarban Mangrove Forest Preserve

Armed ranger to protect us from Tigers...we saw paw prints but no tigers :(

Trekking through the World's Largest Mangrove Forest

California, Wisconsin, South Carolina, Nebraska, Arizona, Mexico, Japan, Bangladesh, & Nepal...Aug-Dec - 2023

Since returning from the Mission Helper Trip to Nepal, it seems like I have been all over the US. It's been a wild couple of months...as I have guest-preached and given mission presentations in seven different places, from California to Wisconsin to South Carolina to Nebraska to Arizona to Missouri to Mexico. 

Next stop, Tokyo...then on to Bangladesh, followed by Nepal, and then home to celebrate our Savior's birth with my family!

I fly out this Thursday and will spend next weekend (Nov. 3-6) visiting a congregation once in fellowship with the CLC.  This congregation was started in the 1950s and was served by Missionary Fred Tiefel for many years. The pastor he trained to take his place retired in 2005, and they have been served by a pastor with little knowledge of Lutheran Theology since. A few years ago, he contacted the CLC to learn more about the history and doctrine of the CLC after he began to research the history of the congregation he was serving. Correspondence has been limited due to the language barrier. A few visits have been tentatively planned over the past few years but were postponed due to Covid and other scheduling conflicts. We pray for a fruitful visit grounded and rooted in the truths of God's saving word.  

From Tokyo, I will fly directly to Dhaka, Bangladesh, on a regional airline. It's only a seven-hour flight! Then, I will board a local Bangladeshi airline to take me from the capital city of Dhaka to a smaller town in the north called Saidpur. The next few weeks will involve a busy schedule of congregational visits for in-depth studies of the Apostle's Creed, Outreach Seminars, preaching station visits, and a five-day Pastoral Training seminar. Bangladesh is a predominantly Muslim nation with a small percentage of Hindus and an even smaller population of Christians. There is much work to be done there, and it is a privilege to be a part of our Savior's harvest crew!

From Bangladesh, I will take another regional airline for an hour-and-a-half flight from Dhaka to Kathmandu, Nepal. I will have much the same schedule for the three weeks I will be in Nepal. I will also be privileged to attend the graduation service for the men who have been studying with Pastor Raju at the Himalayan Bible Institute for the past few years. 

Please ask the Lord to provide safe, uneventful, and on-time flights over the next seven weeks. Pray for my wife Beth, her father, and all my family while I am gone. And ask for the Lord's blessings of wisdom, patience, love, confidence, and strength in Him and His word, and everything else needed to serve Him and His Kingdom faithfully and effectively.

Saved by Grace through Faith and other Blessings in Bangladesh...

There are always a lot of challenges and frustrations involved with traveling and working in foreign mission fields. There are long days of travel and short, very hot, and sweaty nights in less than desirable sleeping conditions. There are the frustrations of working with different cultures and personalities and misunderstandings of customs and language. But there are days like yesterday when tears of joy get all wrapped up in the awe and wonder of seeing God's love at work in the hearts of those He died to save. When one can only bow your head in gratitude for the privilege of being called to work in His kingdom on this particular day, at this specific moment in time, in this far-flung place, doing this work for Him. Let me explain...

Yesterday was Sunday here in Bangladesh. It was my last day of activities and duties after being here for a week. The past few days had been rough, and I was ready to just be home. My trip here was shorter than initially planned because my first attempt was canceled, and I had other previously scheduled commitments that could not be changed. So, we attempted to squeeze as much work into the time I was here as possible. After 37+ hours of travel, I arrived in Dhaka and almost immediately boarded a local flight to Saidpur way up in northern Bangladesh. I had never visited this district before, and it was important to the Bangladesh Lutheran Church Mission (BLCM) that I do. So, arriving at Saidpur late in the afternoon, we made one visit, and then I finally had the opportunity to sleep in a bed for a few hours after missing two nights of sleep on the way to Bangladesh. 

Flight from Dhaka to Saidpur

The next day we were up early for a 6:30 am departure to visit several BLCM congregations in this district. We then returned to the airport for an evening flight from Saidpur to Jessore (via Dhaka). This made for another really long day and a short night of rest because the next day needed to start early again to visit more congregations as we made our way by rented vehicle from Jessore to Gopalgonj, where the BLCM Pastoral Training Seminar was scheduled to begin early the following day. 

Worship and Baptisms in Saidpur BLCM District

Baptisms in Saidpur BLCM District

BLCM Church Building in Saidpur District

BLCM Church Building in Saidpur District

Evening flight with Pastor B. and Family from Saidpur to Jessore (via Dhaka)

The next few days involved getting each day started with early morning worship at 6:30 am, followed by breakfast and pastoral training lessons at 8:00 am. I mentioned hot and sweaty nights earlier...that's because every night, the electricity would go out for most of the night and the weak (not really working) air-conditioning and ceiling fan along with it. Bangladesh is a sweltering and humid tropical climate that doesn't cool off much at night. Sound sleep was hard to come by. But the appreciation for our Savior's commitment to those dedicated individuals who came to the training always gladdens the heart and lifts one's spirits. During the training seminars, we worked our way through the book of Philippians, studied proper Biblical interpretation, discussed the work of the CLC Bd of Missions worldwide, and made plans to begin formal training for BLCM pastors, evangelists, elders, and Bible teachers. As is always the case, according to God's promise, it was a profitable few days spent in our Savior's word. 

BLCM Gospel Ministry Training in Progress

BLCM Pastors, Elders, Evangelists, & Sunday School Teachers

By Sunday morning, I was ready to preach a couple of more times and then more than eager to be on my way home. The day started with a visit to the local BLCM pre-school/Sunday school to hear the children sing and recite Bible passages. Then we had the first of two church services. After the first service, we quickly got on the road because we were to visit another BLCM congregation and then drive the 7+ hours to Dhaka so I could get a Covid test sample taken so the mandatory test results could be available by the time I was ready to fly home today (Monday). I was glad to visit another congregation and was told that there were some baptisms to take place, but to be honest, I would not have complained, in fact, I would have been glad if I had been told that we didn't have time, so we were going to go directly to Dhaka. Am I ever glad and thankful that's not what happened! Here's why...

We traveled about 2 hours to a congregation I have visited before called Livingstone Lutheran Church. It is located in a very rural and secluded part of southern Bangladesh. The low-lying terrain can best be described as villages, and rice paddy land claimed from the river delta swamps that lead into the Bay of Bengal. Several very narrow raised roads are surrounded by channeled waterways and flooded rice-paddy land. Between the roads and rice paddies, there are small raised patches of ground where homes, small lean-to sheds, and barns have been built. Livingstone Lutheran Church is about an hour off the main road. Eventually, the roads became too narrow, uneven, and unstable, so we had to walk the last few kilometers. When we arrived at the church, we had to cross one of the waterways channeled through the swamp on a wobbly bamboo pole bridge to get to the church.

This is where the story of God's grace and mercy and His love for us gets really good...I was told that there would be a few baptisms, and there was one person who Pastor M.B. was really excited to baptize. The service began as usual, with a few people gathered to begin things with a lot of singing and drums and clapping as a call to worship. Gradually several individuals began to make their way into the church. They followed a liturgical form of worship with confession and absolution, prayers, confession of faith, etc., and then I was given the opportunity to preach. I had been told before when I was here that this was a primarily Hindu area of Bangladesh. The people here are impoverished and have been systematically marginalized by the Muslim majority national and regional governments that prioritize and benefit Muslims and deny rights and privileges to minority religions. (By the way, Bangladesh is about 95% Muslim, 3-4% Hindu, and Christianity represents less than 1%.) So, I was excited to preach on John 14:1-6, "Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled...Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life."

Following the sermon, Pastor M.B. invited an older lady in the back of the church to come to the front for baptism. As she made her way through the crowd of people sitting cross-legged on the floor, you could see that she was very emotional. By the time she made it to the front, she was sobbing and laid her head in the arms of Pastor M.B. I later found out from M.B. that this woman had heard and resisted the Gospel/Jesus for several years. But just in the past few months, she began to listen and ask questions and was finally brought to faith by the Holy Spirit. I can only imagine what this woman must have been feeling at that moment as she was about to have her sins washed away in the water and word of Baptism! Her whole life had been spent worshiping the idols of Hinduism. She had been treated as a second-class citizen and denied fundamental human rights by neighbors and government alike. She had carried the burden of her sins as she tried hopelessly to follow the tenants of Hinduism, hoping to die and be reincarnated into a better station in life, based on her attempts to be a better person to affect her "karma." But now, finally, she had come to know the love of Jesus and His sacrifice that paid for her sins, gave her a new life, and provided her with forgiveness, salvation, and an eternal home in Heaven. And all of this was His free gift to her, not based on what she had done for God, but instead on His love for sinners and what His only Son had done for her and for all on the cross! It's no wonder she was filled with emotion and overcome with tears of joy on this particular day, at this specific time! I was overcome as well and couldn't hold back the tears at this moment. They were tears of joy for this woman and tears of praise for my Savior, and tears of gratitude for the privilege of being there to witness God's grace and mercy in action. Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow!

I don't ask to have many pictures taken of myself...but I never want to forget the face of this beautiful child of God and this wonderful day of witnessing our Savior's grace and mercy!!!

Now, the back-story that led to this day...about ten years ago, Pastor M.B. was doing evangelism by riding his motorcycle out to distant rural villages in Hindu areas, going house to house, and talking to anyone who would listen to him tell them about their Savior Jesus. In a village several kilometers from where Livingstone Lutheran Church is now located, he met a carpenter taking a break from his work. They began to talk about Jesus. This carpenter wanted to know more, so M.B. returned the next day and shared more of God's word with the carpenter. This went on for some time as they would meet whenever M.B. was in the area. Eventually, this man was led by the Holy Spirit to repent of his sins and trust in Jesus. He became a believer!!! This man had been brought up as a practicing Hindu by his parents and extended family. His father had died, but of course, he wanted his mother and other family to hear the truth of Jesus' love for them as well. So, he invited M.B. to his family's home. Neither M.B. nor the Gospel was well received. But the carpenter wanted his village and family to know Jesus, so he continued to invite M.B. back again and again. Others began to listen and wanted to know more about Jesus, so a small preaching station was started. M.B. visited often, and the carpenter would study with M.B. and then, in turn, teach what he had learned to anyone who would listen.

Several Hindus in the area converted to Christianity, but not the carpenter's mother. But remember how loving and patient and how long-suffering our Savior is with us. Well, He was patient and long-suffering with the carpenter's mother also. After more than ten years of hearing and resisting the Gospel, she was brought to faith and confessed Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior just a couple of months ago. When others in the village and her family heard this, they became emboldened in their God-given faith and openly began to confess what they had been brought to believe about Jesus.  More than twenty people received the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit in the water and Word of baptism yesterday. And again, I can't even think of enough words to describe the gratitude to my Savior for the privilege of being there to witness it. How do I even begin to give thanks for such a privilege as this? I can only say Thank You, Jesus, for Your love in making this day possible through Your perfect life, sacrificial death on the cross, and resurrection from the dead! AND...I keep mentioning this woman's joy, but imagine the joy that her son, the carpenter, who God first used to bring the Gospel to this village! He is now serving as an elder and evangelist for the congregation. He will soon begin formal pastoral training with Pastor M.B. He had the privilege of holding the water for his mother's baptism...imagine the joy!!! God is so good to us!

It's now Monday afternoon. Pastor M.B. and his wife and son began their 7+ hour journey back to Gopalganj earlier this morning. My flight leaves tonight at 11pm, so I have a couple more hours to get a good start on my post-visit report to the Board of Missions, rest, and head to the airport. If all goes as planned, I will be home by Tuesday evening.

Thanks for reading and for your prayers and encouragement! What a privilege to serve our Savior together!!!

(Names of individuals with-held for security reasons)

Sent to Bangladesh 2.0...(May 2022)

A couple of months ago I thought I was heading to Bangladesh, but due to some last-minute changes to their immigration policies, I wasn't able to make the trip.  So, when I returned from Nepal a few weeks ago I sent in my Bangladesh visa application and prayed and waited. Just a week ago I received a notification that my visa was being processed. When it arrived in the mail a few days later I was surprised and thankful that they not only approved the visa for this visit but also granted my request for a five-year visa! That means that my visits to Bangladesh should be much easier for the next five years!!! Thank you, Lord!

So, tomorrow I am scheduled to fly from St. Louis to Chicago to Istanbul to Dhaka, Bangladesh. I also have a local flight from Dhaka to Saidpur scheduled a couple of hours after I arrive in Dhaka. This flight will save me about 11+ hours in the car and will allow us to begin the pastoral training seminar in the northern part of Bangladesh one day sooner.  

Pastor Monotosh has a full schedule planned for us. While in Bangladesh I will have the privilege of working alongside the pastors, teachers, elders, evangelists, and leaders of the Bangladesh Lutheran Church Mission (BLCM) to proclaim the Gospel at several  BLCM congregations, preaching stations, and evangelism fields. I will also have the opportunity to teach a three-day pastoral training seminar for fourteen pastors, elders, and evangelists. 

I am excited and thankful for the privilege and opportunity to work with these dedicated disciples of Jesus to proclaim the truth of God's saving word in this nation that is predominately Muslim. The U.S. government estimates the total population of Bangladesh to be 159.5 million. According to a 2013 census, Sunni Muslims constitute 89% of the population, 10% Hindus, with the remaining 1% being Buddhist and Christian. (U.S. State Dept. website) There is much work to be done in Bangladesh. Praise the Lord for this opportunity to serve Him by assisting those who preach the Gospel to the people of Bangladesh!

Your prayers for safe and uneventful travel are requested and much appreciated!

Sent to Bangladesh and Nepal...March/April 2022

Tomorrow I will fly from St. Louis to Chicago to Doha to Dhaka, Bangladesh. If all goes well and there are no flight delays, I will be met at the Dhaka airport by Pastor Banarjee and his family around 9:45 Friday morning. That's 9:45 pm Thursday night central standard time. Bangladesh is exactly 12 hours ahead of my home time.

Pastor Monotosh has a full schedule planned for us. We will hit the road (or the train track) directly from the airport.  Pastor Monotosh has arranged train tickets to take us to Parbottipur where we will spend the night. During the thirteen days that I am scheduled to be in Bangladesh, I will be working alongside the pastors, teachers, elders, evangelists, and leaders of the Bangladesh Lutheran Church Mission (BLCM) to proclaim the Gospel at several  BLCM congregations, preaching stations, and evangelism fields. I will also have the opportunity to teach a two-day pastoral training seminar for fourteen pastors, elders, and evangelists. 

I am excited and thankful for the privilege and opportunity to work with these dedicated disciples of Jesus to proclaim the truth of God's saving word in this nation that is predominately Muslim. The U.S. government estimates the total population of Bangladesh to be 159.5 million. According to a 2013 census, Sunni Muslims constitute 89% of the population, 10% Hindus, with the remaining 1% being Buddhist and Christian. (U.S. State Dept. website) There is much work to be done in Bangladesh. Praise the Lord for this opportunity to serve Him by assisting those who preach the Gospel to the people of Bangladesh!

From Bangladesh, I will take a quick flight from Dhaka to Kathmandu, Nepal where I will spend sixteen days working with Pastor Raju and the pastors, leaders, evangelists, and seminary students of the Himalayan Church of the Lutheran Confession of Nepal (HCLCN).  My last trip here was cut short by a Covid surge in Asia. I was fortunate to get one of the last seats on one of the last flights out of Kathmandu before the country was in total lockdown for three months. I am excited to be able to finally be going back!

Pastor Raju has an ambitious schedule planned for us. Because of the geography of the Himalaya foothills in Nepal, travel is always a challenge and takes up quite a bit of my time in the country.  We are scheduled to visit and proclaim the Good News of Jesus at eight HCLCN congregations and preaching stations.  The new HCLCN seminary/headquarters building is also scheduled to be dedicated for service to the Lord and His kingdom towards the end of the visit.  Most of the pastors, evangelists and new seminary students will be there for the dedication so we will also have a two-day pastoral training seminar at the new building. I am so thankful for the blessings of this building and excited to see the Lord's continued blessings unfold over the coming years as this building will be used to train more faithful preachers and teachers of God's saving word! What a privilege the Lord has given to us to be a part of this harvest work!

I'm not sure how much time or access to the internet I will have over the next four weeks, but I hope to update this blog as much as possible. If you want to receive updates in your email box, you can subscribe here or with the subscription widget at the top right corner of the blog. 

If all goes as planned, I will return home to my family on Saturday, April 9th, just in time for Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and the celebration of our Savior's resurrection!

Your prayers for Beth and my family along with safe and uneventful travels and the Lord's abundant blessings of wisdom, compassion, humility, patience, commitment, health, stamina, and everything else that is necessary are requested and much appreciated!