Today’s post is written by Karen Kroll, a missionary wife who enjoys the smell of good coffee. She recently taught English to students enrolled in a school in Dukem, Ethiopia. The Lutheran Church of Ethiopia oversees the operation of this school and has plans to open others.   

I’ve never met a coffee I didn’t like. But until recently, I had never met a coffee like Ethiopian coffee. It takes coffee to another level.  I was blessed with the opportunity to accompany my husband, Dan to Ethiopia as he met with a group of believers interested in pursuing fellowship with WELS.  As the men met, I spent the week teaching English to children Grades K-5 at Maor Lutheran School in Dukem. This is a ministry of our sister synod, the Lutheran Church of Ethiopia. 

Pleasing Smells

While in Ethiopia, I learned there is no such thing as grabbing a “quick cup of coffee”.   It really is a process – not an event. And every morning before I began my day of teaching, I would watch the process.  Lighting the charcoal, roasting the beans, (which would then be brought to our table so we could fully enjoy the experience), and then grinding them.  As the coffee simmers, they light incense which fills the air with a lovely aroma.  And then, finally, they bring you the coffee.  The flavor of the coffee mixed with the pleasing smell of the incense left me with a smile of contentment on my face.   Enjoying those pleasant smells reminded me of the evening vesper liturgy in Christian Worship where Psalm 141 is put to music, “Let my prayer rise before you like incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”

In my mind, it conjures up an image of long ago: a priest in the middle of the desert, offering a sacrifice in the Tabernacle.  I realize that the image is overly romanticized in my mind. The reality is that these sacrifices produced anything but a pleasing aroma.  The slaughter of the animals and the blood mixed with the heat from the desert is not a pleasing smell at all! But to God, it was a whole different matter.  The smell drifted to the heavens and our God smiled because it was the smell of his people worshipping him. 

Sacrifices to God

I can relate to the slaughtered animal.  It should be me!  I know the depth of my sin and like the animal…it stinks!  But I know the blood that was shed on Calvary took my sin away and by the power of the Spirit, even my acts of worship smell pleasing to the Lord. Yours do too!

My trip to Ethiopia wasn’t about coffee, it was about serving God’s people. I’m not sure how helpful I was in teaching English to the children in Dukem, but I do know I was able to show them the love that God shows me…a pleasing smell to the Lord.

A few rooms down from where I was teaching sat six men, intently studying the scriptures with the desire to share the intimacy of Church Fellowship…a pleasing smell to the Lord.

Pleasing smells drift to the Lord wherever God’s people are found.

Every nose that a parent wipes or every meal they cook…a pleasing smell to the Lord.

Patiently caring for an elderly parent…. a pleasing smell to the Lord.

A repentant heart…a pleasing smell to the Lord.

My husband and I returned home with incense and a burner.  We really love the smell of the traditional incense but it’s also a reminder of how we as God’s people are living sacrifices…a pleasing smell to the Lord.

Karen Kroll lives in Malawi with her husband Missionary Dan Kroll.

Please pray for those working in fields that are ripe for harvest. Share their story, engage with future news, and receive updates. Learn more about our mission fields in Africa and how the Holy Spirit is working faith in people’s hearts at https://wels.net/serving-others/missions/africa

“Chin up, Daniel.”  I didn’t see the person encouraging me. The voice from the crowd lifted my spirits.

I was nearing the end of a long race in Cape Town, South Africa. So sore. So weary.

But the person who spied my name on my running bib gave me new energy. He or she used my name.

It was hearing Daniel. That spurred me on. Likewise, I want to encourage you to run with perseverance the race marked out for you and to encourage others in Christ.

Can you hear me calling out your name? Across the ocean, a voice urges you, “Chin up, ___________.” Insert your name. I am praying God re-energizes you by the Spirit of his risen Son.

So how does it work these days to be a missionary on the WELS One Africa Team? You never know. Here are a few recent stories.

Joseph

First, picture Joseph, a black South African. He was my Uber driver the day before the race. Besides driving people around Cape Town, South Africa, he is an administrator and evangelist at his church.

I asked Joseph, “Would you like free training in God’s Word so that you can teach others better?”

“Yes!” he said.

I shared a few details about the TELL network. While in the car I sent him a quick WhatsApp message: “Tellnetwork.org … Free Bible teaching classes.”

(In the States, you may text friends. Your One Africa Team missionaries usually WhatsApp others. About 2.5 billion people use WhatsApp worldwide. It is Africa’s main messaging platform.)

Ten hours later, Joseph replied back on WhatsApp about TELL, “I communicated to these people and am busy answering some questions.”

“Is really very nice teachings.”

Lovemore

Next comes Lovemore. Not joking. That’s his name. He’s my barber in Lusaka, Zambia.

When I was in Pretoria, South Africa after the race, trying to get a visa to Cameroon, Lovemore wrote me on WhatsApp.

“Hi Sir good morning. I saw the link you sent me but am having difficulty to login.”

He meant the link I had sent him on his phone to start TELL Network classes before I left for South Africa.

TELL starts with self-guided courses. It goes on to live Zoom-based classes. It’s about learning God’s Word so you or a friend can teach it to others.

You can tell friends about TELL too. Tell the person who cuts your hair about TELL. Who knows where it will lead?

(By God’s Spirit: Love. More!)

Anonymous

That same Monday morning I also entered the High Commission of the Republic of Cameroon in Pretoria. There another man encouraged me. I wish I asked him his name.

Here is what happened. I found out at the consular services window that I had not brought enough Rand, the South African currency. I had R2500, per a recent email from the High Commission.

The fee, though, had just gone up to R2750. They do not take card payments.

I apologized to the official at the window. I promised I would come back with the needed money the same morning. My plan was to walk to an ATM 20 minutes away.

Then a tall Cameroonian man who never met me before took a second look at me and my clerical collar. He paid the difference (about $14).

“Merci beaucoup,” I said over and over. “Thank you very much.”

Mike

That night I had supper at a local pizza restaurant. The waiter recognized me from the previous time I had been there in 2022.

Was it my clerical collar again? Mike said, “Oh, yeah, you told me about those TELL classes.”

“Did you try them?”

“Yes, I took several.”

Mike is outgoing, so I took a chance to probe. “Can I ask you a question?” I said. “Do you have a suggestion how to make TELL classes better?”

He thought hard. “No,” he said, “I can’t think of anything. They’re just perfect for me.”

Joseph, Lovemore, the anonymous man at the embassy, and Mike: All four encouraged me in the Lord so much.

“Chin up, Daniel!”

Innocent and Happy

As I got to the airport for the last leg of the trip, my waitress at the coffee shop had her name on a tag: Innocent.

The flight back was on a small plane with one attendant. Her name was Happy. She took the time to ask me about which church I’m from. (Was it the collar, a third time?) She told me her grandmother goes to a Lutheran church I visit now and then in Lusaka.

“Chin up, Daniel!”

Jesus is Innocent, and he took your place on the cross, so your name is Innocent too.

Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, and he was happy to tell women that his scared disciples were his brothers.

Happy? In Jesus, you will be so delighted when he reappears and judges you innocent by his blood. You will reign with him on the new earth. Our joy in Him and in all who love Him will only grow.

Joseph, Lovemore, the anonymous donor, Mike, Innocent, Happy. Do you hear what they are saying to you from far away?

Don’t quit now. The finish line is close. Keep witnessing, keep encouraging, and keep praying. Jesus is coming soon. “Chin up, ______________.”

Missionary Dan Witte lives in Lusaka, Zambia

Please pray for those working in fields that are ripe for harvest. Share their story, engage with future news and receive updates. Learn more about our mission fields in Africa and how the Holy Spirit is working faith in people’s hearts at https://wels.net/serving-others/missions/africa

Missionaries Benjamin Foxen and John Roebke received a warm welcome to Tanzania last month, as part of One Africa Team’s Four-Stage Outreach process.

We landed just south of the equator and felt the heat immediately. Visiting Tanzania at the end of its dry season is not the thing to do if you’re looking for cool weather.

Missionary John Roebke and I came to Tanzania to continue discussions with a local Lutheran church body, the Africa Mission Evangelism Church (AMEC). We want to see if our church bodies share the same Scriptural beliefs and practices. We hope that one day we will be able to work together united in faith.

AMEC’s leader, Bishop Baltazar Kaaya, met us at the airport late at night and showed us to our lodgings. The next day he gave us a tour of a couple of congregations up in the foothills of Mt. Meru. As we drove, he explained how the lack of rain had been starting to affect their crops. “We’re praying for rain so that our people will have food to eat,” he said. Eventually, though, the dry areas began to give way to more green. Bishop Kaaya explained, “As we get higher on the mountain, we find areas that receive more rain.” It was quite a contrast.

Later in the day, we had the opportunity to witness an interesting piece of culture. The elders of a village recognized a man as the new leader of his family. This was a celebration somewhat reminiscent of a new pastor’s ordination or installation. All the other family heads gathered to speak their blessing upon this man in the presence of the entire clan. Many people were gathered. Though we felt a little out of place at this event, we were treated as honored guests. We were even asked to speak blessings of our own as if we were part of the clan.

Throughout the week, the Tanzanian people continued to show us their warm welcome and hospitality. The church members gave us places of honor at their worship services. They made us feel at home with them, and that feeling increased. As the week progressed we saw familiarity in how the people approached the Word of God. In our daily workshop sessions, we explored that Word together. We used Luther’s Small Catechism as a guide to see whether we were on the same page. We found a group of people committed to the truth and zealous to put it into practice.

AMEC is a group of almost 100 Lutheran congregations in northern Tanzania. Most of the congregations are concentrated near Mt. Meru, with a few more around Mt. Kilimanjaro to the east. They are reaching out to other areas as well. AMEC’s newest effort is in the coastal business center of Dar es Salaam. Islam is the dominant religion in this area, but the pastor there is working to bring the soothing peace of the gospel to the city’s people. It is living water for thirsty hearts!

At the end of our time together, the workshop participants surprised us with another warm gesture. They presented us with shukas, the traditional garment of the Masai people. Many of the people in this area of Tanzania belong to this ethnic group. It was a wonderful gift that expressed a profound truth: they wanted us to be part of their “tribe.” This is something that we want too! And what a blessing it was to see all the things on which our churches agree!

The weather isn’t the only thing keeping Tanzania warm. The faith of these people is a warm welcome in this cold world. It is faith in the same God we serve and worship. We pray that our visits with the people of AMEC will continue to bear the fruit of a common faith watered by God’s Word.

Missionary Ben Foxen lives in Zambia and coordinates One Africa Team’s Outreach efforts across the continent.

Please pray for those working in fields that are ripe for harvest. Share their story, engage with future news, and receive updates. Learn more about our mission fields in Africa and how the Holy Spirit is working faith in people’s hearts at https://wels.net/serving-others/missions/africa