For over 100 years, WELS Congregations have been building Christian elementary and secondary schools. Many WELS members grew up learning Bible History and the teachings of Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, along with reading, writing, and arithmetic, as well as social studies and science. In the 21st Century, over 400 WELS congregations operate Early Childhood Educational Centers to secure our children’s relationship with their Savior.

While understanding the world around us is important, the understanding of eternal life supersedes it all. We understand that life-learning starts early, the earlier the better. The age of 2 or 3 years is not too soon to introduce our children to the teaching of salvation.

The One Africa Team is working with a group of Christians in Buchanan, Liberia, who understand the importance of educating children in the truths of Scripture. Lamb of God Lutheran Congregation is hoping to start with ABC Kindergarten. They hope that the kindergarten will quickly grow into a primary school and even a secondary school within just a few years. Pastor Toye Barnard, Lamb of God’s leader, expresses confidence that the program will grow fast.

Lamb of God Lutheran Church broke away from another group that the One Africa Team had studied with for several years. That group had decided to hold to the Pentecostal teachings of its leaders, which included a refusal to baptize infants, among other misunderstandings.  Pastor Barnard and his members endured many false accusations from that other group when Lamb of God agreed to hold to the truth of Scripture and to continue studying with the OAT.  A benevolent group of WELS Christians in California continues to support this budding ministry, which is focusing much attention on building a school as a foundation for their congregation.

Currently, 44 adults and 22 children worship at Lamb of God. The congregation owns three-quarters of an acre on which to build a small school near the edge of town.  Principal Barnard, together with several members who are also teachers, is confident they will be able to build a large school and even a church building. They will need more land and more funds to actualize the plan.  They will also need the Lord of the church to put his hand of blessing on this effort, so that his church may grow in Liberia.  Your prayers and support are hugely appreciated!

Missionary Dan Kroll lives in Malawi

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

Jake Vilhauer recently graduated from Martin Luther College (MLC) and is a new missionary for the One Africa Team.

Coming out of Martin Luther College I initially planned on becoming a high school history teacher. In history teacher fashion, here’s a crash course of the last eight months of my life. I was informed that I was being considered for an international call. I accepted that international call. I graduated from MLC and announced my call to my family, who were shocked – the understatement of the year.  I got married to Maddie Hockenbery on the 1st of June and shipped off to Zambia in August.

Learning Curve

Ten days after arriving in Zambia, my wife and I left for France to begin our French-speaking journey. We stayed in Strasbourg and went to French school every day, starting from scratch. Thanksgiving came quickly, and we left France to live with another missionary family in Douala, Cameroon to learn more French and to learn about West African culture. Soon we will return to Zambia and settle down in our own place.

The work that I have been able to do as a missionary with the One Africa Team is awesome, to say the least. I have worked with multiple groups of potential partners. Four seminary teachers from West Africa came to Douala and I helped them with educational strategies for the future. I have also taught online TELL classes with people all over Africa, studying the Bible in depth.

God’s Plan

There have been some challenges with being away from family, learning a new language, and learning a new culture. However, these past months have helped me to grow in my faith and learn how to work on a team. Although we are far from our families in the States, we were instantly provided with new families on the mission field. There has not been a lack of support from anyone, and I am truly grateful for that.

The past five months away from home have been a whirlwind. I never thought I would be a missionary. I would joke with Maddie about going abroad to annoy her. I had not heard of a World Missions call from MLC. People say that God hears our plans and laughs – that was true in my case. In the last year, God allowed me to graduate from MLC, receive and accept a World Missions call, get married, learn a new language, and live on three different continents. I pray that God blesses our missionary work here in Africa.

Jake and Maddie Vilhauer live 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

Finding the best ways to communicate well is always something WELS missionaries are thinking about. That’s why, in mid-October, my family landed in Arusha, Tanzania. We planned to spend about 2 months in the country to learn to communicate in Swahili.

Old and Young Learners

I enrolled in two courses at MS-TCDC, a college focused on teaching Swahili to foreigners, for five weeks. Outside of class, there were plenty of opportunities to practice Swahili with people. We bought groceries, asked for directions, flagged down bijajis (3-wheeled taxis), and just said: “jambo” (hello)! The official languages of Tanzania are both Swahili and English. However, much more emphasis is placed on Swahili in Tanzania. It’s common to find people who speak very little or no English. This made using the language a must in day-to-day interactions.

My wife, Becky, and two youngest children, Katya (9) and Leia (6) joined me for the experience. Becky homeschools the girls, so temporarily relocating from our home in Lusaka, Zambia to Arusha didn’t interrupt their learning. Becky integrated quickly into the local homeschooling scene, and she and the girls made new friends quickly.

Connecting with Local Christians

I also interacted with Africa Mission Evangelism Church (AMEC), a Lutheran church body based in Tanzania. After carefully working through OAT’s Four Stage Process, WELS will declare fellowship with AMEC at this summer’s Synod Convention, God-willing.

Our normal practice is to visit one of our mission partners for about two weeks. After two months in Tanzania, we visited many churches on Sundays and deepened our relationships with church leaders. I also met with leaders from the Community of Evangelical Lutheran Churches of Central Africa (CEELAC). CEELAC is a new partner based in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We have been meeting in Tanzania due to security concerns in the DRC

Both AMEC and CEELAC use Swahili in their worship services. Attending worship was a great opportunity to put into practice what I had learned in my classes. Two months isn’t enough time to communicate like a native Swahili speaker. I was excited to see that I could understand much more and even teach a little in their language. I’m thankful for the opportunity to communicate the Gospel no matter where I live!

Missionary Ben Foxen lives in Zambia.

Listen to Leia Foxen communicate in her way about what she saw in Tanzania in this video posted on the One Africa Team’s YouTube Channel

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