Challenges and Opportunities

I had the privilege to attend our church's national convention.  One of the highlights was an evening session where we received updates on our world mission activities - from the 
people actually responsible for them.

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UKRAINE LUTHERAN CHURCH
Our first speaker was the leader of the Ukraine Lutheran Church (the ULC).  He titled his presentation "Challenges and Opportunities".  I was swept up in the drama of their day to day life - as the Ukraine is in an armed conflict with Russia right now.  

The ULC is one of our church body's newest world missions.  But Christianity is not new there.  
On July 28th they celebrated the 1,000th anniversary of the introduction of Christianity to the Ukraine.

They have challenges...
- The armed conflict with Russia in eastern Ukraine (7,000 dead, 1 million refugees coming in from Russian territories)
- Some ULC pastors who have medical training are being called into the military.  "When the shepherd is stricken, the sheep will scatter"
-  Russia will only allow four official religions - Russian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Jewish, Islam.  No room for Protestants or the ULC.
- The ULC does not have many church buildings.  That makes it difficult because the government does not officially recognize you as a church - unless you have a church building.
- In a country in conflict - they can feel alone and isolated (especially the youth).  Does anyone care?

And opportunities...
- Challenges bring people closer to the possibility of death - and they are much more interested in finding out about God.
- Refugees bring new opportunities to share the Gospel outside the country - from within the country (as they contact their families)
- The ULC invites us as children of God to come to Ukraine (the western and northern parts not touched by the armed conflict) and worship and rejoice with them.  They'd love to have us come and teach Vacation Bible School to children.

He ended by thanking us and rejoicing in Jesus marching orders for all of us (his Church) in Matthew 28:18-20.

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MALAWI
One of our church body's oldest world missions is to the country of Malawi.  
It's not a place I knew much about...

It's a small country.  It would fit inside Texas easily - 8 times over.
But it has a population density 5 times that of the United States.  (478 people per square mile)

Their population growth rate (3.3% every year) is the 6th highest in the world.
A mother has 5.7 babies on average (compared with 2.0 in the United States).

But it's not an urban country.  
It's rural - with 80% of the population living in the country and subsistence farming.
They have the lowest per capita income in the world - $250 - A YEAR.
Their average life expectancy is about 30 years less than the United States.

25% do not have access to safe drinking water.
The most prevalent cause of death in Malawi - malaria.

But it's a beautiful country - with beautiful people who need to know their Savior Jesus Christ. 

Our mission churches have 28 in-country (natives to Malawi) pastors serving 40,000 souls.
Do the math - that's 1,430 members per pastor.
They often don't have cars (because in most cases there are no roads for their route). 
They sometimes have motorcycles - usually bicycles.

The pastors can't possibly get to the 130 congregations each week - so lay people lead the worship.  A congregation will see their pastor perhaps once in a couple months.

We have a Lutheran Bible Institute there - solely devoted to training up national pastors for the Malawi church. 

They reminded us of Luke 10:2 - “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

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One LA (Latin America)Team
We heard how the Latin American ministries are harnessing technology to spread the Gospel.  Check out Academia Cristo on their website or Facebook.  Their Spanish-language translation of the "Come Follow Me" video gets 1,000 views a day.  They have a live chat team of volunteers around the globe.  They produce videos.

They want to grow teachers of the gospel - eventually culminating in teachers to focus on Hispanic - Cristo Palabra de Vida.

They stressed that their communities so need to hear the free, full, unconditional grace that Jesus Christ brings.  Sola Gratia - by grace alone.

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Lord,
Thanks for people who have virtually linked arms around the world to share your Gospel.
Show me how I can help them show You to the world!
Amen.

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