Today’s post is written by Missionary Howard Mohlke, the leader of One Africa Team. He has been waiting for over a year in the USA for his work papers, which he recently received.

On Saturday, April 17, 2021, Leslie and I landed in Lilongwe, Malawi. As we landed and looked forward to our new life living and working in Africa, we also looked back to 1991 when we first landed in Zambia to serve as part of the mission team. Back then we arrived with two daughters ages 4 and 2, and one son who was 6 months old. Now, it’s just the two of us and those three and two more are all grown up. Back then we left behind our parents and “took their grandchildren away” as they would remind us at times. Now, we are leaving behind our grandchildren.

Back then we were a young family and I had just been assigned from the Seminary to serve in Zambia. Now, Leslie and I have been together for over three decades and have been blessed in many ways as we lived in Zambia, Nebraska, Idaho, and Arizona. Now we look forward to being blessed as we live again in Africa and wonder a bit what the Lord has in store for us. That said, we know for certain that just as the Lord saw us through in the past, he will be with us and bless us this time too.

Many Changes

It is said that you can never go home, meaning that our memories of home remain the same but time changes everything and things are never as we remember As Leslie and I returned to Africa, we kept reminding ourselves that this would be true and indeed it was.

Back in 1991 we arrived in a country that had suffered from years of socialism and one-party rule. The consequences were a ruined economy and infrastructure. It was a challenge to procure the most basic of needs. Now, even though there are differences in name brands and price, almost anything can be purchased at a local store. Back then it was big news when certain items were available at the store; now one can compare prices and the quality of items that you want to buy.

Back in 1991, the only forms of communication with family in the states were airmail and long-distance calls that cost $1.00 per minute – that is if the phone was working at all. Now with cellular data, there are multiple means of voice and video communication – if the electricity is on. I guess some things do stay the same.

Nothing New

As with water and electricity outages, other things remain the same. The biggest constant is the need to share the good news of Jesus. People continue to struggle with sin and guilt and need the comfort of Jesus. The work of sharing this comfort is still carried out through Christian congregations who gather to be blessed through Word and Sacrament and are willing to share the truth with their neighbors. Nowadays, the congregations are served by locally trained Pastors and Elders, but the work remains the same.

Something New

Back in 1991, my work was to serve a dozen churches, visiting them every four to six weeks. In between my visits, the work of shepherding the congregations was in the hands of faithful men and women who read sermons on Sunday, taught basic instruction, and Sunday school. They visited the sick and managed the affairs of their congregations. When I would visit, I conducted worship and offered encouragement and training to those who were serving so faithfully.

Today, WELS Missionaries in Africa are not serving as Pastors of congregations or overseeing congregations but are working with the Pastors and leaders of church bodies throughout Africa. Back in 1991, there were missionaries doing what I was doing in Malawi and Zambia. Now, the mission team works with partner church bodies in Nigeria, Cameroon, Liberia, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, as well as Malawi and Zambia. We also are working with Multi-Language Productions offering basic Biblical and shepherding training to individuals anywhere in the continent. Our prayer is that all these relationships and partnerships would be blessed by the LORD so more people may hear the Good News of Jesus in Africa and beyond.

Always

As Leslie and I begin this new stage of mission life, we know that it is the LORD who has called us here and will bless us. For this we are thankful.

The Lord be with you all,

Howie
aka Rev. Howard Mohlke. One Africa Team Leader

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

Before COVID, scheduling a doctor’s appointment was a relatively easy task to accomplish for most Americans. In fact, you could see a “doc in the box” at a local walk-in clinic without an appointment if needed. The global pandemic has stressed health care networks all over the world to the breaking point and has exposed systemic weaknesses and failures. And yet in spite of the enormous death toll in the United States and other developed countries, health care systems more or less remain intact.

In developing countries like Malawi, the health care system is a patchwork of government-run hospitals and private health clinics that has always struggled to meet the medical needs of its citizenry. While this country has not seen the number of coronavirus-related fatalities as the United States, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, diarrheal diseases, and malaria are among the top preventable causes of death here (source: https://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/countries/malawi/default.htm). There simply aren’t enough medicines, medical workers or hospital beds to meet the country’s needs.

Last week I had the privilege of accompanying the American Nurse in Charge Beth Evans and her husband Gary on a visit to the Central Africa Medical Mission (CAMM) clinic site in the village of Thunga, which they visit twice a month.

The day begins early. When I arrived at the Evanses home at 7:00 a.m. staff workers were in the process of loading medical supplies and water onto the top of the clinic ambulance, a Toyota Landcruiser. Although we are entering the dry season, the sturdy vehicle’s high road clearance and four wheel drive are a must for negotiating the deeply rutted dirt roads that lead from the main highway to the village. It takes about an hour and half to make the drive, barring mechanical failures or political demonstrations along the way.

Upon arrival at the clinic building, we saw a large crowd of patients already gathered outside the walls. Since there are no other nearby health facilities, some of these people had walked upwards of 10 km to receive treatment. As the clinic staff unloaded the Landcruiser, a lay leader from the Lutheran congregation in Thunga led a brief devotion and prayer.  Then, the people began to form lines according to the kind of treatment they desired: antenatal, children under five years old, malaria testing, acute medical problems, and family planning. In order to maintain social distancing and limit the spread of coronavirus, a courtyard enclosed by walls made of woven reeds has been created. Staff workers limit the number of patients who are allowed to enter the clinic at any given time.

The Malawian national medical staff handle the majority of the workload. The American Nurse in Charge sees some patients as well, but her main responsibility is to oversee the clinic operations. CAMM recently announced its intentions to nationalize the program in Malawi by promoting clinic worker Violet Chikwatu to the position of Nurse in Charge. This change will take place sometime in 2022. The CAMM website has posted a FAQ page about these plans here: https://www.camm.us/faq  

CAMM’s footprint in Malawi may be small, but to the people of Thunga the clinic is a crucial link to a healthy and productive life. We thank God that for 50 years, CAMM has been providing care for body and soul to the people of Malawi. We also thank the generous donors and the many stateside volunteers who have supported this mission of mercy for half a century. May God continue to use his servants for his glory!

Missionary John Roebke lives in Malawi and is the Communications Director for One Africa Team.

To learn more about CAMM’s work in Malawi and Zambia visit https://www.camm.us/home

This week’s post is written by Rev. Brad Wordell, a member of the faculty of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary’s Pastoral Studies Institute. He also serves as the liaison between the Commission on Inter-Church Relations (CICR) and One Africa Team. As our mission efforts continue to bear fruit in Africa, the CICR plays a vital role in establishing formal relations between church bodies on the continent and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.

During this Easter season, we might say that the CICR stands for Christ Is Certainly Risen. It is true! Jesus Christ has risen from the dead! Our Savior is risen indeed!

His resurrection changes everything for us. Because our Savior lives, we live. We have life (peace and fellowship with God and the privilege of serving him) now and in the world to come. And our holy, Christian faith seeks to be active—in worship, in the proclamation of the Lord’s name, and in love to him and the people around us. What a blessed life we have! All praise be to our Triune God!

The members of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod are heirs of the Lutheran Reformation. We believe that the Bible is the only source of faith and doctrine (sola scriptura), that sinful mankind is saved by faith in Jesus and not by good works (sola fide), and that everything we have is a gift from our gracious God in heaven (sola gratia). We believe God has determined the times and places that we should live, and that it is his will that we proclaim his name among the nations. We believe that God works through the means of grace—the gospel in the Word, in Holy Baptism, and in the Lord’s Supper—to create, preserve, and strengthen our faith, and to produce in us the fruits of faith. We believe that the Lutheran Confessions as recorded in the Book of Concord of 1580 are a faithful exposition of the Word of God. We rejoice that like-minded Lutherans are singing Hallelujah to the Lord all around the world, and we rejoice in this blessed fellowship as we wait for the glorious return of our Savior.

The WELS enjoys this blessed fellowship of doctrine and practice with the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS) in the States, and with more than 35 church bodies around the world in the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference (CELC).

In order to extend and conserve the true doctrine and practice of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod through its Commission on Inter-Church Relations (CICR) keeps itself informed on doctrinal trends in other church bodies. This commission, made up of ten members and four advisory members, serves under the Conference of Presidents and represents the synod in doctrinal discussions with other church bodies who are, or are not, in fellowship with the synod, in order to “extend and conserve the true doctrine and practice of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.” 

To accomplish this the CICR keeps itself informed on the doctrinal trends in other church bodies and works to preserve and strengthen the bonds of fellowship with church bodies with which there is complete unity of doctrine and practice. Additionally, the CICR seeks to extend the bond of confessional fellowship with other church bodies where such unity becomes apparent and to offer testimony and assistance to groups which show a desire to grow in their understanding of evangelical Lutheran doctrine and practice.

On the continent of Africa, the CICR does its work in collaboration with the One Africa Team. As a member of the CICR, I am pleased also to be a part of the One Africa Team. In 2017 we rejoiced as the Lutheran Church of Ethiopia (LCE) joined our fellowship, and in 2019 we rejoiced as the LCMC-Kenya joined our fellowship. May the Lord continue to guide and bless us all! May the good and gracious will of the Lord be done in us and through us! May His name be hallowed! May His kingdom come!

Rev. Bradley Wordell lives in Mequon, Wisconsin

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