Every mission trip needs clear objectives.  On our recent trip to Liberia we had two:  1) Introduce record-keeping to help people understand that this is a proper program rather than simply a series of workshops, and 2) Bring together the Confessional Lutheran Church of Liberia (CLCL) and the Royal Family Fellowship International (RFFI) into one group to whom OAT and PSI can bring a unified program of study.  With Pastor Dennis Klatt, we came with the truth of Scripture for the first two weeks of February, 2109.

In effort to make this a truly Liberian program:  it was agreed to take four leaders from CLCL and three from RFFI to form a “Joint Education Committee.”   Those men are working on a system of organization now.  As they plan their own program, our focus becomes more pinpointed and better understood, so that we are all together in our efforts to develop the Lord’s kingdom here in Liberia.

Many of our “students” already carry the name “Deacon” or “Pastor” in their congregation, but might not have clear standards of what that means – it can change from one group to the next.  It was fascinating to me to have a conversation about titles with one of the CLCL leaders on a Wednesday, and by Thursday in class, people were addressing one another with the title “student,” explaining “we don’t want to get wrapped up in titles.”  In a similar situation, I used the word “heresy” to explain the importance of our teaching only truth; within two hours, the same students brought it up in Pastor Klatt’s class: “Is that heresy?”   It seems they are listening, learning and applying whatever they hear.  The Holy Spirit is working here!

As we look at these two different groups forming into one, they agreed that they would like a particular curriculum to know what the final target is going to be and to know, at any given time, how far along they were toward reaching that goal.  On this particular visit, we took attendance and evaluated students to give grades.  We will then have an objective opportunity to evaluate exactly where our students are in their understanding and helps us teachers to know whether or not we are teaching well.

Some of the courses taught in the past will be reviewed at the next visit and a test taken so we have a record for it.  On this visit we taught:

• Level One  – Aiming for a “Deacon” or “Elder” Certificate
  • BIC course – Pastor Klatt
  • Storying through Genesis – Pastor Kroll
• Level Two – Aiming for “Evangelist” or “Pastor” Diploma
  • The Three Ecumenical Creeds – Pastor Klatt
  • Teaching Bible Class – Pastor Kroll

… But we are just beginning – completing this program will require commitment!

It’s a pleasure to work amongst people who don’t regularly hear the truth of Scripture.  On this visit, we taught about sixty-eight students in the two levels of courses.  Perhaps not all of them will stick with the program for the full ten years, but we praise the Lord for their desire to better understand the opportunity to share the love of our Savior to a struggling world!

To God’s glory,

Missionary Dan Kroll

It was reported in the news that the hospital had been intentionally set ablaze.  Other reports include private homes burned down and fairly regular gun battles between the military and the separatists (who wish to secede from La Republic du Cameroon).  Many people are being killed while others are losing all they have.  We have refugees galore who have run from their homes in fear, and it’s safe to say that most of the population in the Southwest and Northwest Regions of Cameroon (where WELS carries out the bulk of its mission work) are discourage – inclined to give up.

On the other side of town, on top of the hill towards Mbalangi, sits the Headquarters and the Seminary for Lutheran Church of Cameroon.   It seems to be sorted out now, but for about a month, even here, some thieves thought they might be able to get something from the place.  It’s a bit of a mess.  In the midst of all the chaos, we are sending a statement: We are still operating as a church body and making plans to train called workers for the future.

Milton is our welder as well as general handy man and administrator these days for our mission while the missionary cannot be on site.  He also painted the gate to our LCC compound at Barombi Kang.  The gate painting was a gift from the WELS mission in memory of student Zacheus Amibang who passed away last summer.

While we appreciate the work Milton has done, we
appreciate even more the spirit of our called workers in Cameroon: The Lord’s
work is not defeated by bullets nor any other form of hostility.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms… take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6).  We are stubbornly and confidently NOT going to be discouraged from the work the Lord has put in front of us.  We want everybody to know that we trust not in earthly weapons, but in “Faith Alone, Scripture Alone, and Grace Alone”-  based on the empty cross of Christ.  While we cannot deny the worldly suffering amongst the people of Southern Cameroon, the LCC stands to focus on spiritual matters.  We focus on God’s promise of protection and guidance here on earth and eternal glory with him in heaven through Jesus’ death and resurrection.  May his Spirit hold us in that focus as we continue to make the statement of our faith and look for ways to serve him better in Cameroon.

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. Go to this link to learn more about our mission fields in
Africa and how the Holy Spirit is working faith in people’s hearts  https://wels.net/serving-others/missions/africa

Come along with me…

I’m weaving through villages and fields, traipsing down
narrow foot paths and trudging through muck. 
I’m jumping over mud puddles and broken bricks.  I’m skirting around fallen walls, bent
roofing sheets and twisted trusses.  I’m
stepping over soggy blankets and dirty clothes.   

Malawi 2015 revisited.  What happened?  A deluge of rain.
Rivers overflowed,
  Maize fields flattened,
    Bridges demolished,
      Roads cratered.

Different year,
Different people,
Different location,
Same result:  Devastation.

Rains are a double-edged sword.  Just enough and wells fill, fields drink, crops grow and the land produces. Too much and houses collapse leaving them useless; pit latrines overflow rendering them a danger.

It all happened in Malawi. 

Again.

People are reminiscing that this same thing happened just
four years ago.

The Malawi 2018/2019 wet season had a great start.  A great balance of rain and sunshine.  Crops were looking good.  Tobacco. Maize. Groundnuts.  Farmers were ecstatic!  

It’s going to be a
bountiful harvest! We can sell our cash crops…our granaries will be full…we will
harvest plenty to eat good…our bellies satisfied…no hunger this year!

Then came the 6^th of March 2019.  Ash Wednesday arrived.  So did another rain.   Well, not just another rain, but a downpour.  The heavens opened.  Water fell by the bucket.  Cats and Dogs.  Didn’t let up for 3 solid days.  This time the land and the areas most affected are quite flat so the water didn’t have a natural run off. When rains fall that rapidly and that powerfully, mud houses just don’t stand a chance against such force and pressure of water.

The torrent was enough to bring down the roof.

It did.

Many houses were destroyed.  Families are displaced.  Women and children are sleeping in church buildings.  Husbands and fathers are staying in any manageable place that they can find in what is left of their houses.  A makeshift shelter.  A tiny covered corner of a room.  Some are sleeping under the stars.  All who are affected are trying to pick up the proverbial pieces.  And lurking right around the corner?

Disease. It’s what happens when outhouses collapse and the holes brim over. It’s a stream you don’t want to be near. But there is a stream you do.  A river actually.  A river of living water. 

“Though the earth give way…though its waters roar and foam…there is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.”¹

The one who wrote those words also wrote these:

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”² 

To the people who are sitting in the rubble, asking
themselves questions and trying to make sense of it all, the pastors in the
Lutheran Church have been able to bring this kind of message:  God indeed is our refuge and strength, an
ever-present help in trouble. 

Though many people have many questions, there’s another question
that rises above all the others. It stands tall and strong like a beacon in the
storm:  

Who or what can separate us from the love of Christ?³ We know what is written in Romans 8:35. A bunch more questions that answer that first one. (If you’re not sure, check it out). But what about the questions on the minds of the homeless people in Malawi who are wondering how they are going to start over and rebuild?

What can separate them from God’s love?
Rains?
Floods?
Unusable toilets?
Obliterated fields?
Collapsed houses?
Lost property?

Can these things remove God from their world of broken walls and caved-in roofs?

NO.⁴

Paul, what do you mean, NO?  Tell us more!

“NO, in all these
things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  None of these things shall separate us from
the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”⁵

Ah, yes.  Good
words, Paul.  The people need to hear
those words.  So do I…when things in my
own life collapse!  You, too?

For three days we surveyed the destruction and assessed
the damage.  So much rain…so much
ruin.  With such incalculable devastation
I could only imagine incredible loss. 

What I didn’t imagine – or even think about – was the
incredible gain. 

Incredible
gain? 

As the people shared their stories, I noticed that they
had gained something: a new appreciation for the goodness of the Lord.  A renewed indebtedness to the grace of
God.  Gratitude for something bigger than
earthly comfort. 

Heavenly blessings!

When we arrived, they not only spoke of the rains that
came down from heaven but of the promises of God that do, too! 

They shared with us how God spared them, protected them
and saved them.  We paused here for a
prayer.  Sat there for a devotion.  Spent time with the families in meditation
and thankfulness. We were invited to so many places we didn’t have time for
everyone.

We brought our phone cameras but took more than pictures
and videos.

We took heart! (The people encouraged us!)

We took assurance! (The presence of problems doesn’t mean the absence of God!)

We took with us a renewed sense of joy!  (Our Lutheran members know the grace and love of God in Christ Jesus despite the trials that come)

After seeing one collapsed house after another, what falls like rain upon my heart are the words of Moses:

“Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations…from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”⁶

Like Paul said, “…we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands…”⁷

His is a house that will never fall.  The roof won’t leak and the walls won’t collapse.  The foundation is strong and the rooms are safe.

Meanwhile, here on earth, whether in Malawi or the USA or
somewhere in-between, we groan and are burdened.  All creation, too.  Apparently, that includes the rains.  And the mud from which many houses are built.

But we look forward to a time when all those in Christ
Jesus we will be safe and secure in…

God’s Eternal Dwelling Place.

Your Malawi Mission Partner,
Missionary John Holtz

1. Psalm 46:2-4.
2. Psalm 46:1.
3. Romans 8:35.
4. Romans 8:37a
5. Romans 8:37-39
6. Psalm 90:1,2
7. 2 Corinthians 5:1

Dear Mission Partners,

Maybe you know and maybe you don’t, but our beloved WELS is showing faith in action by getting involved with both prayer support and financial aid. 

The Lutheran Church of Central Africa – Malawi Synod, the WELS Board for World Missions, and WELS Christian Aid and Relief have been working hard at evaluating the immediate needs of those in our Lutheran congregations who are greatly affected by the floods, especially in the southern region of Malawi.  (It was the southern region that was affected in 2015, too).  Through funds made available through CAR, the LCCA members affected by the floods will receive some much-needed practical items.  Things like buckets for clean water, blankets for warmth, and plastic sheeting for temporary roofing can meet immediate needs.  A  church building that has collapsed can be rebuilt.

Your Africa Missions team would like to encourage anyone whose heart is moved to give a gift to help people in need (due to flooding or other disaster) to please donate to WELS Christian Aid & Relief.  Please follow the link below:
https://community.wels.net/page.aspx?pid=394