Twenty-nine years ago, my wife Leslie and I were preparing to go to Africa to serve as a newly assigned missionary. We had three children ages four, two and four months. The other two children would be born a few years later while living in Zambia. We were young, and excited. I was eager to start working as an African Missionary and my wife was wondering how best to care for our young family, knowing that her skills as a RN would come in very handy.
Now, all the kids are grown, four of the five children are married, and five grandchildren have been added to the family; and Leslie and I are getting ready to move again to Africa. This time I am going to serve as the Leader of WELS World Mission’s One Africa Team (OAT). The OAT consists of all the missionaries serving in Africa who work with various sister synods in Africa to share the good news of Jesus throughout the continent. Now days this work usually takes the form of offering training and encouragement to those who serve as ministers of the gospel in our sister synods.
This is quite different from what I was called to do 29 years ago. Back then my main job was to preach, teach, baptize and offer the Lord’s supper to village congregations which did not have their own pastors. This meant driving out to the village areas at least four days per week and visiting at least two congregations each day for worship and or bible study. Between my visits the congregations were faithfully served by lay men who preached from a sermon book, taught Sunday school and confirmation classes, using books prepared for them. Through these men congregations were started, grew and became strong.
As I return to Africa, many of those men are fully trained pastors and leaders in the Seminary and their Synod. Now WELS missionaries are not needed to serve as Pastors in local congregations but are used to train and encourage ministers of the gospel in church bodies throughout the continent.
I am eager and feel blessed to take on the work of leading this group. I thank God for the years I served in Zambia and I thank God for the past 20 years I have served while living in the States. I am thankful for the things I learned as I served St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and School in Norfolk, NE. I am thankful for the experiences I had serving Messiah Lutheran Church in Nampa ID; especially what I learned about well-planned and organized outreach. Also, as I served 10 years on the Board for World Missions, 4 of those years as Chairman. It was so enlightening to understand WELS World Missions not only as a missionary on the field but also at the administrative levels. I also feel that I will put to good use what I experienced serving as the Director of the Apache Christian Training School (ACTS). That experience reminded me of how important it is that missionaries aren’t sent to be pastors for people; but rather they are sent to work with people to develop strong forms of ministry that best serve the needs of that community.
I am thankful to the LORD for giving me this opportunity to serve as the OAT Leader. I am thankful that the LORD has given me a wife that is so supportive and willing to return to Africa. Without her support, understanding, and willingness to serve none of this would be possible.
Howard Mohlke is the new leader of One Africa Team and is currently living in Nebraska while his paperwork is being processed. He and his wife Leslie will reside in Malawi on the campus of the Lutheran Bible Institute in Lilongwe
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
