Here is a story I hope you will enjoy: These men are all pastors in our sister church in Uganda, Obadiah Lutheran Synod.

At the request of OLS, I led them in learning from September 2–13. We met in the Bugiri District of southeastern Uganda, just north of the Equator.

The brothers came from various tribes, including Acholi, Bagwere, Banyora, Basoga, Luo, and Nuer. Isn’t that a good story, all on its own?

They are from various Ugandan regions. One of the youngest men came from a refugee camp. Some of the pastors are inexperienced. Some have had lots of formal training. But they are united in faith and purpose. They love God’s Word.

They all speak English too. That helped me a lot.

For eleven mornings and afternoons, we met in this tent. We also broke into various groups near the tent for discussions and projects.

These visitors to our learning tent do not speak English, but they were also welcome.

One great part of the course story: This was the first taught by an American missionary like me. The July course OLS leaders taught. The same will happen in December, God willing.

Here is Pastor Nick, the dean of students. The acronym behind him is a sermon outline. ISLAGOR, he told us, stands for “Introduction, story, law, gospel, response.”

We began each day with worship. Here is an example. Philip, an Acholi pastor with his back to the camera, is leading.

The pastors especially learned about Jesus as true God and as true man. They practiced witnessing God’s grace in Christ to non-Christian neighbors and family members, especially Muslims. As the group kept saying, “We have a better story.”

That was the theme of our course, as we discussed the whole Gospel according to John. “We have a better story.”

Here is Pastor Joseph telling the rest of the group his story. He and his wife have eight children. He loves to laugh.

That is not the best part of the story. He used to be a Muslim. Now he is not only a Christian, he is a Lutheran pastor.

All of the pastors made plans to preach and teach from John in the future.

On the last day of the course, all recited a section of John in his heart language. Some told the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead in John 11:17–45. (We have a better story!)

Some of us shared from memory the story of Jesus rising from the dead in John 20.

To check out the same Gospel according to John videos from the Lumo Project which we watched over the two weeks we were together, go to this YouTube playlist (It’s the New International Version. Lumo has Luganda too.)

It was emotional for me on the last day to recite to all the other pastors John 20. “Jesus did many other miraculous signs which are not recorded in this book,” John concludes.

“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30–31).

We have the best story to share.

Missionary Dan Witte and his wife Debbie 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

“We Are Different.” It was a saying often repeated during our time together. For two weeks, Gambela Evangelical Lutheran Church leaders studied God’s Word with Missionaries Dan Kroll and Joel Hoff. Time spent in Scripture helped the leaders become more confident in their beliefs. It also helped them better understand what made their church different from all the others in Gambela, Ethiopia.

We believe that we are saved by grace alone through faith in Jesus. We are different. We believe that we do not decide to believe in Jesus or accept him as our Lord and Savior. We are different. We believe that sin is serious and that there are serious consequences because of our sin. We are different. We believe that God’s big love was revealed to us in Jesus through whom we have forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life. We are different. We believe that baptism is God’s work and intended for all sinners no matter their age. We are different. 

The members of the GELC were able to demonstrate this difference in confession as well as in practice. Over two days, 74 souls were baptized into God’s family. Many of those precious souls were little children. This is significant because baptizing children is unheard of in many churches throughout Africa. 

From conception, the Bible describes our condition. Sinful… hostile to God… dead in sin… lost… blind… hopeless. But God makes us different through baptism. Through water and Word we are forgiven… children of God… alive in Christ… found… seeing with the eyes of faith… and clinging to the everlasting hope that is ours through our Savior Jesus Christ. 

The leaders and families of the GELC believe the Word of God spoken through Peter on Pentecost when he said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:38,39) 

By God’s grace, the GELC church leaders will continue to study God’s Word and teach what they have learned to their members. By God’s grace, the families will continue to gather around God’s Word and impress the truths of Scripture on their children. By God’s grace, the leaders, the families, those 74 souls and we are different.

Joel Hoff lives in Lusaka, Zambia and coordinates TELL outreach. For more information visit www.tellnetwork.org

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

God builds a family in unexpected ways. That thought filled my mind eleven years ago as I first looked down at my son in my arms.  I was standing in an orphanage just outside Kinshasa (the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, or the DRC).  My son was nine months old, but it was the first time I’d held him.  Through earthly loss and God’s unsearchable providence – with no small amount of paperwork and prayers along the way – he became my son, and I became his father.  And the strangest thing was how it didn’t feel strange at all.  Unexpected, sure.  But without a doubt, we were family.

This April, that thought came echoing back.  I was back in the DRC.  This time I was standing in a small classroom in Lubumbashi.  I had spent the last week visiting local Lutheran churches and teaching catechetical classes on the Apostles’ Creed to a group of Congolese pastors, evangelists, and choir leaders together with missionary Keegan Dowling.  As I began to say farewells (through an interpreter), we called each other brother and sister.  We didn’t speak the same language and we knew so little about each other, but God’s Word had brought us together.  Without a doubt, we were family.

The One Africa Team Adjunct Program

I was in the DRC as an adjunct member of the One Africa Team (OAT).  Much of the OAT’s work is following up with African churches that are seeking guidance as they grow in the Word and develop strong Lutheran churches – and many churches are reaching out to us.  To help serve the great need, OAT has begun recruiting “adjunct” members of their team: US-based WELS pastors who can travel to Africa for a short period and partner with an OAT member to work with local church bodies.

Missionary Dowling and I worked with church workers from the MELC (la Mission Évangélique Luthérienne au Congo, or “The Evangelical Lutheran Mission to The Congo”).  Some of the challenges they faced were familiar: the large local church drawing away members, and the temptations to avoid conflict by comprising on doctrine. Some of them were foreign to me, such as a lack of Bible translations available in the local language, the challenge of worshiping in the rainy season without a building, or local pastors bringing in pagan practices.  But the work of the Holy Spirit through the Word was strong, and it was beautiful to witness.  The men and women were faithful students of the Word and eager servants of the church.

World Missions Come Home

I serve a congregation on the north side of Atlanta.  Our local WELS churches have been talking about ways we might serve the large immigrant population in Atlanta and connect them with the gospel.  During my time in Lubumbashi, several of the workshop participants shared that they had relatives who had recently immigrated to the States – and all of them had gone to Atlanta!  They were eager to share their contact information with me, with the hope that I could connect them with one of our local churches.  It was a wonderful reminder that the gap between “Home Missions” and “World Missions” isn’t so wide.  It’s a privilege to bring the gospel to people overseas, but we dare not miss that God has brought so many people from overseas to our cities and neighborhoods.

I often get emails and WhatsApp messages from our friends in The DRC – even the occasional phone call, though we don’t speak the same language!  We share photos, updates, and prayers.  While I didn’t expect to be communicating with people half a world away, that’s what family does!

Rev. Joel Seifert lives in the Atlanta area and serves the members of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Marietta, GA

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