Every other month our CLC Board of Missions updates us with recent news from various mission fields.
After a two-year COVID hiatus, the CLC Mission Helper Program was finally able to make a trip this past July. Eight volunteers (Andrea D’Onofrio, Kaylee Koenig, Henry Lau, Candy Ohlmann, Noah Ohlmann, Erica Oster, Amy Tvedt, and Kari Wales) from six CLC congregations accompanied Missionary Ohlmann on a child evangelism trip to Zambia in East Africa.
On July 11 th most of the volunteers met at Messiah Lutheran Church and School in Hales Corners, Wisconsin, for lunch, devotion, and departing prayers led by Pastor Michael Eichstadt. Ted Quade and Teacher Paul Tiefel shuttled the mission helpers to O’Hare airport in Chicago for an evening departure. After two overnight flights and a long layover in Doha, Qatar, they arrived in Lusaka, Zambia early Wednesday morning.
With a good night of rest behind them, the nine individuals divided into two teams to begin teaching first thing the next morning. Each day began with a psalm and prayers, asking for the Lord’s blessings on the privilege of proclaiming the truths of His saving Word. The first week was spent visiting local schools and pre-schools in Lusaka where the Zambia-CLC congregation is located. Long before the mission helpers had arrived, Pastor Victor, the local Zambia-CLC pastor, had made arrangements with each of these schools for the mission helpers to come teach. After the first five days they had already taught over 1,700 children.
An eight-hour drive to the southwest of Lusaka near the Zambia/ Zimbabwe border took the mission helpers to Livingstone, where the Z-CLC has its headquarters and also where the Martin Luther Bible School (MLBS) for training pastors, leaders, evangelists, and teachers is located. Again, arrangements had been made prior to arrival to teach in schools and preschools in the areas near the local congregation and MLBS. More than 1,400 children heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ during the six days they were in Livingstone!
The lessons taught by the mission helpers focused on the truths of Scripture that reveal Who Jesus truly is and what He accomplished for all sinners. The children learned of our Savior’s love and that He is true God through the story of the feeding of the five thousand, and that He is true man through the story of His temptation in the wilderness. They also learned of His power over life and death as our Savior in the raising of Lazarus, and that He is a Savior for all people through the parable of the prodigal son.
In addition to the simple goal of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the opportunity to assist our brothers and sisters in Christ by helping them to make contacts and meet people in the areas where they are already working. One such opportunity came on one of the last days in Livingstone when they taught children in a newly established preschool with about fifty children in attendance. This school was started by a young man who has a passion for helping children and for His Savior. Following the teaching program, he was eager to speak with Pastor Ibrahim. They discussed the importance of teaching the children about their Savior. They exchanged contact information so they can discuss further Scriptural training for the teacher at the MLBS and the possibility of weekly Bible lessons for the children taught by Pastor Ibrahim or a volunteer from the local Z-CLC congregation. This was an exciting development for the team to experience!
Our Savior was faithful again in blessing this trip with growth in faith and an appreciation for the privilege of proclaiming God’s saving word. In addition to those blessings, we also had the opportunity to see and stand in awe of some of God’s amazing creation at Victoria Falls and the Mosi Oa Tunya National Park near Livingstone! Plans are already underway for the 2023 CLC Mission Helper Trip to Nepal next summer.
Praise the Lord for the privilege He gives to all of His children to proclaim the truths of His saving word wherever and whenever He opens the door of opportunity! You can read the 2022 Zambia Trip blog at: https://2022clcmhtzambia.blogspot.com/
is a full-time visiting missionary for the Church of the Lutheran Confession.