FOR PAST NEWSLETTERS, GO TO THE VERY END OF THIS PAGE NOVEMBER 2011 Here are a few more recent pictures in addition to those in the latest newsletter: Reformation Service at San Pedro Lutheran Church, Oct 29, 2011:  Forum on Migration at the Theological Community, held from Oct. 22-24 (the one presenting here is Rev. Raquel Rodríguez, Program Director for Latin America and the Caribbean of ELCA Global Mission);  An ecumenical conference on Theological Reflection held at the Theological Community from Oct. 5-7:  SUMMER 2010 For our mission presentations in 2010, I preached a sermon about Felix and Roberto. To watch the sermon, click on the following links: PART ONE PART TWO This is a picture of my wife Alicia and daughter Monica with Roberto Chávez and his family at his church:  In October of 2010, we were able to present Felix with a guitar:
  Felix with his mother (left) and with Roberto and myself
On the First Sunday in Advent, November 28, at our church we had the First Communion of several of the children from our congregation. Here are a few photos:
VISITS TO SPONSORING CONGREGATIONS 2010 In 2010, Alicia and I spent about 2 months on missionary home assignment, visiting fourteen of our sponsoring congregations, which now number 25.
Unfortunately, we don't have pictures from every congregation we visited, but here are just a few:
 With some of the members of Immanuel Lutheran Church-Cushing, Oklahoma, and their pastor, Rev. Cheryll Kaukis-Armstrong (next to me).
 We spent several days with Pastor Russ Lambert and his wife Linda and their new foster children in Bessie, Oklahoma. Russ is pastor at both Peace Lutheran Church in Bessie and Trinity Lutheran Church in Clinton, Oklahoma, both of which sponsor us.
 The children's sermon with a piñata at Zion Lutheran Church in Lima, Ohio.
 In front ot Bethel Lutheran Church, Toledo, Ohio, with our daughter Elizabeth and her husband Matt, who accompanied us.
 At St. John's Lutheran Church in Piqua, Ohio with some of the members who attended our presentation there.
 Giving the children's sermon at St. Marks Lutheran Church in Bowling Green, Ohio.
  During our visits to our sponsoring congregations in 2008, I preached a sermon about Jorge Salazar, who at that time was a seminary student. To watch the sermon, click on the following: PART ONE PART TWO Jorge passed away in 2011. This is what I wrote up regarding Jorge: Remembering Jorge Alberto Salazar, 1981-2011 Jorge was a member at Faith Lutheran Church in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico since he was 4 years old. He was always active in the church, but was also very quiet and reserved. When he reached college age, he studied Computer Engineering, and then got a good job in that field. He began to work on a Masters Degree, which would take several years; after finishing the Masters Degree, he would be able to earn well over $100,000 U.S. dollars a year. Yet at a youth gathering at his church in August of 2006, following a presentation by Prof. José Alcántara of our Lutheran Seminary in Mexico City, Jorge made the decision to leave his work and his Masters Program and study for the ministry. He informed everyone of his decision and began to make plans to start Seminary in January 2007. However, several weeks later, Jorge learned from his doctor that he had a degenerative kidney disease that was incurable. The doctor told him they might be able to do a transplant, but even the new kidney would degenerate and would only extend his life for a few years at the most. Needless to say, this was a tremendous blow to Jorge, who wondered how this could happen right after he decided to study Seminary. He pondered whether to continue with his plans to study at the Seminary, and finally decided to go ahead, unsure of what the future might hold. During his first semester, Jorge continued to be very quiet and reserved, yet gradually he began to open up. He was one of those students who always had hard questions and wanted to challenge the status quo. At this time, Jorge's kidneys were only functioning at 6% of their capacity, but Jorge looked and felt absolutely fine, with no real symptoms. The doctors told him he was a miracle and could not explain how he was still functioning normally.  Jorge really began to develop and open up in Homiletics class, which I taught. His first sermon was about how church should be a place where people laugh at themselves and one another. Jorge was always doing creative things. He would bring music on tape and play background music during his sermon, and innovate in other ways. His sermons also reflected his probing and questioning attitude toward the way things were in the church. Finally, in late 2009, Jorge's symptoms began to become apparent. He was not able to finish the semester. He was able to preach one more time at a home for abandoned people in Mexico City. He returned to Guadalajara. Over the next year, he continued to preach periodically at his church. However, they were not able to stabilize Jorge enough to have the kidney transplant, as I understand. Finally, Jorge was hospitalized in February of 2011. He knew he was dying and was at peace with that. His mother, who was with him at the end, said in the short while before he passed away, he was praying in an audible voice, and gradually his voice grew weaker until it finally died out. Jorge's funeral was conducted the following day at his church. Jorge impacted us all, in part because of his decision to continue to study in spite of his illness, but also because of his personality. He enabled us to see the world and the church in a different way, and also opened up a vision for many of us that we did not have before. We will always remember Jorge dearly. PREVIOUS NEWSLETTERS Below are some of our previous newsletters with photos: |
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