> Muslim Outreach Workshop

By Pastor Dave Maki Southwest Lutheran Church
I have never met a more impassioned group of leaders than the ones who are carrying out the Great Commission in Ethiopia. Witnessing their commitment to reaching the lost with the Gospel was incredible humbling. It was a privilege to stand in the presence of these witnesses and experience their enthusiasm for the work of Jesus Christ. There is much for us Americans to learn from the heart and desire of Christians in Ethiopia.

We spent four days rubbing elbows with pastors, evangelists and church leaders who gathered at Mekane Yesus Seminary in Addis Ababa for a conference on Outreach to the Muslims. These dedicated disciples traveled from all over Ethiopia to learn and share ideas on how God is bringing many Muslims to faith in Jesus. Some of these saints traveled three days to be present with their Christian brothers. The conference, hosted by Lutheran Hour Ministries, was lead by Pastor Masresha (a Lutheran pastor who taught at Luther Seminary in St. Paul Minnesota) and Dr. Peter Ford (an expert in mission work to the people of Islam). These men eagerly sat for hours learning about the theology of Islam and exploring practical ideas on building relationships with the unbelievers in a country of eighty million.

We had hoped our presence would encourage these men in their difficult and dangerous work of bringing the truth to a growing Muslim population. As it turned out, they were far more encouraging of us than we were to them. They told us of the joy and privilege of suffering for the cause of Jesus Christ. One pastor explained how most of the Christian churches had been destroyed in his region and the one building that remained had to be surrounded by police as the Christian worshipped. There were accounts of Christians being beaten and tormented for their faith and commitment to preach the Gospel.

We discovered that Americans have little to give these brave and faithful disciples. God has already blessed them with a willingness to give themselves totally to the purpose of witnessing of God’s grace. In a country that has very little material things (average income is $175 a year) these Lutherans have all they need to impact a country with a message of hope. This is evident by the fact that the Lutheran Church in Ethiopia has grown from 20,000 to 5.5 million in twenty five years. What a demonstration of God’s blessings upon the faithfulness of His people.

The great blessing of our trip was to learn the huge involvement of the lay people of Mekane Yesus. With 6000 plus congregations and only about 1,000 pastors, God’s people have learned to grab the reigns of preaching, teaching and disciplining. This church is alive and vibrant in mission and ministry. The growth of the Lutheran church is an example of God’s blessing the faithfulness of a persecuted church. The lack of material things has not prevented the Holy Spirit from using the weak and powerless to accomplish great things.

It was a humbling, encouraging, exhilarating, and challenging trip. We learned the truth that God’s Word works the miracles of faith and life. May that same Word bring the same fruits in the church in America.

> Hiber School and HIV/AIDS Assistance

Hiber Elementary School

By Loretta Sassmannshausen

Concordia Lutheran Church

Hiber Elementary School was quite an experience. We were literally mobbed by the kids. They were SO excited to see us! We all spent a lot of time taking photographs of the beautiful children. They loved to have their pictures taken with the digital camera and then to see the photos of themselves.

In 2006, we spent some time there as well. At that time, there were 1,800 students, but only 1 useable classroom building (8 classrooms). As a result, each student was only in class for a couple

of hours each day; the rest of the time, the students played volleyball or other games in the courtyard. They also had no running water. We bought them a volleyball and net and paid to have a waterline run to the facility.

Two years later, there are still 2,000 students. But now, there are 2 new buildings, 5 stories each (50 new classrooms). This means that all of the students can attend classes for the whole day. What an incredible blessing for those children! It was a thrill to see so much growth in such a short period of time!

While we were there, we watched the kids play volleyball, soccer and run several running races. The field was not flat and was very bumpy and rocky. We were amazed that many of the kids ran in bare feet! They will be thrilled when they find out that we are funding a project that will level the field for a soccer field and track!

HIV/AIDS Assistance

Again this year, we spent some time with HIV/AIDS victims. Some are adults that are HIV positive, some have AIDS, and some are children that have lost both of their parents to AIDS. They are quite amazing people! The Ethiopian Church Mekane Yesus helps support these people financially, medically, and most importantly, spiritually. When people in Ethiopia find out they have HIV or AIDS, they are shunned and abandoned by society, friends and often by their families. God is the only place where they can find comfort and peace. We gave them vegetable oil and wheat flour and helped fund medical testing to monitor their disease. Surprisingly, they made each of us a scarf; we were very honor

ed by their time and generosity.

> Video -- "Give me your Eyes"

http://de.youtube.com/user/gepenner

> What happened in Ethiopia? What's next?

By Pastor Kevin Wendt

Concordia Lutheran Church Fort Wayne

(Photo: Pastor Kevin Wendt, left, and Berhanu Mogus, Director, Lutheran Hour Ministries, Ethiopia, at Mekane Yesus Church, Addis Ababa.)

Ke Abatachin, Ke Egzi-abher, Ke Getachinim Ke Iyesus Kiristos ... Tesegga, Meheret, Selam... Le’ innante Yihum. AMEN

(Grace, mercy, peace. These are yours from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. AMEN)

Representing hundreds of Fort Wayne Lutherans, on Sunday, November 2, 2008, I stood before hundreds of Ethiopian brothers and sisters of Mekane Yesus Lutheran Church and greeted them with those very words.

In my first journey to Africa, I was one of thirteen people from four different Fort Wayne area Lutheran congregations (Concordia, Holy Cross, Martini, and Southwest) to arrive in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on October 26, 2008, for a 7-day visit.

The Lord led us there. While were graciously invited by Lutheran Hour Ministries to partner with them in their mission to "Bring Christ to the Nations and the Nations to the Church" ... and we were blessed by the LHM staff under the leadership and friendship of my Christian brother, Berhanu Mogus ... the Lord both opened the door and led us through to connect local mission in Fort Wayne and in Addis Ababa into a global partnership.

We toured the city, visited the LHM office, Mekane Yesus Seminary (to accompany a $6,245 gift in sponsoring a vital Christian-Muslim Relations workshop for area pastors), Hebir School (to be Jesus to hundreds of children and accompany a $2,403 gift), the Mekane Yesus head office (graciously received by President Iteffa), Gefersa Mental Hospital (the only such facility in the entire country - to encourage health care workers who are being

Jesus to people forgotten in their own country - and to accompany a $2,250), Mekane Yesus School (where we were honored by principal Aberra and took the first step in an ongoing relationship between Mekane Yesus School and Concordia Lutheran School), HIV/AIDS victim families (to bring God’s daily bread blessings to them to the tune of $4,111), and the Debre Zeit area southwest of Addis (to witness LHM’s wonderful Equipping the Saints ministry).

We learned firsthand that Ethiopia is a cradle of civilization, an historical land, a noble country, a strong culture, a beautiful people, with unique food.

There are no words in English or Amharic to express the privilege it was to stand before God’s people on November 2. I was humbled and honored.

My Ethiopian friends in the United States tease me that "Americans have watches but Africans have time". In America I cannot preach more than 20 minutes or people become agitated and impatient - because Americans believe it is important to be busy, busy, busy. And I have been told that in Africa you must speak for at least one hour - or people think you have nothing important to say. So I was very anxious / nervous to learn how much time I should spend speaking at Mekane Yesus. I am an American but I was to speak in Africa. - Can you guess what answer I was given? I was told 20 minutes - maybe 25 because I had to use a translator. So I came to the conclusion that either Africans have become busy or no one thinks I had anything important to say!

I was eager to open the Word of God with them that day. I was eager for the Holy Spirit to teach. I was eager to grow in faith with them. I did have something important to say because this was the Word of God for us that day. I prayed that not one among us was too busy to listen. And, I pray you are not too busy to finish reading this blog spot and consider what it means for you.

Hebrews 10:24 "Let us consider how we may spur one another on in love and good deeds."

What does this mean? This Word of God was first addressed to Jewish Christians who were minimizing their Christian characteristics. They were overemphasizing their Jewish background. They were concealing their Christian faith behind the mask of Judaism. They were compromising their faith. They had grown spiritually dull. Therefore, we know this Word of God is for times when Christians blend into their background. This Word of God is for times when Christians fit in with what is around them, camouflage their faith, and fall asleep spiritually.

I was told these sleepy conditions can be found in Ethiopia. I know these sleepy conditions can be found in the United States. Ethiopians confessed to us that this laziness can be true among them. I confess that this laziness can be true of me. Can it be true of you? Then this Word of God is important! Spiritual laziness is a problem. If Christians sleep God’s mission is hindered and unbelievers go to hell. Spiritual laziness is sin and we must confess it. Sin separates us from God. And only God can solve this problem.

So He did. God solved this sin problem by sending His Son, Jesus Christ ... true God who became human also ... who died in our place as our substitute ... who offers forgiveness of sin as a gift. In the words painted upon the Mekane Yesus chancel ceiling, "...The blood of Jesus, [God’s] Son, purifies us from all sin." (I John 1:7) As we know in the Lutheran Reformation heritage we share, we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, as revealed in Scripture alone.

But it is not enough to know this. People must respond by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is not enough for this Gospel to be in the head. This Gospel must be in the heart also. Knowledge of the Bible does not save. Relationship with Jesus Christ saves. Knowing the Bible is one thing. Knowing the Author is another.

Relationship. Connection by blood or by law (law of marriage or law of adoption) or by choice.

Relationship between Jesus and us for salvation. (God’s loving adoption in baptism. God’s loving blood and body in Holy Communion. God’s marriage commitment in His Word.). As Oswald Chambers wrote: "Jesus didn’t give doctrine. He gave Himself." Relationship with God. God’s choice.

Relationship between Jesus and us for salvation. Relationship between Christian Ethiopians and Christian Americans for mission. Relationship among Christians to encourage each other, to love each other, to cheer for each other, to inspire each other, to wake each other up, to "spur one another on in love and good deeds." (Hebrews 10:24) Relationship among Christians is one of God’s cures for spiritual laziness. Relationship is an alarm clock from God for sleeping Christians.

Let me tell you a story. It is a story of two brothers who lived very, very far apart. They did not communicate regularly. They were related by blood but they lived like strangers. They did not have a strong relationship. One day one brother needed money. So the other brother loaned him a certain amount of money ($100). The brother was indebted and obligated to pay back the money.


So every week he would send his brother a small amount of money ($1) - and he would include a letter with the money. The letter would tell his brother news about his life, joys in his life, sorrows in his life, prayer needs for his life. The letter would offer encouragement. The letter would offer prayers. The letters developed relationship. Two brothers who lived very, very far apart grew very close in relationship.

One day the brother sent the final payment for his debt and included the last letter. The loan was paid in full. The brother who borrowed was no longer obligated. The brother who borrowed had no more need to borrow.

The very next week, the brother who borrowed the money, the brother who paid back the loan, the brother who didn’t need any more money from his brother, the very next week, the brother who borrowed received a letter from his brother who loaned. Included in the letter was another $100.


This is a story about two brothers ... two brothers once asleep in relationship ... two brothers brought together by money ... two brothers who came into relationship by love.

We have heard of Ethiopian Christians persevering in faith - in the face of Muslim hostility. We have seen the faith of Ethiopian Christians with our own eyes - in their joy and perseverance. We pray for Ethiopian Christians in need. We are compelled to tell this news to our families and friends. Ethiopian Christians encourage us and spur us on in our faith.

What if I told you Ethiopian Christians would like to hear of American Christians persevering in faith? That Ethiopian Christians would like to see the faith of American Christians with their own eyes? That they would like to pray for American Christians in need? That they would consider it joy to share with their families and friends? What if I told you Ethiopian Christians want to be encouraged and spurred on in their faith?

Then let us spur one another on in the way that taxi & truck drivers in Addis drive their vehicles. They make good use of the turumba (automobile horn). In America, people use turumbas primarily when they are angry. But in Addis, people use turumbas for much more. When a driver uses the turumba it can mean the same things as spurring one another on ... It can mean: I want to go first or I want you to go first. Please hurry. Please be careful. I am frustrated with you. I am concerned for you. It is good to see you. In driving vehicles in Addis Ababa the turumba is an instrument of relationship. In connecting with Christians in Ethiopia writing letters is an instrument of relationship. E-mail is an instrument of relationship. Sharing, visiting, being together, seeing each other. These are instruments of relationship.

God gave this very vision to one of our Ethiopian translators, Kibret. God showed him that he will have American Christians in his home, to eat his food, to sleep in his bed, to pray together, to sing together, to read Scripture together, to worship together, to love one another, to spur one another on in love and good deeds. God has given us this vision. We believe God is leading us to have Ethiopian Christians in our homes, to eat our food, to sleep in our beds, to pray together, to sing together, to read Scripture together, to worship together, to love one another, to spur one another on in love and good deeds. I am praying you will let me know that you are willing to participate ... to $upport...

In what is perhaps the backbone of this vision, we have a strategy for linking Concordia Lutheran School and Mekane Yesus Lutheran School. In preparation for our trip, we had most of Concordia’s faculty and student body each prepare a zip loc bag of a personal information card, e-mail and snail mail contact information, a personal photograph, and a friendship bead bracelet. In a position / grade counterpart manner, these bags were distributed among the Mekane Yesus faculty and student body. In turn, during our visit, we interviewed many of the Mekane Yesus faculty and student body to gather personal information and take individual photographs. This material is being prepared to distribute in a position / grade counterpart manner among the Concordia student body. We are praying for these long-distant relationships to develop - student to student, parent to parent, family to family, teacher to teacher, principal to principal, pastor to pastor.

God does touch us in invisible ways, but He uses people too. God does bring Ethiopians to faith using Ethiopians, but He can use Americans too. God does bring Americans to faith using Americans, but He can use Ethiopians too. And God would use both Americans and Ethiopians to lead His Church from sleep into evangelistic mission ... from spiritual snoring into engaging people with Jesus.

So, "let us consider how we may spur one another on in love and good deeds."

Gayta - yibarkah. (God bless you.) In the name of Jesus Christ ... AME
N

> Mekane Yesus School Partnership

By Barb Johnson Martini Lutheran Church Music teacher, Concordia Lutheran School


When Mission Ethiopia 2008 was first developed, a plan was made to engage students with students, parents with parents, teachers with teachers, etc.

On Wednesday, Oct. 29, Pastor Kevin Wendt, Julie Kratzmann and I, with the help of our Ethiopian interpreter Mesfin Taye, met with Principal Abara Seifu of Mekane Yesus (dwelling place of Jesus) School to explain our idea of exchanging information and friendship. He was immediately agreeable to this partnership idea. The Lord was working with all of us to create relationships between Concordia Lutheran Church and School and Addis Ababa Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus Lutheran School. It was amazing how our schools matched up so well. Mekane Yesus has an enrollment of 500 in grades 1 through 9. Concordia has 400 in grades 1 through 8. A tour of various classrooms at the Mekane Yesus School was given to these four missionaries. In October 1938 the Congregation was reconstituted as Addis Ababa Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (the dwelling place of Jesus) under Ethiopian Leadership of dedicated Ethiopians who were responsible for its evangelism and administrative work.

At present the Ababa Mekane Yesus Congregations has 1445 members of whom 1,100 are communicates members. The congregation has three evangelism outreach areas, two of which are rural areas and one in the capital city. Two full time pastors, two evangelists, one youth coordinator, one women’s ministry coordinator, and one University Christian Students Ministry organizer as well as 110 Volunteers, who serve in various term committees of the church, carry out the spiritual and social ministry of the congregation.Background on the church and school
The Addis Ababa Mekane Yesus Congregation is the first Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus congregation. It was formally constituted as an evangelical church. The congregation was the result of the Swedish missionary, Karl Cederquest who arrived in Addis Ababa on March 29, 1904.

On Friday, October 31, the entire mission team met with children from the Mekane Yesus school in the multi-purpose room. The children colored pictures, were interviewed by the missionaries, and then each had a picture taken of them. These pictures will be shared with the children at Concordia. The missionaries also left small bags filled with a friendship bracelet, a card with some basic information about a child from Concordia, a picture of the Concordia child, and finally an envelop with the Concordia student’s address. The missionaries asked the Mekane Yesus students to respond with a letter to our Concordia students. There were also bags left with adult information to be shared with Ethiopian adults who are involved with Mekane Yesus School.


Even after our departure, Mesfin, our interpreter, friend and partner in mission, has graciously gone and visited with the principal, Abare, to see if he could keep this relationship going. He emailed our team and said that things are going well. Some of the children have already written a letter and others are working on letters. He will be returning again in a week in order to help the principal get the letters in large envelopes that we left behind. This will be then sent to Concordia students in the US. The Lord is helping the relationships build between the Mekane Yesus School and Concordia Lutheran School. The doors of communication are opening.
Missionary, Ole Erickson who moved to Addis Ababa, officially established the congregation in October 1921.

The Addis Ababa Congregation has celebrated its 100 years of service in March 2004. The congregation is mother church to most Lutheran congregations in Ethiopia.

> We're back!

The team returned to Fort Wayne at around 4:45 p.m. today (Nov. 2). We are all in good health and in good spirits and are happy to be reunited with our families.


The week was extremely blessed in many ways; for the team as a whole, for the Christians of Ethiopia, for each of us individually, and for our congregations and the school. Our prayer is that you also have been or will be blessed by this mission effort.



We are all extremely tired from 24 hours of travel so details of the many blessings will have to be written and posted later this week.


Here are just a few highlights:

1. We were successful in establishing a relationship between Concordia Elementary School and the Mekane Yesus School in Addis Ababa.
2. We were able to provide funds for important projects at the Heber government-run school and spent a wonderful afternoon with the 2,000 students, watching several sporting events set p for our enjoyment.
3. We spent a day meeting administrators and patients and feasted on goat and bread at the Gefersa mental health facility, where the government has invested some $3 million in improvements to the facility since Concordia's Mission Ethiopia 2006 team first visited the facility.
4. The workshop for Christian Ethiopian pastors and evangelists who are reaching out to Muslim populations throughout the country was well received by participants. Many stories of God's work in the face of adversity were told at the conference.

Other important details (and photos) are hidden behind a drowsy fog at this point, but will emerge later this week as the team recovers from travel to recount their experiences.



As soon as we are able to schedule a presentation of our trip, the time and date will be posted here as well.



Thank you to all who have prayed over this effort and provided support in one way or another. We know that even though we are now home and the week is over, the real fruit of our labor now begins. Everyone on the team will use our experiences and spiritual awakenings in our daily walk to further engage people with Jesus.

Hello from Ethiopia

Greetings!

All is well here in the beautiful country of Ethiopia! The internet is very, very slow and limited access.

We love you and miss you!

Please continue to send your prayers. Please share this with everyone so they know we haven't forgotten them.

Peace Out!
All of usHugs and kisses!
Keep praying Pastor Kevin says.

Mission Team Departed Fort Wayne for Ethiopia!!

Mission Team Departing from Fort Wayne to Ethiopia

> Itinerary

Saturday, Oct. 25

• Depart Fort Wayne, 12:15 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 26

• Arrive in Addis Ababa, 7:05 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 27

• Visit the Lutheran Hour Ministries Office
• Meet interpreters
• Addis Ababa tour to Trinity Cathedral Eastern Orthodox Church
• Visit the Ethiopian National Museum
• Shop the Merkato -- open market

Tuesday, Oct. 28

• Muslim outreach workshop begins (part of the team will attend) at the Mekane Yesus Theological Seminary
• Visit Yemisirach Dimts Communication Services (YDCS)
• Visit Heber School, Dessie, Ethiopia
• Visit Addis Ababa Mekane Yesus School

Wednesday, Oct. 29

• Workshop continues
• Visit the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY)
  
• Visit HIV/AIDS survivors at Addis Ababa Mekane Yesus Church (part of the EECMY)
  

Thursday, Oct. 30

• Workshop continues
• Visit the Gefersa Mental Health Rehabilitation Center
• Visit the Institute of Ethiopian Studies at Addis Ababa University

Friday, Oct. 31

• Workshop continues -- all team members attend
• Dinner at the Ethiopian National Retaurant

Saturday, Nov. 1

• Equipping the Saints Workshop at Debre Zeit
• Visit Lakes Babogaya and Kuriftu, Bishoftu Volcanic Field

Sunday, Nov. 2

• Worship at The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus
• Pastor Kevin Wendt, Concordia Fort Wayne, preaches
• Depart Addis Ababa, 10:15 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 3

• Arrive in Fort Wayne, 4:36 p.m.

> Ministry Moment Video

> Prayer Vigil requests

Mission Ethiopia 2008
Prayer Vigil

9 p.m. Oct. 17 – 9 a.m. Oct. 18
Or whenever you are moved


Thank you for offering your prayers to God to uphold and bless this mission effort.
May you be blessed to realize that YOU, too, are a missionary wherever you go!


Why a Prayer Vigil?
To be on a vigil is to be wakeful for a purpose. Our purpose is to glorify and serve God and to be on vigilant watch for the Evil One. Our prayer for Mission Ethiopia 2008 will not only pour down protection and peace on the team, but will also bless you in your daily walk with God.

• Be Watchful
• Be On your Guard
• Be Attentive
• Be alert
• Be aware

How to get started:
Gather a Bible, Hymnal, pad of paper and pen. You might even use an mp3 or CD player and headphones to quietly listen to your favorite inspirational music. Find a quiet place and eliminate all distractions. Try using the ACTS method of prayer – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplications.



Please pray as the Spirit leads you, perhaps with these petitions as a guide:

• In thanks giving to God for all that he has provided
• In humility and confession that we have not always been God’s missionaries as he commands
• That the team focus on God’s mission
• For spiritual growth among the team
• That the team might effectively engage people (and each other) with Jesus
• For protection against assaults from Satan
• For the team’s safety and health
• For blessings upon the congregation and all supporters of this mission
• That all Christians will come to realize they are missionaries wherever they go
• That each team member come to love and respect one another "spurring one another on in love and good deeds"
• That each team member come to understand and expand their role with the team
• That we become vulnerable and open to grow in Christ's love
• That we each become like yeast upon our return, infecting other groups of Christians to convince them that all Christians are missionaries wherever they go.
• That the mission becomes contagious in the school and congregation
• That Ethiopian pastors and lay leaders be encouraged in their Gospel outreach
• That one-on-one relationships might develop between Ethiopians and team member
• That the contagion of Gospel witness ignite in Fort Wayne, with outreach to the local Muslim population
• That the team has access to technology in the field to effectively document the mission and communicate during and after the trip.

For our Pastors, Kevin Wendt and Dave Maki

• A prayer of celebration and praise that God has sent us two amazing teachers, preachers, missionaries and leaders
• That the Holy Spirit might make them spiritually strong and bold, defending all confrontations and attacks from Satan's foolishness
• That they are able to work heart-to-heart as the team's spiritual leaders
• That they find ways to release their own stress and pressures during the trip
• That they are blessed by the experience and find definitive direction as leaders in God's purpose for missions

> Financial Needs

Your financial gifts cover:

• team travel and lodging expenses
• Financing of a 5-day conference for Ethiopian pastors
• translators and travel in the field to get team members in touch with Ethiopian Christians
  
• New-position staffing for Muslim outreach in Ethiopia
  

Gefersa Mental Health Rehabilitation Center
Specific project funding requests:

• 80 blankets – $950
• 160 T-shirts for the mentally ill patients – $370
• 100 kg cotton for weaving shawls – $180
• Clothing for 60 patients $800

> Prayer Requests

“Let you rear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants.” Nehemiah 1:6

Each of us on this mission need your prayers and support. Prayer is essential in taking this project from vision to reality. In addition to your own private prayers and the prayers of the congregation, a 12-hour prayer vigil is planned from 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17 to 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 18.

Please pray with us:

• That God’s will be done – that HIS mission be accomplished
• For this partnership between Fort Wayne and Ethiopian Christians to become firmly established and to bear fruit. (Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Hebrews 10: 23-24 )
• For individual courage and boldness in Gospel witness
• For individual humility and understanding in mission training
• For financial provision for Muslim Outreach staffing in Ethiopia and Fort Wayne
• For financial provision for team member travel
• For financial provision for projects among HIV/AIDS victims, mental health patients and school children and their families.
• For team travel and arrangements
• For protection and defense from interruptions and complications
• For team flexibility and adaptability in the face of interruptions and complications
• For team health and safety before, during, and after travel
• For political stability and spiritual ripeness throughout Ethiopia

> Event Calendar

September 7 – Sunday
Training 6-8 p.m.
Door offering at Martini

September 14 – Sunday
Training 3-5 p.m.
Door offering at Martini

September 15 – Monday
Fund Raiser: Fazoli’s on Coliseum Blvd., 5-8 p.m.

September 21 – Sunday
Training 6-8 p.m.

October 5 – Sunday
Fund Raiser: Nelsons Chicken at Georgetown, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

October 11/12 – Saturday/Sunday
Ministry Moments / Door offering at Concordia

October 16 – Thursday
Chik-Fil-a Fundraising event, 5-7:30 p.m., Jefferson Pointe

October 17 – Friday
Prayer Vigil at Concordia, 9 p.m. – 9 a.m.

October 18/19 –Saturday/Sunday
Commissioning / Ministry Moments / Door offering at Concordia
Pastor Kevin Preaches

October 25 – leave
Nov. 3 – return

> Our purpose for missions

Where in Scripture do we find the purpose for our involvement in missions?
Click here to find out.

God gives each of us our own purpose for involvement in missions. Each of the Mission Ethiopia 2008 team members share their reasons below.

Steve Soldano
Around 10 years ago my daughter spent the night at a friend’s house. The following day they invited her to go to church with them. When she came
home, she asked me " dad why don't we go to church?" I didn't have an answer for her. So we decided to start attending different churches trying to find one we liked. We chose Concordia because of Pastor Karl...we liked the message he gave. Soon after, I started to get involved with ushering, the prayer chain, delivered bread to new members, served donuts at bible study, cut the lawn, and now I help serve communion. All these activities brought me closer to God, but I feel Him tagging at my heart to do more. So God and I decided for me to go to Ethiopia and engage people with Jesus. I figure if God can choose me to follow Him beginning with one question from my daughter. How many more people can I reach witnessing about the love of Jesus Christ in Ethiopia?

Another reason I want to go is for God to enrich my life and help me to continue to grow in His love. My only hope is I will be spiritually prepared for this mission, but I believe God is with me and He will
continue to guide me.

Faith Hilty
There are several reasons why I want to go to Ethiopia. First, and most importantly, I love God. There are so many people that don’t know him and I feel compelled to share. I have had numerous events in my life that could easily have left me bitter and reclusive. Abuse, attempt on my life, deaths of family members, blindness, etc. But God has shown me so much love and comfort through it all and continues to do so each day. I can’t tell you how many times that things just happen to fall into place and work out even when it seems like it wouldn’t. He has given me so much. It is time for me to give more back. I have been on other mission trips before, mostly with youth, and it was incredible. Even though I am usually a chaperone, there for them, I have received so much from them. I love watching how excited they get working for God! It has inspired me to do more. I love people. My kids tease me that we can’t go anywhere without running into someone I know and how they are always waiting on me because I have to talk to everyone. They also tell me they think it’s funny that I can talk to a complete stranger about anything. Once at a Wizard’s game, I talked with this lady next to me, for two hours, like we were old friends. When we left, my kids asked me who that was and I told them I didn’t have a clue. People are fascinating to me. The thought of meeting and talking to people in Ethiopia is exciting. I can’t wait. If I can share, even with one person, how wonderful God has been to me, and make a connection, then I will have done what I believe God wants of me.

Barb Johnson
About a year ago I was asked to be on a committee for the school in order to write a curriculum because the church and school were going to make a three year commitment to spread the Gospel to Ethiopia. This didn’t seem that difficult. I have written curriculums before so with others we would be able to do this.

At the first meeting when the faculty representatives meet with the church’s mission committee, I was asked if I was planning to go on a mission trip. Inside I was thinking that this was crazy. That was not what the faculty asked me to do. I had no plans to do this. I kept going to the meetings until the mission committee decided to write a mission statement for the church. The faculty committee members didn’t attend again until this was completed.

The next time we were asked to attend was in February, 2008. I was the only faculty member to show up. I brain stormed ideas with the committee. Then they also talked about the continued growth of Buddhism I knew about a Buddhist temple that was being developed down the road from my church as well as down the road from a school I recently taught at. After the meeting Gary Penner and Pastor Kevin came to me and asked me personally to consider going on the trip. Of course I came up with all kinds of excuses.

As time went on my excuses fell apart. I couldn’t afford it because my husband lost his job. Well he now has a job. The principal wouldn’t want me to be gone so long. In the mean time Bob Boyd realized that an educator should go. Then I would miss too much school. When the dates for the trip were decided, I realized that I would only miss two days. I also thought that my husband would not like me to be gone so long. Well when Dan and I talked, he said that this would definitely be outside my box. However, he said I should go because he felt that this would be something I could do and succeed at making a difference by using my music with children. My own children also said that if I didn’t go I would always wish I had. Well there went all of my excuses.

As I was praying and asking God to help me make a decision, I came across the passage of John 20:21. “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” I have done that with children for the past 25+ years in the states of Wisconsin and Indiana. Right before my final commitment I was practicing for a contemporary service at church when I noticed the words in the refrain of a song we were singing for the service on the following Sunday. It goes like this by Dan Schulte:

“Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord? I have heard You calling in the night.I will go, Lord, if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart.”

I also thought about Buddhism being spread right in my neighborhood it made me want to find ways to change these people mind’s and come to find Christianity. I know that there are children here at Concordia who come from Buddhist families. What can I do to help them grow in Christianity? I felt this trip would teach me ways to help children grow in Christ. I could make a difference even in small ways. If I save one or two children, I could tell myself I made a difference and spread the Gospel.

I believe that Christ is using me to “preach the Gospel to all nations” because I know that “People Need the Lord”.

“I will go, Lord, if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart.”

Gary Penner
Top ten reasons “Why I’m Going”

1. I am a sinner; God has forgiven me and changed me – redeemed me and made me whole. He has bought me with Jesus’ blood. In response to what I believe through the power of the Holy Spirit, I want to live my life in His grace, in His service.
2. I believe God wants me to see what he sees, feel what he feels, and carry his passion for this world.
   
3. I believe Christ wants me to become more mature in Him -- that he would make my love deeper and stronger.
   
4. My participation for 11 years as a member of the Concordia Praise Singers taught me the value of working in God’s kingdom with fellow believers to His glory.
   
5. My participation in the Thailand mission in 2005 opened my eyes to the possibilities of sharing God’s love and message of salvation with others – even within my own family.
   
6. God has blessed me with the resources to go and with a family that knows I must go. And in turn, I am blessed with a family that ventures daily into their own mission fields.
   
7. I believe Mission Ethiopia will result in life-changing experiences for the team and for those with whom we come in contact.
8. I believe that all Christians are missionaries, wherever we go and that Mission Ethiopia will help this fact become more widely known.
9. I believe God has called me to document Mission Ethiopia in pictures and words to show his hand at work.
10. I have family, friends, and co-workers who trust that God will bless Mission Ethiopia and in turn, bless and protect me and the rest of the team. Sent and commissioned by my supporters and the congregation, I serve as an extension of their love and an expression of their faith.

Pastor Kevin Wendt
The Lord has both convinced me by His Word that He has made me His missionary everywhere I go and compelled me to be His missionary everywhere I go. The Lord has made His mission to seek and save the lost a personal mission for me.

The Lord has also given me a compulsion to share with others what He has given to me. I want what God has made personal for me to become personal for others.

I have witnessed this over the last 4 years as I have been a part of short-term international mission teams to Peru, Thailand, and Ethiopia. And now the Lord is leading us back to Ethiopia with two powerful enhancements: a partnership beyond Concordia among 3 Fort Wayne Lutheran churches and a design for long-term relationships with Ethiopians.

Why am I going? People are headed to hell unless the Gospel transforms them into believers in Jesus Christ. These people live in Fort Wayne and Ethiopia. These people can be blessed by the growing global / local partnership of spurring one another on in Kingdom work (Hebrews 10:24). I am going because the Lord is leading the Christian Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, into a long-term ‘glocal’ partnership with the Christian Church in Ethiopia ... and I am blessed to take part in it.

Kelly Herring
I believe God sends us on journeys though our lives to grow and mature. I believe he puts us in situations to learn from others. I believe things happen for a reason. I believe God puts people in our lives to learn and grow and for support . . . for us to support them, and for them to support us. I believe that as we live our journey, we make choices along the way. Sometimes we choose to listen to God, and other times we choose not to listen. Two years ago, I chose not to listen to God and stayed home from the Ethiopian Mission Trip because I thought I was “safe” in my home environment. This time I choose to listen to God and “Go” on this mission trip to Ethiopia. As I look around me I see so many people who God should be choosing to send . . . Why me? Their faith is so much stronger than mine. They speak better than I do. They do not seem afraid. I’m not very good at making friends or reaching out. My whole life I have not made very good choices. I don’t have much to say. I’ve spent my life feeling alone and unloved. I’m sad a lot. I have trust issues. I’m afraid for myself and for my daughter of getting sick, of what we will see and hear, of the environment that we will be going into. I’m afraid for our lives. I’m afraid that “going” will change my life . . . what is to come out of all of this? But yet, there is calmness this time. A calmness that we are going for God’s purpose and not mine. Only God knows, “why me?” All I know is that He is sending me and I must say, “Yes, I will go for you, Lord.” Whatever happens, happens . . . and is happening for a reason. This time I am choosing to follow God’s voice telling me to go. Whatever it is that I am supposed to learn from this will be made known to me in God’s time. I believe it may be for my daughter and that the true purpose is for her opportunity to learn and grow to go on and do more. I believe it is to teach me to listen to God and Trust in Him. I believe it is to let go of my fears and let God take the reigns. He leads, I follow. This is just a baby step. I believe God meets us where we are and helps us make the right decisions if we will just take the time to listen to His calling. 

Mackenzie Herring

I’m going because I feel this is an opportunity to witness and tell people how great God is and what He can do for you. Also, I can help people and make friends and in doing so grow closer to God and stronger in my faith. I have never really liked to tell people what I think. I have always sat back, listened, and just sat on the sidelines. This is a chance for me to jump in and get involved. Going on this mission trip, I think, is just a great opportunity to grow and share my faith and I wouldn’t want to miss it! 

Doris Kayser
“Being a missionary…” is what my 94-year-old grandmother said to me just months before she went to be with Jesus in 1997. We were eating lunch and discussing what kind of occupations she saw her grandchildren fitting into. My maternal grandmother was one of my spiritual heroes. She greatly influenced my life for Jesus Christ. “You were born with a passion for talking about Jesus, never being afraid of what others thought, even when you were a little girl…” she continued. I guess she was right. I was born with the mission/gospel bug. I thoroughly enjoyed campus ministry for three years during my college years, even at the expense of failing nursing classes. I quietly considered full time Christian work then, but didn’t do it. Next was working as a “live-in” counselor at a rural Christian rehab facility for troubled young pregnant women for a year. Working as a RN in mental health and as a social worker cemented the passion the Lord grew in my heart for the less fortunate, needy and those without any hope. Working in the professional world, one can only do so much without naming Jesus as the ultimate healer of broken hearts and lives. Again, the gospel was at the heart of the message I was to share. JESUS CHRIST was the one and only TRUE and SOLID ROCK answer to my own brokenness and is for all!! As a middle class American, I also came to see how materially rich I am. That also added to my passion to work in a developing country. To help a culture with so much pain and heartbreak related to AIDS, would be such a privilege as a Christian nurse. Having lived in the Philippines for a summer, many years ago, showed me how well I do living in other cultures. With my host family shocked that an American teenager came to the Philippines “with a Bible,” also seemed to show what the Lord placed in my heart. Thirty years later, with 4 classes remaining in the Deaconess program at Concordia Theological Seminary, I continue to pursue the dream of working in full time church work. Going to Ethiopia to build relationships and talk about Jesus will really be no different than talking to my African neighbors in Ft. Wayne. I came to the seminary to prepare to work as a missionary. I don’t “have” to go to Ethiopia to do that. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with African immigrants and refugees here in Ft. Wayne. But the Lord put on my heart, the passion of working in the context of another culture. I feel I was born and gifted with this calling. Many years later - I am beginning to do what Jesus placed on my heart as a little girl. During a recent conversation with a relative who is a professor, he seemed puzzled as to why I would want to go to Africa… “Why Africa?” he said, “It’s such a poor country.” I confidently said, “That’s exactly why I want to go there.”


Dan Dienelt
“ Now that God has called you to missions…” Wait a minute! I didn’t hear or feel the touch of the Holy Spirit. Yes, I know that Pastor Kevin works that phrase of his “we are to engage people with Jesus into every Sunday he preaches.. I have been a good Christian for 62 years…very blessed years; God’s gifts to me have been unmeasurable..Yes- I have had troubled waters to walk on or through. Again and again the Lord was been by my side, guiding me continuously. Age has it privilege in that after 62 years of life, I am able to see the hand of the Lord in guiding my life. If it were not for the troubled waters of the fore years, I would not be blessed with my wife Sharon, my grandson, Cody and all my grandchildren. Ask anyone who know me and they will tell you I am stuck like glue glue on my family. Guess what! A song by the Christian singer, Michael W. Smith, “Open The Eyes of My Heart, Lord” tells it like it is for me… My heart has felt the calling…Pastor Kevin’s message to “Engage people with Jesus” The Holy Spirit was touch me so gently, I did not even know He was there. I KNOW IT NOW! I FEEL IT NOW!.
“Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless: maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." Psalm 82:3-4

May God open the eyes of your heart!

Pastor Dave Maki
I am going to Ethiopia because the Lord has opened doors for us to build a partnership with the Christians of Ethiopia that are sharing the Gospel with Muslims. Their experience and passion for outreach will encourage us to make an impact in the growing Muslim community in Fort Wayne. I believe we have a call from God to learn how best to reach out to the Muslim population. God is bringing together many factors that point us to the possibilities for sharing Christ with Muslims. It is becoming clear that we have received a challenge from the Lord to activate God’s people for reaching a changing culture. I am compelled to find ways to make a difference in the Fort Wayne mission field. It is time for us to move outside the walls of our churches and influence our communities with the message of hope. It is my prayer that this trip will give us a clear vision for how we might step up our mission effectiveness. God can use this trip to build a connection to Christians who can inspire us by the huge sacrifices they have made for the mission of Christ.

I am returning to Ethiopia to continue my journey with, to, and for the Lord. It sounds selfish, and while I may have helped just a few people on the last trip, hundreds of people helped me. I feel very blessed that the Lord has given me the heart and will to go again and help others in a far off place.
Julie Kratzman
Why am I returning to Ethiopia?
On the trip two years ago I witnessed for the first time someone (Samuel) who wanted to be saved. Our guide, Solomon, who is with Lutheran Hour Ministries talked with Samuel for several minutes. Samuel was questioning whether or not he was good enough to be a Christian because he had done bad things in his past and was afraid the Lord wouldn’t allow him into heaven. Solomon could see Samuel was truly sorry for his sins as he was crying and assured him the Lord would be with him if he prayed and asked God for forgiveness and guidance. I was there to listen with Samuel, to pray with Samuel and to ask for forgiveness just like Samuel. Later I realized the Lord placed me in that moment for a reason but it was not the same reason I had thought originally. As I walked away I was overcome with emotion seeing someone being saved when all along I was being saved just like Samuel.

Many people have asked if I was ever scared or felt in danger during the last trip and I admit sometimes I would question places we would go or people we would see, but I never felt I was alone or in a place that the Lord wasn’t taking us to. I am going somewhere He wants me to go and it is not my plan, but His plan that I am living.

I am thrilled to be going back and seeing familiar faces, sharing my faith, hugging hundreds of children, and building a lasting relationship between Concordia Lutheran School and a school in Addis Ababa. I want to use this experience again to set an example for my children that will help them grow in their faith and learn to always trust and live with the Lord in their heart.

Jennifer Davis 
Have you ever been so consumed with the temporal, routine demands brought on by life that you feel you have little time to meet needs of an eternal significance? That’s where I found myself, and that’s one of the reasons I’m going to Ethiopia.

Four years ago I was actively meeting in a small group, a Bible study, involved with a refugee ministry, and serving at church in several ways. Then I became a mother for the second, third, and fourth time in one year.

I withdrew from church, from small group, from everything. The more I withdrew, the more focused I became on me, my family, and the challenges that came with it. All ministries stopped.

When I heard about Mission Ethiopia something stirred inside me…the Holy Spirit. I believe God is using this mission trip as an invitation to pour myself into serving Him, rather than serving myself. My faith, gifts, and energies are not just for me or my family; they are for reaching the lost.
God gave me the opportunity in the past to minister to the Muslim refugees from Somalia. That experience emboldened me to befriend, love, and minister to those living apart from God. Whether in Ethiopia or in my neighborhood there are people who need the gospel of Jesus Christ and may not hear if I do nothing.

I truly feel called to be part of Mission Ethiopia. I consider it a gift to have this time carved away from all the temporal demands in order to completely surrender myself and focus on the eternal. I have been longing to serve Him again. I feel I need to trust Him and obey His call. So, here I am, send me! 

Loretta Sassmannshausen
Why am I returning to Ethiopia?
Why am I going? I certainly don’t have the time. I have three very busy children, and it’s generally my responsibility to be their chauffeur and tutor. I have a husband who is a physician and is very busy taking care of his many patients. I manage his medical practice which is a full-time (and then some) job in itself. We are in the process of constructing a new 19,000 square foot building that will house our new office and second business which we are also in the process of starting. I am on the School Board, Personnel Committee, and Board of Directors at Concordia.

I went to Ethiopia two years ago. I was shocked to feel God leading me to go then and am a bit surprised to feel His calling to go again. This is not something I thought that I would ever have a desire to do once, no less to do it again (in fact, I could see this being a regular journey throughout my life). I don’t think I am any less nervous this time, but I feel a bit better prepared/equipped to be a blessing to our team and to the people of Ethiopia. For me, it is a constant reminder that there are people everywhere that need to know the love, acceptance, forgiveness, and peace that can only be found in a relationship with God. It also helps me to understand and not take for granted the blessings we have here in the United States. However, it’s not just about helping and blessing them. It’s about helping us to be a blessing to people here in Fort Wayne and everywhere we go. We have been instructed in Acts 1:8 to “…be my witnesses in Jerusalem [Fort Wayne], and in all Judea [USA] and Samaria [the world], and to the ends of the earth.” This is my mission. I just cannot imagine NOT being involved in this incredible opportunity.