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God provided an additional blessing in the presence of Wernerís parents, Dieter and Annemarie Wenhold, who were visiting from South Africa. The Wenhold family has thrived in the Christian faith for several generations. Many years ago, Dieterís grandfather served as a missionary from Germany to native people in South Africa.

We are delighted to watch young couples become parents and see families grow in the midst of our fellowship on Grand Cayman. We now look forward to the new opportunities to partner with parents in ministry to their children. We pray that God will keep us faithful so that no matter where life takes these precious little ones, they too will be able to tell the Good News of God’s love in Jesus Christ to the next generation.”

]]> http://latinamerica.lcmsworldmission.org/?feed=rss2&p=256 http://latinamerica.lcmsworldmission.org/?p=256 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/latinamericanews/~3/i4qBQ-QiO5Y/ http://latinamerica.lcmsworldmission.org/?p=198#comments Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:02:56 +0000 James http://latinamerica.lcmsworldmission.org/?p=198

After the devastating earthquake in Haiti, many are rushing to be the hands and feet of Christ to those in need. Pray continuously for these teams and let us know if you would like to be a part of helping out!

“Thanks once again for all the love, prayer, and support. It is truly all of that which allows us to push forward with courage. The coming days, weeks, months, and even years will be very tough and the road to recovery for Haiti will be unbelievably challenging. But by the grace of God and with the help and strength of our brothers and sisters both locally and abroad, Haiti will prevail!”

-Rev. Doris Jean Louis, Haiti.

The building in Caradeux took minimal damage in comparison to the others, broken tiles on the floor and columns and cracked walls which will need serious repair. Lots of things on the inside were broken and the walls surrounding the property have been destroyed. It appears the situation is similar in Delmas 89 and Lilavois, engineers will be needed to check the structural integrity of the buildings.

The church in Pelerin appears to be ok, though further investigation is needed. Cite Soleil took more damage, one of the walls of the school collapsed (no one is believed to have been inside) and most of the walls around the compound were destroyed. This property is unreachable under current conditions.

It is expected that several members have perished in the earthquake but an actual death toll is impossible to obtain at this time. All information here has come from Rev. Doris Jean Louis. Keep this country in your prayers.

Make sure you click “read more…” to get the link!

october-puertasweb

Last Saturday was an important day for the Lutheran Church of Panama, seeing the ordination of its first national pastor since the last presence of LCMS missionaries called specifically to Panama. Pastor Jose Angel Fernandez was ordained and officially installed at the congregation of Rio Rita, a rural area towards the Caribbean side of the country. Pastor Jose Angel has been serving the congregation in the capacity of a lay leader for many years and finally was able to be ordained after completing his seminary training in Nicaragua.
The event was a big celebration for the national church and for his family. When Pastor Fernandez first came to the Lutheran church, he was unable even to read. Through the efforts of Pastor Rueben of Los Andes Lutheran Church, Pastor Fernandez learned to read and write using the Bible, and has now completed his seminary studies–what an incredible testimony to how God equips those whom He calls!

“Dominicans have a real passion for baseball. Baseball fields, or “plays” as the are called here, are in every community, and it is a common occurrence to see a fully dressed baseball player walking down the street, a pickup truck loaded down with a young boys’ baseball team, and children playing baseball in the streets, often with little wooden sticks as bats and with water caps as balls. It is the dream of many young boys to make it to the Majors, of getting to New York and becoming rich and famous. School studies are frequently left to one side so that they might single-mindedly pursue this dream, and though there are those who do sign contracts, many don’t realize this dream, leaving many young men poor and without any vocation.

Recently in the community of Palmar Arriba a new play was built by Jose Reyes, a native from Palmar who now plays for the New York Mets. Jose’s father was there, along with officials from the community and four baseball teams, to officially open the grounds on Tuesday, June 30th. It was a very formal affair and a big moment for the community. We were also invited to be present for the occasion.

Over the past three months, Cacao, the baseball manager in Palmar, has invited us to come, twice a week, to share God’s words with the baseball players in the baseball camps – an open door to 50-60 young men each week. The young men play ball from 9:00 -12:00 from Monday through Sunday. Often, there are all-day weekend tournaments. Two weeks ago Pastor Ries gave the Wednesday morning talk and another manager was visiting. He invited us to come and give devotions at his baseball training camp as well.

God’s word is at work, and some of these players and trainers have also come to our worship services on Wednesday nights in the community. Two of them are in confirmation classes. Please keep these young men in your prayers!”